Work Permit and Temporary Residence Card

Vietnam has no digital nomad visa. The only fully legal long-term route is a work permit sponsored by a Vietnamese entity, which then supports a temporary residence card of up to two years. Many long-stay foreigners obtain this by incorporating a Vietnamese company or being sponsored by a client's local entity. It requires a degree, three years of relevant experience, a legalised criminal record certificate and a health check, and the paperwork is genuinely demanding. In exchange you get a bank account, a lease in your own name, and no visa runs.

Broadly open, but consulates assess each application case by case.

• Sponsorship by a Vietnamese entityRequiredA Vietnamese company must sponsor the work permit, whether it is an employer, a client's local entity, or a company you incorporate yourself.
• Bachelor's degree or higherRequiredA university degree relevant to the role, legalised and translated, is required for most work permit categories.
• Three years of relevant experienceRequiredAt least three years of experience in the field the permit covers, evidenced by employer letters.
• Legalised criminal record certificateRequiredA criminal record certificate from your home country and from Vietnam, both legalised and translated, is required.
• Aged 18 or overRequiredWork permit applicants must be at least 18.
• Health check requiredInfoA medical examination at an approved Vietnamese facility is part of the work permit process.
• What the TRC unlocksInfoA temporary residence card removes visa runs entirely and enables a local bank account, a lease in your own name and, in many cases, a driving licence conversion.

• Passport
• Legalised and translated university degree
• Employer confirmation of three years of experience
• Legalised criminal record certificate from your home country
• Vietnamese criminal record certificate
• Health examination certificate from an approved facility
• Sponsoring company documents and job justification

1. Legalise documents at home

   ~30 days

   Degree and criminal record certificates must be apostilled or consularly legalised before you travel. This is the longest step and cannot be done from Vietnam.

   1

2. Obtain the work permit

   ~30 days

   The sponsoring entity applies to the provincial Department of Labour, justifying why a foreign national is needed.

   2

3. Apply for the temporary residence card

   ~14 days

   With the work permit issued, immigration grants a TRC of up to two years.

   3

Renewable in two-year cycles while the work permit remains valid.

• Legalise your degree and police certificate before leaving home; doing it afterwards adds a month
• Incorporating a Vietnamese company is a well-trodden path for freelancers, though it brings accounting obligations
• Agents handle the whole process for USD 1,000-2,000 and are worth it here
• Worldwide taxation at up to 35% is a significant change from being on an e-visa
• The permit is tied to the sponsor, so leaving the arrangement ends the residence card

• Vietnam Immigration DepartmentMinistry of Public Security, Vietnam2026-07-27