This guide is for Spanish companies about to send an executive, a specialist or a team to Vietnam, whether on short trips or to settle there for several years. By the end you will know what separates entering the country from being allowed to work in it, which route fits each profile, and which deadlines and documents the rules in force at the end of 2026 require.
Two separate permissions: entering and working
The most common mistake is assuming a visa is enough. In Vietnam these are two separate procedures, handled by different authorities:
- The visa or visa exemption lets you enter and stay in the country. It is handled by the immigration system, which reports to the Ministry of Public Security.
- The work permit (giấy phép lao động) lets you work for a company or organisation in Vietnam. Since Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP it is granted by the people's committee of each province, which may delegate it to another body.
For a long stay you need both, in a specific order: first the work permit (or the exemption certificate), then the work visa and, finally, the temporary residence card. Skip the first step and the rest falls apart.
Entering Vietnam: exemption, e-visa and business visas
45-day visa exemption for Spanish citizens
Under Resolution 44/NQ-CP of 7 March 2025, citizens of Spain and eleven other countries (including Germany, France, Italy and the Nordic countries) can enter without a visa and stay for up to 45 days from the date of entry, with any type of passport and for any travel purpose. The measure applies from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028 and may be extended.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds travellers that passports must be valid for at least six months. Stays of more than 45 days require a visa of the relevant category.
Note: "any travel purpose" refers to entry, not to the right to work. If you are coming to work, the employment rules still apply.
Electronic visa (e-visa)
The reform of the law on the entry and exit of foreigners, in force since 15 August 2023, extended the e-visa to up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, according to the official summary published by Cần Thơ province. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that it is processed through the Vietnamese immigration portal. It is useful if you will be making several trips within a few months or staying beyond 45 days without relocating.
Sponsored visas: business, work and investment
Traditional visas are applied for with an approval letter obtained by a sponsor in Vietnam (the company inviting or employing you). The most relevant for a Spanish company are:
| Category | Who it is for | Temporary residence card (maximum validity) |
|---|---|---|
| DN1 / DN2 | Business visits, meetings, market exploration | Not eligible for a card |
| LĐ1 | Workers exempt from a work permit, with an exemption certificate | Up to 2 years |
| LĐ2 | Workers with a work permit | Up to 2 years |
| ĐT3 | Investors contributing from VND 3 billion to under VND 50 billion | Up to 3 years |
| ĐT2 | Investors contributing from VND 50 billion to under VND 100 billion | Up to 5 years |
| ĐT1 | Investors contributing VND 100 billion or more, or in priority sectors | Up to 10 years |
Card validity by category comes from Article 38 of the 2014 law, as amended, according to Luật Việt An's summary. The card always expires at least 30 days before the passport.
Based on the fees in Circular 25/2021/TT-BTC as amended by Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC (in force since October 2023), a single-entry visa costs USD 25 and a multiple-entry visa of up to 90 days costs USD 50. A residence card valid for up to 2 years costs USD 145. In late 2025 the Ministry of Finance put a new circular out to consultation which, according to LSVN, kept these amounts; check them before paying.
The work permit under Decree 219/2025
Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP of 7 August 2025 replaced Decrees 152/2020 and 70/2023 and is the rule that applies today. Permits granted under the previous rules remain valid until they expire.
The four eligible profiles
Permits are granted for four types of position (Article 3):
- Manager (nhà quản lý): the company's manager as defined by the Law on Enterprises, or the head of an organisation and their deputy.
- Executive director (giám đốc điều hành): someone who heads a branch, representative office or establishment, or who directly heads a department with at least 3 years' experience.
- Expert (chuyên gia): a university degree and at least 2 years' experience relevant to the role. In finance, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation and other priority sectors, 1 year is enough if the degree is in the relevant field.
- Technical worker (lao động kỹ thuật): at least 1 year of training and 2 years' experience, or 3 years' relevant experience.
Before the decree, experts needed 3 years' experience. For younger tech profiles, the change to 2 years (or 1 in priority sectors) matters.
When you do not need a work permit
Article 7 lists the exempt cases. The most useful for a Spanish company are:
- Members contributing VND 3 billion or more to a limited liability company, or chairs and board members of a joint-stock company with the same contribution.
- Short stays: managers, executive directors, experts and technical workers who work in Vietnam for fewer than 90 days in total per year, counted from 1 January to 31 December. Rajah & Tann notes that the previous limit was 30 days per trip and 3 trips a year.
- Intra-company transfers: people temporarily seconded by a foreign company that already has a commercial presence in Vietnam (subsidiary, branch or representative office) in one of the 11 service sectors covered by the WTO commitments, provided they have been employed by that company for at least 12 consecutive months.
- The person responsible for establishing the commercial presence of the foreign company.
Exempt does not mean invisible. For investor members and stays of under 90 days no certificate is needed, but the company must notify the provincial authority at least 3 working days before the work starts (Article 9). In other cases, such as intra-company transfers, you must apply for an exemption certificate, which is issued within 5 working days and lasts for a maximum of 2 years.
Below VND 3 billion, the foreign member of a limited liability company does need a work permit. If you are deciding how much capital to declare, bear this in mind alongside what we explain in our guide on how to set up a company in Vietnam.
Application documents
Under Article 18, the application normally includes:
- The company's application explaining why it needs to hire a foreigner and requesting the permit (Form No. 03).
- A health certificate. If issued by a foreign facility, it is only valid where there is a mutual recognition agreement and it is less than 12 months old.
- A valid passport.
- A criminal record certificate issued within the last 6 months, unless it is requested together with the permit through the national portal.
- Two 4 x 6 cm photographs.
- A document proving the form of work (employment contract, secondment letter from the parent company, service contract, etc.).
- Proof of profile: degree and a certificate from the previous employer stating years of experience, or an appointment letter for managers.
Foreign documents must be legalised, or apostilled where a treaty allows it, and translated into Vietnamese with a certified translation. Since 11 September 2026 Vietnam has applied the Apostille Convention, so Spanish public documents are apostilled instead of going through the consulate. We explain this in the guide on setting up a company.
The experience certificate is usually what causes the longest delay: request it early from previous employers, with dates, job title and duties.
Official deadlines
| Step | Legal deadline | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Submit the permit application | Between 60 and 10 days before starting work | Art. 22.1 |
| Permit decision (including approval of the need) | 10 working days from a complete application | Art. 22.3 |
| Exemption certificate | 5 working days | Art. 9.3 |
| Notify exemptions without a certificate | At least 3 working days beforehand | Art. 9.4 |
| Apply for the extension | Between 45 and 10 days before expiry | Art. 28.1 |
| Maximum permit validity | 2 years | Art. 21 |
| Extension | Once only, maximum 2 years | Art. 29 |
A practical change: the decree allows the justification of need and the permit application to be submitted in a single file, whereas previously they were two separate steps. According to Rajah & Tann, the prior job advertisement, where required, has been cut from 15 to 5 days.
If the employee is on a local employment contract, once the permit is granted you must sign the contract in writing before the start date. After the single extension, if you want to keep the same person, you need to apply for a new permit.
Sending someone to Vietnam in the coming months? In a free 30-minute consultation we go through who travels, under which route and in what order, and what the next steps are.
From work permit to residence card
With the work permit (or exemption certificate) in hand, the next step is the LĐ2 (or LĐ1) visa and then the temporary residence card. The card replaces the visa, allows you to enter and leave without further formalities and lasts as long as the permit, up to 2 years.
Since the 2023 reform, anyone already in Vietnam on another visa can switch to a work visa without leaving the country if they hold a work permit or exemption certificate, according to Luật Việt An. The same firm states that the card is normally issued in around 5 working days from a complete application. As it expires at least 30 days before the passport, renew the passport first if it has little validity left.
A typical sequence for an executive relocating to Ho Chi Minh City:
- Enter on the 45-day exemption or an e-visa to prepare the move.
- The Vietnamese company submits the work permit application between 60 and 10 days before the start date.
- Once the permit is granted, apply to switch to an LĐ2 visa or directly for the residence card.
- Register temporary residence at the address where you live.
- Put the permit extension in the calendar: the window runs from 45 to 10 days before expiry.
Working on a tourist or business visa is the shortcut that causes the most problems. Luật Việt An mentions fines of VND 15 to 20 million for using a visa for a different purpose, and possible deportation.
Which route to use in each case
| Situation | Usual route |
|---|---|
| Exploratory trips or meetings, under 45 days | Visa exemption |
| Several short trips with actual work, under 90 days a year | Exemption or e-visa + prior notification of work permit exemption |
| Specialist seconded from the Spanish parent to the subsidiary | Intra-company transfer exemption certificate (if the requirements are met) or work permit |
| General director of the subsidiary, hired locally | Work permit + LĐ2 + residence card |
| Member with VND 3 billion or more in a limited liability company | Exempt from work permit; investor visa or card (ĐT) |
| Head of a representative office | Work permit as executive director |
If you are still deciding between a representative office, a branch or your own company, the choice affects how managers qualify; we compare the options in representative office, branch or company in Vietnam. For the salary cost of the profiles you will hire locally, see our guide to salaries in Vietnam. And if these assignments are part of a wider market entry plan, our Vietnam market entry page explains how we approach that phase.
Changes in the pipeline
In May 2026 the Ministry of Home Affairs put out to consultation a draft amending Decree 219/2025. According to LSVN, it proposes removing the years-of-experience requirement for technology and innovation experts, accepting foreign health certificates and not requesting documents already held in public databases. At the date of this guide it is still a draft: check whether it has been approved before preparing the application.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work in Vietnam on the 45-day exemption?
The exemption covers entry, not the right to work. If you are a manager, expert or technical worker and your work in Vietnam adds up to fewer than 90 days in the year, you are exempt from a work permit, but the company must notify the authorities at least 3 working days beforehand. Above that threshold you need a work permit.
How long does a work permit take?
The legal deadline is 10 working days from the date the application is complete. The real timeline depends mainly on gathering, apostilling and translating the documents in Spain, which can take several weeks. Plan with a margin.
Can a work permit last more than 2 years?
No. The maximum is 2 years, and it can only be extended once, for up to another 2 years. After that, a new permit must be applied for the same person.
Does the manager of my subsidiary need a work permit?
Usually yes, as a manager. The exception is if they are a member contributing VND 3 billion or more to a limited liability company, or a chair or board member of a joint-stock company with that contribution. In that case a notification is enough.
Can my family come with me?
Residence cards have categories for family members of holders of certain visas. Requirements and documents vary from case to case, so it is worth checking them with immigration or an adviser before relocating.
How Agilean can help
At Agilean we help Spanish and European companies prepare their arrival in Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City, including planning who travels, under which route and in what order. Our team works with local law firms and advisers to prepare work permit and residence applications, and tracks deadlines and extensions. You can see how we work on our Vietnam market entry page.