Immigration support for hiring expats in Vietnam via a PEO

If your business objectives are related to hiring expatriate personnel in Vietnam, there are some things you need to consider. Among them are:

the peculiarities of immigration procedure in the country
documents required to get a work permit
in-country employment and payroll for foreign citizens after visa has been issued.

Given the fact that expats are often sent abroad for short-term projects, many companies often opt for no entity hiring. This means companies look for simpler, more cost-effective options versus onboarding and paying expats through their own local subsidiaries For companies hiring and paying expats overseas and particularly in Vietnam, a global PEO with work permit support as part of the service might be a viable alternative to incorporation in the country. A PEO service company will walk you and your expats through every step of immigration procedure in Vietnam. After the work permit or visa have been received, a PEO provider would officially onboard and payroll your expats in a foreign country on your behalf. Acumen International has been hiring and payrolling our clients’ expatriates in Vietnam both short- and long-term. If you need to legally hire and pay the expatriates in Vietnam, we can help you. Regardless of business objectives and timelines, Acumen International can arrange end-to-end work permit support for hiring your expats in full legal compliance with local labor legislation after the permit documents have been issued. Acumen’s ‘work permit and hiring expats through a Global PEO’ solution is designed for:

employer companies like yourself that want to relocate the selected expats to Vietnam
individuals that have an employer that is ready to finance their immigration and foreign employment in the country
the service is mainly used by companies hiring highly skilled personnel that they send abroad to fill some top positions in Vietnam.

Note: Having a single provider that would sponsor a work permit or visa on your behalf and then employs expats in Vietnam, minimizes risks of visa rejection. In addition, it takes the hassle associated with immigration procedure off your head. Unlike other global Professional Employer Organizations, Acumen International can provide extra benefits in addition to work permit received for further employment of expats in Vietnam. This includes medical insurance, housing, office rent, mobile phone and car provision to meet-and-greet, dependents relocation, etc.

Attention: we are not an immigration service! We do not provide a work permit and immigration support as a standalone solution to individuals willing to find jobs overseas.

Estimated time for work permit issuance

Typically, the procedure of work permit issuance in Vietnam takes from 1 to 4 months until entry to Vietnam, and a further 2 months before the entire process is completed.

Major steps to get a work permit in Vietnam

Visa Pre-Approval Application
Visa Endorsement and Collection
Entry to Vietnam
Residence Registration
Work Permit Application
Temporary Residence Card or Visa Extension Application

Documents for work permit in Vietnam, main applicant

Name	Notes	Copies
Copy of Passport Information Page valid for 12 months		One clear copy
Visa Application Form	Completed and signed. The example here is from the diplomatic post in Los Angeles, USA.	One original
Passport valid for 12 months minimum	With at least 2 blank visa pages	One original
5 Passport Photographs 3.5cm x 4.5cm	3.5cm x 4.5cm, in color, with a white background. Face forward, mouth closed, eyes open.	Five originals
Police Clearance Certificate	Issued from country of last residence for 6 months or longer or from the country of origin of the applicant, and issued no more than 6 months previously. Legalized for use in Vietnam & then translated and notarized in Vietnam. However, if the applicant has been resident in Vietnam, a local police record must also be issued by a Vietnamese agency. Labor departments will likely continue to request a local non-criminal certificate as soon as the applicant has a Vietnam entry stamp their passport.	One notarized, legalized and translated copy; one original
Medical Certificate	Stating that the applicant is in good health. Exact wording necessary should be checked with the Embassy/consulate where the application is being made. Must have been issued less than twelve months prior to the application.	One original
University Degree Certificate/Letter of Experience	Degree certificate should be in a field with relevance to the position to be held in Vietnam. Letters of experience (legalized for use in Vietnam) covering one, three or five years (depending on the applicant’s position) of relevant work experience; or certificate of specialist training (if applicable) relevant to the position in Vietnam.	One notarized and legalized original
Local Police Clearance Certificate	Labor departments require a local Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) instead of a foreign police clearance certificate when seeing on the applicant’s passport an arrival to Vietnam several weeks before the work permit application is lodged. The Justice department in Hanoi issues PCCs for foreign nationals who have been in Vietnam for more than one day. Local PCC application process may take 20 working days. The application can be made once residence has been registered.	One original

If you need to have your expat personnel legally work for you in Vietnam without having to set up your own business entity for that, trust us to assist you with work permit and immigration support, and then employ your expats locally on your behalf. Contact our team to let us take up your foreign employees’ immigration matters and relieve you of the responsibility of getting work permit by working with our local partners to organize and obtain all the necessary permits, as well as provide you with a detailed update on the progress of the process. Call us for more information about how you can get a work permit for your expatriate staff and employ them through Acumen International in Vietnam.