The cost of obtaining a Work Permit is one of the top concerns for businesses when preparing to hire foreign workers in Vietnam. Besides researching... What is a work permit?, Understanding the cost structure and distinguishing between mandatory and potential expenses will help the HR department and management proactively plan the budget accurately. This article analyzes each cost item in detail based on practical experience in handling legal documents for foreigners.
Overview of the cost of obtaining a work permit in Vietnam.
- Estimated total cost when doing it yourself: The fee ranges from 3,000,000 VND to 6,000,000 VND depending on the number of documents to be processed, the country issuing the documents, and the locality receiving the application.
- Total cost when hiring the service: The fee ranges from 7,000,000 VND to 12,000,000 VND, including consultation service fees, professional document processing, and explanations to relevant authorities.
- Mandatory fees: Government fees, medical examination, criminal record certificate, notarized translation, consular legalization.
- Possible charges include: Costs for amending incomplete documents, applying for a work visa (LD) or temporary residence permit (TRC) after obtaining a work permit.
- See the detailed cost breakdown below: Businesses can view a detailed breakdown of each item in the following sections of this article.
Total cost of obtaining a Work Permit currently
The actual cost of obtaining a complete work permit for a foreigner depends heavily on the method of application. Businesses can choose to submit the application themselves or use the services of professional agencies, depending on the legal document handling capabilities of their internal staff.
Cost of doing it yourself
When a business decides to handle the entire process in-house, the total cost typically ranges from VND 3,000,000 to VND 6,000,000. This fee includes direct payments to government agencies and public service providers such as hospitals, notary offices, and translation services. While this option saves direct budget, it requires HR staff to spend significant time traveling, preparing documents, and conducting their own research. What is a Work Permit? before starting the preparation process Applying for a work permit for a foreigner as per regulations.
The cost of using the service
For businesses looking to optimize time and ensure a high approval rate, using professional services is often preferred. The total cost for a comprehensive service package ranges from VND 7,000,000 to VND 12,000,000. This price includes translation fees, consular legalization, fees payable to government agencies, and consulting fees. Businesses will receive support from explaining their need for foreign workers to receiving the final result.
Mandatory expenses and incidental expenses
The process of applying for a work permit involves several different administrative steps. To help businesses quickly get an overview of the necessary budgets, the following table details the approximate cost ranges for each expense category:
| Cost group | Reference price (VND) | Nature |
|---|---|---|
| Fees payable to the state budget | 400,000 – 1,000,000 | Obligatory |
| Work Permit standard medical examination | 1,000,000 – 2,500,000 | Obligatory |
| Criminal record certificate (domestic) | 200.000 | Obligatory |
| Legalization of foreign documents by the consulate. | 350,000 – 1,500,000 VND / document | Mandatory (if the application is submitted from abroad) |
| Translation and notarization services | 150,000 – 300,000 VND / page | Obligatory |
| Temporary residence permit or work visa | 3,000,000 – 7,000,000 | Issues arise after obtaining a Work Permit. |
The figures above are for reference only at the present time and are subject to change depending on each specific case. Understanding the details of each fee will help the company's finance department avoid being caught off guard by unexpected expenses.
Mandatory expenses when applying for a Work Permit
To complete the application Applying for a work permit for a foreigner When submitting to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs or the Management Board of Industrial Parks, businesses are required to fulfill the following financial obligations in accordance with Vietnamese law.
Work permit issuance fee
The fee for issuing a work permit is a payment to the state budget when submitting an application for a new, renewed, or extended work permit. This fee is not uniform nationwide but is specifically regulated by the People's Council of each province and centrally-governed city. Businesses can find official information on this website. Document from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Each locality updates its fee schedule to ensure accuracy. For example, the fee for a new license in Ho Chi Minh City is 600,000 VND, while in Hanoi it is 400,000 VND. This fee is only incurred during the application process, whether submitted in person or online through the Public Service Portal.
Medical check-up costs
Foreign workers are required to have a health certificate confirming their fitness for work as stipulated by the Ministry of Health. The cost ranges from VND 1,000,000 to VND 2,500,000, depending on the designated hospital or polyclinic authorized to conduct health examinations for foreigners. Health examinations at public hospitals are generally cheaper, but the waiting time for results is longer compared to private international clinics.
Cost of criminal record certificate
A criminal record certificate is a document proving that a foreign worker is not a criminal or currently under criminal investigation. If a foreigner has resided in Vietnam for more than six months, they can apply for a Criminal Record Certificate No. 1 at the Provincial/City Department of Justice for a fixed fee of 200,000 VND. For foreigners applying for a criminal record certificate from their home country, the cost will depend on that country's financial regulations and is usually significantly higher.
Translation and notarization costs
All documents issued by foreign authorities, such as diplomas, certificates of experience, and foreign criminal records, must be translated into Vietnamese and notarized. The cost of notarized translation ranges from 150,000 VND to 300,000 VND per page. This fee varies depending on the popularity of the source language (English, Chinese, and Korean usually have lower costs than rarer languages like Italian, German, or Arabic).
Consular legalization fees
Consular legalization is the procedure for certifying seals and signatures on foreign documents so that they are recognized and legally used in Vietnam. The fee for consular legalization at the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs is 30,000 VND per document. However, the actual cost is often much higher because businesses have to pay a service fee for consular certification at the Embassy or Consulate General of the issuing country in Vietnam, which usually ranges from 10 USD to 50 USD per document.
Other administrative expenses
Throughout the process, businesses will have to pay several other small administrative fees. These costs include fees for taking passport-sized photos that meet the standards set by the labor management agency, fees for printing and photocopying the lengthy application documents (tens of pages), postage fees for express delivery of documents, and travel expenses for personnel submitting applications in person at government agencies.
Work Permit service fees
Handling these procedures in-house often encounters many obstacles due to complex legal processes and stringent requirements for document consistency. This is why many businesses choose to use outsourcing solutions. Work permit services for foreigners from professional units with in-depth expertise.
What does the all-inclusive Work Permit service include?
A professional work permit application support service package will ensure comprehensive handling of all stages of the process. Typical tasks include:
- We provide guidance on preparing a valid application from the outset, based on the specific job position being recruited for.
- Assisting in drafting explanatory documents regarding the need to employ foreign workers to be submitted to the Provincial People's Committee or competent authority.
- We provide certified translation services and assist with submitting consular legalization documents to diplomatic missions.
- Transporting workers to qualified hospitals for health check-ups according to their scheduled appointments saves time.
- Submit your application and monitor the processing progress directly at the labor management agency, promptly providing explanations for any additional requests from the case officer.
- Receive the original Work Permit and deliver it directly to the business.
This comprehensive approach minimizes the workload for the company's human resources department, allowing them to focus on other core operational activities.
Factors affecting the cost of Work Permit services
Service fees are not fixed but are adjusted flexibly based on the characteristics of each specific case. Factors determining the service price include the nationality of the worker (some nationalities with more difficult security checks will have higher service fees), the urgency of the processing time (urgent requests within a short timeframe), the level of completeness of existing documents from the foreign national and the locality where the business is registered.
When should you use the Work Permit service?
The decision to handle the work in-house or outsource should be based on a balance between internal human resources and the complexity of the documentation.
Businesses should prioritize hiring professional services in the following real-world situations:
- Businesses that are hiring foreign workers for the first time and internal staff lack experience in handling related administrative procedures.
- Foreign workers who possess professional qualifications or experience certificates that do not directly match the job description they are expected to perform in Vietnam.
- The documents need to be processed urgently so that foreigners can enter the country in time to work according to the company's project schedule.
- For businesses with a large number of foreign employees, self-managing and monitoring the expiration dates of each permit can easily lead to administrative errors and the risk of fines.
Choosing professional services helps businesses better manage legal risks, avoiding situations where applications are repeatedly rejected, leading to delays in workers' visa processing.
Factors affecting the total cost of obtaining a Work Permit
Many businesses often wonder why the cost of obtaining a work permit for the same job position varies significantly between different employees. This stems from the specific variables of each application.
Nationality of the worker
The nationality of a foreigner directly affects the cost of consular certification and translation. Documents issued by countries with less common languages will incur higher translation costs. Furthermore, the regulations regarding consular legalization fees at each country's embassy in Vietnam vary significantly, creating a considerable difference in initial costs.
Type of document to be processed
The cost of processing applications varies significantly between the three basic methods:
- New issuance: This is the most expensive type of application because it requires completing all the steps, from explaining the need for employment, preparing a new criminal record certificate, legalizing all diplomas and certificates, to undergoing a completely new health check.
- Extend: The cost is lower than issuing new certificates because businesses typically don't have to go through the consular legalization process again for old professional qualifications already stored in their files, and the processing time is also faster.
- Reissue: This applies when your work permit is still valid but is lost, damaged, or your passport information has changed. The cost of reissuance is usually the lowest because the procedure mainly involves re-verifying the old information and paying the administrative fee for the new replacement.
Identifying the correct type of documentation from the outset helps businesses avoid paying for unnecessary items.
Number of documents requiring translation
Each job position requires a different number of supporting documents. Specialist or managerial positions, for example, require numerous degrees, professional certifications, and experience verification from previous employers. The increased number of document pages means that the cost of certified legal translation will rise accordingly.
Consular legalization required
Not all foreign documents require the same consular legalization. Some countries with mutual legal assistance agreements with Vietnam are exempt from consular legalization for certain types of documents. Conversely, documents from countries not included in the exemption must undergo a rigorous verification process at the foreign ministry of the country of origin and the Vietnamese embassy, significantly increasing the overall cost.
Local authorities receive the application.
The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of each province and city has its own detailed regulations regarding licensing fees and required documentation. The work process and assessment time in major cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, or Dong Nai may differ slightly in terms of additional administrative costs compared to other provinces and cities.
Number of Work Permit applications processed by the company
The scale of foreign personnel that a company plans to recruit also affects the unit price of each application. When processing a large number of applications at once, service providers like MAN – Master Accountant Network often offer preferential pricing policies for each application. Combining large-scale medical check-up trips and notarized translations helps businesses save significantly on operating and travel costs.
Expenses that businesses need to budget for.
A common mistake when budgeting for foreign workers is only calculating the costs printed on the Work Permit, neglecting the directly related costs before and after the licensing process.
Costs for applying for a work visa (if any)
After receiving written approval for the need to employ foreign workers, the worker needs a suitable visa to enter Vietnam to work. The fee for applying for a LD1 or LD2 visa at the Immigration Department ranges from 25 USD to 135 USD depending on the visa duration (less than 3 months or from 1 to 2 years).
Costs of obtaining a temporary residence permit after receiving a Work Permit.
A work permit is only a necessary condition. For foreigners to legally reside and work long-term in Vietnam, businesses need to apply for a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) valid for the same period as the work permit (maximum 2 years). The state fee for issuing a temporary residence card ranges from 145 USD to 155 USD depending on the card's validity period.
Additional fees for supplementing or amending documents.
If the company's self-prepared application contains discrepancies between passport and qualification documents, or if the explanation of the need for labor fails to convince the authorities, the company will have to resubmit the application. This entails costs for retranslating the corrected documents, multiple travel expenses, and even costs for extending the temporary residence permit for the workers while waiting for the new documents to be submitted.
Costs incurred due to incomplete documentation.
If the application is rejected and the processing time is prolonged, the foreigner's current visa may expire before they receive a new work permit. At this point, the business will be forced to pay additional fees for extending the temporary visa (including late payment penalties if applicable) or the cost of airfare for the worker to exit and re-enter the country to legally change the visa purpose.
Businesses need to pay special attention to hidden costs when preparing budgets. The checklist below highlights expenses that are often overlooked but account for a large proportion of the total foreign personnel budget:
- The cost of extending temporary residence (visa extension) while waiting for the authorities to review and approve the explanatory documents.
- The cost of mandatory health insurance for foreign workers is in accordance with Vietnamese labor law.
- Administrative penalties for late filing of applications or for employing foreign workers before completing the necessary licensing procedures.
- The cost of transporting original international documents from the worker's country of origin to the company's headquarters in Vietnam.
Proactively calculating these items in advance will help businesses develop the most realistic financial plan, avoiding budget deficits for project operations.
Tips for minimizing the cost of obtaining a Work Permit.
Cost optimization doesn't mean seeking out cheap, low-quality services, but rather implementing processes scientifically to avoid additional costs arising from administrative errors.
Prepare all necessary documents right from the start.
The most cost-effective way to ensure that the application is approved on the first attempt. Businesses need to carefully compare every character on the passport with the qualifications, experience certificates, and criminal record check. Even a single discrepancy in a name or date of birth can result in the entire application being rejected, requiring a complete re-translation and notarization process.
Proactively legalize documents from abroad.
Businesses should require foreign workers to proactively legalize their qualifications and criminal record in their home countries before flying to Vietnam. Completing this procedure abroad through relatives or local services is usually much cheaper and simpler than indirectly authorizing it from Vietnam through diplomatic missions.
Choosing the right translation agency
Instead of using small, independent translation offices with inconsistent pricing, businesses should partner with reputable professional translation agencies or large notary offices to benefit from preferential discounts. Accurate translation of specialized terminology from the outset also helps prevent the Department of Labor from finding errors in wording in the application.
Consider the choice between doing it yourself and hiring a service.
Businesses need to perform an opportunity cost analysis. If they handle it themselves, they save on service fees but incur opportunity costs because HR staff have to spend many working days traveling to submit documents, provide explanations, and correct errors. At MAN – Master Accountant Network, practical experience shows that businesses using professional services generally save more on total actual costs by minimizing administrative penalties, visa overstay errors, and significantly shortening processing times, allowing employees to quickly participate in the company's production and business activities.
Summary of Work Permit Costs
The budgeting process requires clarity between mandatory fees payable to government agencies and potential expenses that may arise based on the specific circumstances of the employee's case.
To help businesses gain a comprehensive and systematic overview for detailed budget planning, the summary table below fully analyzes cost categories corresponding to both in-house and outsourced service options:
| Fee | Obligatory | Estimated cost (VND) | Possible issues may arise. | Do it yourself | Hire services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| License issuance fee | Have | 400,000 – 1,000,000 | Self-payment | Included | |
| Physical examination | Have | 1,000,000 – 2,500,000 | Self-payment | Self-funded / Supported | |
| Criminal record | Have | 200.000 | Self-payment | Included | |
| Certified translation | Have | 500,000 – 2,000,000 | Self-payment | Included | |
| Consular legalization | Depending on the circumstances | 350,000 – 1,500,000 | Self-payment | Included | |
| Work Permit Service | 3,500,000 – 7,000,000 | Do not have | Payment to the service provider | ||
| Work visa | Depending on the circumstances | 600,000 – 3,200,000 | Have | Self-payment | Additional options |
| Temporary residence card | Depending on the circumstances | 3,500,000 – 3,800,000 | Have | Self-payment | Additional options |
| Total cost of self-implementation | 3,000,000 – 6,000,000 | Have | Are not | ||
| Total cost of hiring the service | 7,000,000 – 12,000,000 | Are not | Have |
The analysis above clarifies the financial margins between the two current filing solutions. Businesses can use this data to make the decision that best suits their staffing and financial conditions.
Comprehensive Work Permit Service
To help businesses thoroughly overcome legal procedural difficulties and optimize operating costs, the service of assisting with procedures for foreigners has emerged as an effective solution.
Who should use the service?
Our work permit application support service is aimed at serving foreign-invested enterprises (FDI), representative offices of multinational corporations in Vietnam, international schools, language centers, and all Vietnamese businesses that need to employ foreign workers but do not have a legal department or dedicated personnel for immigration procedures.
Service coverage area
We support businesses throughout the entire licensing process, including:
- Verify the validity of all existing records of foreign workers and provide solutions to correct any deficiencies.
- The company representative handles the entire process of translation, notarization, and consular legalization of documents from abroad.
- Prepare and submit documentation explaining the need to employ foreign workers to the competent authority.
- Closely monitor the progress of the application review, promptly address any issues arising from the processing officer, and deliver the work permit to the company's office on time.
This closed-loop process ensures the smooth operation and absolute security of all customer information.
We are committed to transparent pricing and providing consultation before giving a quote.
Customer trust is our top priority. We are committed to providing a detailed and transparent price quote immediately after conducting a preliminary assessment of the worker's profile. All service fees, government fees, and anticipated incidental costs are clearly stated in the service contract; there are absolutely no hidden fees or arbitrary price increases throughout the service delivery process for your business.
Contact us for consultation.
If your business is struggling with preparing the necessary documents or wants to receive the most detailed and optimal quote for your specific case, contact MAN – Master Accountant Network immediately to receive prompt support from our team of experienced legal professionals. We are always ready to listen and provide the best solutions for your business.
Contact information
- Address: 19A, Street 43, Tan Thuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- Mobile/Zalo: 0903 963 163 – 0903 428 622
- E-mail: man@man.net.vn
- Google Business Profile: View MAN – Master Accountant Network's Google Business Profile
- LinkedIn Founder: View expert Le Hoang Tuyen's LinkedIn profile.
Content specialist
The content has been compiled, reviewed, and professionally vetted by Mr. Le Hoang Tuyen – Founder & CEO of MAN – Master Accountant Network, CPA Vietnam auditor with over 30 years of experience in accounting, auditing, taxation, and corporate financial consulting.
MAN – Master Accountant Network is committed to providing accurate, objective, and up-to-date information in accordance with current legal regulations. All professional content is built on practical experience, adheres to professional standards, and aims to provide reliable reference value for businesses, organizations, and individuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are detailed answers to the most common questions from businesses and foreign workers regarding the budget preparation process for obtaining a work permit.
