Work Permit In Vietnam: Do You Need One?

As a consequence of intense globalization today, cross-border jobs are no longer a rare case for small groups of elites, but now a wider, more open situation that concerns many a worker labouring in international projects. Vietnam is no exception. Since its participation in World Trade Organization in 2005, the country has greatly widened its gate to offshore businesses and also human resources working in theses realms. However, in order to probably maintain authorized working conditions, foreigners need to abide by the Vietnam law, which requires them to acquire proper rights and legal documents. Among the most popular ones, work permit is an important part that might be missed by many.

If you are a non-Vietnamese citizen originating from parts of the world, then you will certainly have to obtain work permit from Vietnamese government to be able to officially work in Vietnam. This is a legal document that proves the right of working in Vietnam for a certain foreigner.  Most of working foreigners are required to have one, unless you fall into certain categories that are exempted by the law. 

So do you really need work permit in Vietnam? What if you are not in the above exemption cases and don’t have a work permit, either? Consequences of violating the work permit law can be damaging to the individuals as well as the company. Tracing back to history, there are many cases in which foreigners that come to Vietnam on a travel visa overstayed the allowed time to work without renewing their documents or obtaining a work permit. Such cases may lead to breaching the regulations on work permit law and result in penalties for the persons or organization involved. Although not convicted of a criminal activity, breaching work permit in Vietnam is still deemed administratively illegal, which causes the foreigner(s) in question to be inhibited from continuing their work in Vietnam, and the organization they work for to be subject to a fine. Moreover, without a work permit in hand, you are certainly prone to different labor risks especially when there are disputes between parties concerning you. Since you don’t have a legal support from official government permission, you may have less advantage dealing in legal courts in such cases.

It is also good to note that, even though the application process is similar for most foreigners, there might be slight differences in documentation requirements depending on the type of work they involved. For example, foreigners with an employment contract in Vietnam need to provide recruitment papers properly signed, while ones working for NGOs have to have certificates proving the organization’s operation is permitted in Vietnam. 

The subject of work permit and other legal requirement for foreign businesses as well as individuals are receiving more concerns as time goes by. Work permit is not too difficult or costly to obtain, but to avoid unnecessary potential risks, it is good to consult a knowledgeable unit to make sure you can gather all the official rights before working in Vietnam.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact our HR outsourcing service.