Foreign teachers need the correct work authorization before beginning paid employment in Vietnam. A school saying that it will “handle the visa later” is not a substitute for a legal work permit or a confirmed exemption.
Vietnam changed its foreign-worker system through Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, which took effect on August 7, 2025. The decree replaced the previous framework under Decree 152/2020 and its amendments. It reorganized responsibility, expanded online processing, and changed parts of the permit and exemption system.
This guide explains what foreign teachers should prepare, what the employer must do, and which promises should make an applicant pause before accepting a job.
Most foreign teachers working under an employment contract in Vietnam need a work permit unless they fall within a legally recognized exemption. The employer normally sponsors and submits the application, but the teacher must supply accurate personal, educational, health, and background documents.
A tourist visa or business visa does not by itself authorize regular teaching employment. Visa status controls entry and stay; the work permit addresses the legal right to perform the sponsored job. Teachers should ask an employer to explain both parts of the process.
The new decree moved authority for issuing, reissuing, extending, and revoking permits to provincial-level People's Committees, with provinces able to delegate the work to appropriate local authorities. When one employer sends a foreign worker to multiple provinces, the authority connected to the employer's head office generally handles the permit.
Applications are submitted online through Vietnam's National Public Service Portal. The decree also allows an employer, when properly authorized, to combine a work-permit request with an application for a Vietnamese criminal record certificate through the online system.
According to the official government summary, the responsible authority should decide a valid work-permit application within 10 working days. If it refuses the permit, it must provide a written explanation within three working days. That processing period begins only after a valid and complete dossier has been received; collecting, legalizing, translating, and correcting documents can take much longer.
The Vietnamese employer is responsible for sponsoring the role and explaining why it needs to employ a foreign worker. Under Decree 219, the application includes the employer's written request using the applicable government form.
A legitimate school should be able to explain:
If a recruiter cannot identify the actual employing entity, the teacher should not assume that another branch, partner, or agency can sponsor the position.
The exact dossier depends on the role and the applicant's circumstances. Schools and provincial authorities may request additional evidence, but foreign teachers should expect to prepare several core documents.
The passport must be valid and consistent with the name used across the contract, diploma, criminal record, and supporting documents. Name differences should be addressed before submission.
The employer must show that the applicant's education and experience fit the sponsored position. Teachers may need a bachelor's degree, teaching qualification, TEFL or TESOL certificate, licence, transcripts, or experience evidence depending on the school type and job classification.
An international school hiring a licensed subject teacher may assess credentials differently from a language center hiring an English instructor. Applicants should ask which qualification supports the permit rather than relying only on the job advertisement.
Where relevant experience is required, a basic résumé may not be sufficient. An applicant may need signed letters or certificates from previous employers showing dates, job title, and duties. Collecting these after leaving a country can be difficult, so teachers should request them early.
A valid health certificate from an eligible medical facility is commonly required. Under the current exemption guidance, an overseas certificate may be accepted in limited circumstances involving mutual recognition, and the certificate generally must have been issued within the preceding 12 months. In practice, many teachers complete the medical examination in Vietnam using a facility accepted for foreign-worker applications.
Applicants may need a qualifying criminal record certificate from their home country or a Vietnamese judicial record, depending on the route and their residence history. Decree 219 created an online route through which an authorized employer can submit the permit application together with a request for a Vietnamese criminal record certificate.
American applicants preparing a federal check can use Global School Scout's FBI background-check guide.
The application can also require compliant photographs, the employment or assignment documents, the employer's request, and evidence supporting the selected job classification.
Documents issued by foreign authorities generally must be consular legalized unless an applicable treaty, reciprocity rule, or legal exception removes that requirement. Legalized documents must then be translated into Vietnamese and authenticated according to Vietnamese law.
This is one of the most common sources of delay. Teachers should not assume that a scanned diploma, informal translation, or notarized photocopy will satisfy the final application.
A work permit is tied to the approved employer, position, and employment arrangement and is normally issued for a limited period. Teachers should treat a change of employer, job title, or work location as a legal issue to confirm before making the change.
A permit from a previous school does not automatically authorize work for a new school. The new employer should explain whether a new permit, reissuance, or another procedure is required.
Decree 219 lists several exemption categories. Some education-related exemptions cover foreign workers certified by the Ministry of Education and Training to teach, conduct research, transfer international education programs, or hold certain leadership roles in institutions established under diplomatic or intergovernmental arrangements.
Those are specific categories. An ordinary foreign teacher hired by a private language center, bilingual school, or international school should not assume that being an educator creates an automatic exemption. The employer should identify the precise legal basis and obtain confirmation when required.
Teachers should not begin paid classroom work merely because an employer has promised to submit documents later. Ask the school to confirm in writing what authorization covers the proposed start date.
Be especially cautious if the employer says:
Prepare original documents early, keep high-quality scans, and check name consistency across every record. Do not send irreplaceable originals to an unverified recruiter without understanding how they will be handled.
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Last updated: July 31, 2026. Immigration and employment procedures can change and may be applied differently by local authorities. Confirm the final process with the sponsoring employer and the responsible Vietnamese authority.
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