Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, effective August 7, 2025, replaces the entire work permit regime established under Decree 152/2020 and its amendment Decree 70/2023. Every new application, renewal, and reissuance submitted from that date falls under the new framework. For foreign employers, multinationals, and FDI enterprises operating in Vietnam, the changes are material, streamlining procedures, expanding exemption categories, and reducing qualification thresholds for priority sectors.
This guide explains what changed, what stayed the same, and what employers must do differently when hiring foreign nationals in Vietnam from August 2025 onward.
The Single Most Important Change: One Dossier, One Submission
Consolidated Application Process Under Decree 219/2025
The previous work permit regime under Decree 152/2020 required employers to complete two sequential steps before a foreign national could legally begin work: first, obtain foreign labor demand approval from the relevant authority; second, submit the work permit application. These were separate submissions with separate processing timelines, and the demand approval stage alone could add several weeks to the overall process.
Decree 219/2025 consolidates both steps into a single simultaneous dossier. Foreign labor demand approval and the work permit application are now submitted together through the National Public Service Portal. The Provincial People’s Committee, the competent authority for issuing work permits, processes the combined submission within a standardised window of 10 working days, down from the previous 15 working days. The Provincial People’s Committee may delegate this function to subordinate specialised agencies, so employers should confirm the appropriate receiving authority in the province where the employee will work.
This consolidation is the most significant procedural improvement for employers under the new framework. It eliminates one submission stage, one separate processing timeline, and one set of supporting documents from the application sequence.
Job Posting Requirements: No Longer Mandatory on Government Portals
Under Decree 152/2020, employers were required to post vacancies on the government Employment Service Center portal as part of the demand approval process, demonstrating that no suitable Vietnamese candidates were available. Decree 219/2025 removes this mandatory government portal requirement. Employers may now post on their own recruitment platforms, company websites, LinkedIn, or other channels of their choice, for a minimum of five working days. If no suitable Vietnamese candidate is identified, the employer documents this outcome and includes the confirmation in the work permit dossier. The substance of the requirement, demonstrating genuine effort to hire locally first, remains. The channel is now at the employer’s discretion.
Qualification Requirements: Lower Thresholds for Priority Sectors
Updated Expert and Technical Worker Standards
Decree 219/2025 reduces the experience threshold for the expert category in standard cases. Under the prior regime, experts were required to demonstrate at least three years of relevant work experience. Under Decree 219/2025, two years of relevant experience is sufficient for standard expert applications. The change meaningfully expands the pool of foreign professionals who qualify for the expert category without additional credentials.
For priority sectors, specifically science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation, the threshold is further reduced to one year of relevant experience. This targeted reduction reflects Vietnam’s strategic prioritisation of technology-led FDI and its active effort to attract high-skill foreign talent into the sectors that underpin its 2025–2030 economic modernisation agenda.
Technical workers face a revised dual-pathway requirement under Decree 219/2025. The standard path requires two years of relevant training combined with one year of practical work experience in the relevant field. For applicants without the training component, three years of work experience in the relevant technical position is required. Employers should confirm which pathway applies when preparing technical worker dossiers, as document requirements differ between the two.
Expanded Exemption Categories: Now 15 Under Article 7
Who Does Not Need a Work Permit Under Decree 219/2025
One of the most significant expansions in the new framework is the growth of work permit exemptions from 9 categories under Decree 152/2020 to 15 categories under Article 7 of Decree 219/2025. The newly included and expanded categories are particularly relevant for investors and FDI enterprises.
The exemption categories now include: capital-contributing members or owners of limited liability companies with a contribution of at least VND 3 billion; intra-company transferees assigned to specific projects within a multinational enterprise operating in Vietnam; workers in finance, science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation sectors confirmed by the relevant authority; heads of representative offices or project managers of registered foreign NGOs; foreign journalists accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; education professionals confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Training; foreign nationals married to Vietnamese citizens and residing legally in Vietnam; foreign lawyers holding a practising certificate sponsored by a registered law firm in Vietnam; and foreign nationals entering Vietnam for less than the applicable short-term threshold to address urgent technical issues that Vietnamese experts cannot resolve.
The addition of finance, science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation as explicit exemption-eligible sectors is new under Decree 219/2025 and directly follows Vietnam’s strategic policy direction under its digital transformation and innovation agenda.
The Short-Term Worker Exemption: Cumulative Days Replace Per-Visit Limit
The short-term worker exemption has been restructured in a way that materially affects multinationals sending staff to Vietnam for project work or technical assignments. Under Decree 152/2020, the exemption applied to foreign nationals working in Vietnam for fewer than 30 days per visit. Under Decree 219/2025, the threshold is recalculated on a cumulative annual basis: the exemption applies where total working days in Vietnam remain below 90 working days within a calendar year.
This change benefits employers with staff who make multiple short visits across the year, as the cumulative 90-day window gives greater flexibility than the previous per-visit cap. The employer must notify the competent authority at least three working days before the foreign national commences work in Vietnam. This notification obligation applies regardless of how many visits the individual has made in the year, and the three-day advance notice is a hard requirement, post-commencement notification does not satisfy the obligation.
Exempt workers must still obtain a work permit exemption certificate, which serves as the equivalent of a work permit for the purposes of LD1 visa and Temporary Residence Card applications. The exemption certificate is valid for up to two years and must be renewed on the same timeline as a standard work permit.
Criminal Record Processing: Now Integrated for In-Country Applicants
Simplified Background Check Coordination for Foreign Nationals Already in Vietnam
A practical improvement under Decree 219/2025 addresses one of the most administratively burdensome elements of the previous work permit process: the criminal background check. For foreign nationals who are already residing in Vietnam at the time of application, criminal record processing can now be integrated directly into the work permit application. Employers submit the criminal record request through the National Public Service Portal alongside the work permit dossier, and the relevant authorities coordinate directly to process and return both documents together.
This eliminates the previous requirement for in-country applicants to obtain a separate criminal record certificate, often from their home country authority, with the six-month validity constraint applied at the date of submission. For employers managing renewals or new applications for existing Vietnam-based employees, this integration reduces document preparation time and simplifies the overall dossier significantly.
Transitional Provisions: Existing Permits Remain Valid
Employers with foreign employees currently holding work permits or exemption certificates issued under Decree 152/2020 do not need to take immediate action. All existing work permits and exemption confirmations issued under the prior regime remain valid until their stated expiry date. Decree 219/2025 does not require re-registration, early renewal, or any administrative action to maintain the validity of existing documents.
When existing permits reach expiry, all renewals and reissuances must comply with Decree 219/2025, including the new qualification thresholds, updated dossier requirements, and consolidated submission process. Employers should audit their foreign workforce now to identify renewal timelines and assess whether employees who previously required full work permits may qualify for a broader exemption category under the expanded Article 7 list.
Employer Action Summary
Four actions apply immediately for employers managing foreign national hires in Vietnam:
Review all upcoming work permit renewals. Identify employees whose permits expire within the next six to twelve months and confirm which Decree 219/2025 pathway, standard work permit, exemption certificate, or short-term notification, applies to each individual.
Assess the expanded exemption categories. Employees in finance, science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation roles may now qualify for an exemption certificate rather than a full work permit. The exemption pathway is significantly faster and carries lower documentation burden.
Update job posting procedures. The mandatory government Employment Service Center portal requirement has been removed. Establish a documented five-day posting process on employer-controlled platforms and prepare a standard confirmation template for inclusion in future work permit dossiers.
Confirm the cumulative short-term day count for frequently visiting staff. For employees who travel to Vietnam regularly for project work, calculate cumulative working days in Vietnam during the current calendar year to confirm whether they remain within the 90-day exemption window and whether three-day advance notification has been filed.
Viettonkin Consulting supports employers in preparing compliant work permit dossiers, managing renewal timelines, and navigating the updated qualification and exemption requirements under Decree 219/2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What experience does a foreign expert need to qualify for a work permit in Vietnam in 2025–2026? Under Decree 219/2025, the standard expert threshold is two years of relevant work experience, reduced from three years under the prior regime. For workers in priority sectors, science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation, one year of experience is sufficient.
What is the short-term work exemption under Decree 219/2025? Foreign nationals who work in Vietnam for a cumulative total of fewer than 90 working days in a calendar year may qualify for the short-term exemption. The employer must notify the competent authority at least three working days before work commences. This replaces the previous 30-days-per-visit cap.
