Is it possible to have an indefinite renewal of my work permit?

No. By existing 2025 legislation, a work permit has a validity of 2 years and can be renewed once again with a duration of 2 years only. Thereafter, you will need to start a new application.

What is the rule of the 3-day notification?

Although you may be exempt of work permit (in brief periods), your employer is expected to inform the labour department at least 3 working days prior to commencement.

Do I need to have a Vietnam medical certificate?

Although foreign certificates are accepted when they are legalized, most professionals advise taking a Medical Check-up in a certified Vietnamese hospital so that there are no delays with Consular Legalization.

Vietnam Employment Visa Process for Foreign Workers

Do you intend to move your career to the most vibrant economy of Southeast Asia? Vietnam has been one of the leading expatriates destinations, yet August 2025 marked a radical change in the processes of hiring expatriates to work in the country. Decree 219/2025/ND-CP has transformed the entire paperwork, timeframe, and even shifted nearly everything online.

Finding your way around Decree 219/2025/ND-CP

The Decree that has been implemented in the recent years most significantly is the Decree 219/2025/ND-CP. This historic rule substituted the older and more fragmented laws to ease control over foreign workers.

Whereas hiring a foreigner was an integrated process of three steps in the past, the Integrated Application Process enables your employer to justify the need to hire foreign labor and request the work permit at the same time.

Some of the major types of primary visas and permits include the following:

LD1 2 Visa: LD1: This visa is assigned to foreign employees who are not required to pay work permits.
LD2: This is the normal visa of individuals who must possess a valid work permit.
Temporary Residence Card (TRC): This is the golden key among the expatriates. The TRC is a multiple-entry visa and a legal residency ID, which lasts up to 2 years.
Work Permit Exemption Certificate: In individual positions (such as high-level investors or short-term experts) this certificate has now become 2-year-long and renewable once.
DT1 – DT4 Visa (Investor): According to the amount of capital invested; the mark of 3 billion of VND is still a substantial point in determining the eligibility of long-term residence.

Digital Transformation The National Public Service Portal

Farewell, those days when people had to visit physical offices all the time. The National Public Service Portal has become the one-stop-shop of all dossiers.

Standardized Job Codes: You are now required to choose your job title using a list of codes that have been set instead of describing your job using fee-text descriptions.
Integrated Criminal Records: You now have the opportunity to do your Judicial Record (Criminal Record) check when you apply to get a work permit using the portal.
Provincial-Level People’s Committee: The power has been decentralized; such local committees are now the only entities of issuing and revoking permits.
Compliance: Multi-Province Mobility and the 90-Day Rule.

Vietnam has brought about the flexibility of regional and short-term workers never seen before:

90-Day Calendar Year Rule: This is the new rule by which you can now work up to a total number of 90 days in a calendar year without a full work permit but you still need to issue a 3-day notice to authorities.
Multi-Province Eligibility: In case you have the offices in various cities, you can now operate on a single work permit nationwide, assuming that your employer informs the local labor departments.

Phase-by-Phase Job Posting to TRC

Job Posting Requirement: You need an employer to publicize the position through an official portal of no less than 5 business days.
Medical Check-up: Go to a certified hospital in Vietnam to a particular health examination (valid in 12 months).
Consular Legalization: Have your degrees and crime backgrounds legalized by the Vietnamese embassy in your native country.
Submission: The dossier is now submitted online by the employer through the employer.18 Standard processing time has reduced to only 10 working days.
Visa /TRC: After the permit has been issued, you apply to the LD Visa and eventually the Temporary Residence Card.

FAQs

Is it possible to have an indefinite renewal of my work permit?
No. By existing 2025 legislation, a work permit has a validity of 2 years and can be renewed once again with a duration of 2 years only. Thereafter, you will need to start a new application.
What is the rule of the 3-day notification?
Although you may be exempt of work permit (in brief periods), your employer is expected to inform the labour department at least 3 working days prior to commencement.
Do I need to have a Vietnam medical certificate?
Although foreign certificates are accepted when they are legalized, most professionals advise taking a Medical Check-up in a certified Vietnamese hospital so that there are no delays with Consular Legalization.

Final Thoughts

Vietnam Employment Visa Process of 2025 is quick and Digital. With all the modifications of the Decree 219, particularly, the decrease of the experience prerequisites in the technical and financial professions, you can find your professional future in Vietnam with significantly less stress.

Disclosure

This article is informative and educative in nature. The readers are also encouraged to check the information in reputable sources, like the official Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) or the National Public Service Portal, and only after that, make a choice.