Vietnam work permit for foreign technical workers 2026: Fees, eligibility, documents

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Work permits for foreign technical workers in Vietnam are required for foreigners with specialized technical skills to work legally for Vietnamese employers. These permits ensure compliance with labor and immigration laws while allowing businesses to access highly skilled technicians for installation, operation, and maintenance roles. To qualify, applicants must meet age, health, experience, and criminal record requirements, and be properly sponsored by an employer.

Why companies hire foreign technical workers

Employers typically bring in foreign technical workers when the role requires specialized know-how that is hard to source locally, especially for commissioning, maintenance, industrial automation, precision mechanics, food-processing lines, and other highly technical operations.

Beyond operational impact, foreign technicians often transfer skills to Vietnamese teams through on-the-job training and process standardization.

>>> Read more: Vietnam work permit in Dong Nai 2026: Fees, Requirements and Application

What positions are considered “foreign technical workers” in Vietnam?

In Vietnam’s work permit system, a technical worker is generally a foreign employee who meets experience/training criteria for technical roles (distinct from “experts” or “managers/executives”).

Under Decree 152/2020, technical worker qualification is recognized based on either (i) > 1 year of training + relevant work experience, or (ii) a longer period of relevant experience.

Important update for 2025–2026

Vietnam introduced major changes under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP (effective August 7, 2025), including updated experience thresholds and a more streamlined employer filing flow.

Also, from July 1, 2025, work permit issuance authority was decentralized to the provincial level (Chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees) under the Government’s decentralization framework.

>>> Read more: Vietnam work permit in Binh Duong for foreigners 2026

Eligibility conditions for a Vietnam work permit (technical worker)

In practice, the core conditions employers must be ready to prove include:

• The worker is at least 18 years old and has full civil act capacity.
• A valid health check (Vietnam or overseas, accepted per Vietnamese requirements).
• A valid passport and compliant personal photo set.
• A valid criminal record check (Vietnam or overseas) meeting recency requirements.
• Technical worker qualification evidence (training + experience, or experience-only pathway, depending on the case and current rule set applied by the licensing authority).

Practical note: Local officers may scrutinize “technical worker” proof very closely. The job description, training field, and experience letters must align clearly with the Vietnam position title and duties.

>>> Read more: Reasons Vietnam work permit rejection and how to avoid them 2026

Work permit application dossier for foreign technical workers

A standard dossier typically includes:

• Employer’s written request / application form (Form 11/PLI is widely used under the Decree 152/2020 framework and still commonly referenced in practice).
• Approval/acceptance related to the employer’s need to hire foreign labor (the “demand” component, now handled more integrally under Decree 219’s streamlined process).
• Proof the applicant is a technical worker (training certificate(s), diploma(s), and/or experience confirmation letters).
• Health certificate (per validity requirements used by the authority).
• Certified copy of passport.
• 02 color photos (4cm x 6cm, white background; typically taken within 6 months).
• Criminal record / no-criminal-liability confirmation (often required within a set recent window).
• Employment-related papers depending on the scenario (assignment decision for intra-company transfer; labor contract/draft contract or employer appointment documents, etc.).

Legalization & translation requirement (almost always the bottleneck)

Foreign-issued documents (degrees, training certificates, experience letters, criminal record, overseas health checks) typically must be consular legalized, translated into Vietnamese, and notarized, unless an exemption applies under relevant treaties/principles accepted by Vietnam.

>>> Read more: Work Permit Exemption 2026: Who is eligible? Detailed procedures for Confirmation

How employers apply for a Vietnam work permit for foreign technical workers

Step 1: Prepare the hiring plan and job posting (where required)

Many cases still require employers to show they attempted local recruitment before sponsoring a foreign technical worker (the proof method may vary by province and the receiving authority).

Step 2: Handle the “demand” approval + work permit submission (streamlined under Decree 219)

Under Decree 219, the demand explanation and the work permit application are treated in a more integrated manner, with a single consolidated timeline in many cases.

Filing window: commonly required 10–60 days before the expected start date (as reflected in Decree 219 summaries and practice guidance).

Step 3: Submit the dossier to the competent provincial authority

With decentralization effective July 1, 2025, most applications are handled at the provincial level (implementation is executed through local departments/one-stop portals depending on the province).

Step 4: Processing time and result

Under Decree 219’s updated process, authorities commonly target about 10 working days for the integrated review and issuance once a complete dossier is received.

If approved, the authority issues the work permit; if refused, a written explanation is provided.

>>> Read more: Vietnam work permit for Teachers 2026: Guide, Fees & Requirements

State fees for Vietnam work permits

Work permit fees are guided by Circular 85/2019/TT-BTC ^[1] , with specific collection levels decided by each locality’s People’s Council, so fees can vary by province.

Typical reference levels you may see in practice include:

• New issuance: around 600,000 VND/permit
• Re-issuance / extension: often around 450,000 VND/permit (varies by locality)

Your real cost is usually higher once you include legalization, translation/notarization, medical check, and courier/document handling.

>>> Read more: Vietnam work permit for Chinese citizens 2026

Rights and obligations after the work permit is issued

Once granted, the foreign technical worker is generally entitled to salary and benefits per the labor contract and Vietnam’s labor and social insurance rules (where applicable), and must comply with Vietnam’s labor discipline, internal regulations, and immigration/residency requirements.

>>> Read more: Vietnam Work Permit – End-to-end Service for Foreigners 2026

Common reasons technical worker applications get delayed (and how to avoid them)

• Experience letters don’t match the Vietnam job title/duties (or lack specific dates, role scope, company stamp/signature).
• Training documents are unclear, not legalized, or the translation is inconsistent.
• The filing timeline is too close to the intended start date.
• The work location(s) aren’t declared consistently across the dossier.

If you want Tan Van Lang to check your technician’s eligibility and map the fastest compliant route (new issuance / re-issuance / extension), contact us via 08.666.000.63 (WhatsApp) for a quick case review.