Vietnam Work Permit and LD1/LD2 Temporary Residence Card
The employer-sponsored route: a work permit (Giấy phép lao động) paired with a temporary residence card carrying the symbol LD1 or LD2.
LD1 is not the premium version of LD2. It goes to people exempt from a work permit altogether, such as certain intra-company transfers. If you hold a permit you get LD2, and both cards run two years.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Foreign managers, executives, experts and technical workers at a Vietnamese or foreign-invested company |
| Route family | Skilled work |
| Validity | Permit and LD2 card 2 years maximum |
| Threshold | No capital threshold. The employer must show a role a Vietnamese national cannot fill and pay the regional minimum wage. No published salary floor for experts, 2026 |
| Renewal | Permit extendable once for up to 2 years. Beyond that, a new application. Card reissued to match |
| Settlement | Switch-required. Residence is derivative of the job |
| PR clock | None. Employment is not a permanent residence category |
| Citizenship clock | None in practice |
| Family | Partial. Spouse and children under 18 get a TT card of up to 3 years, no work rights |
| Local employment | Sponsor only. A new employer means a new permit and card |
| Tax headline | Resident after 183 days, worldwide income, progressive to 35 percent. Non-residents pay 20 percent on Vietnam-source income |
| Processing | Permit 10 working days, card 5. Three to six weeks in practice with legalisation |
Application flow
- Secure a Vietnamese job offer with an employer willing to sponsor.
- The employer files the integrated application with the Provincial People’s Committee.
- Legalise and translate your degree and criminal record abroad. This is the slow step.
- The permit issues, normally within 10 working days of a complete dossier.
- Apply for the LD2 card at the provincial police immigration office, 5 working days.
- Work only for the sponsor in the approved role, then repeat at renewal.
Good fit
A professional with a bachelor’s degree, two years of relevant experience and a company that will sponsor. Decree 219 cut the expert test to one year in priority sectors. It is the only route that gives an ordinary employee any residence at all.
Poor fit
Anyone whose income comes from clients or employers outside Vietnam. Anyone who wants to change jobs without changing paperwork. Anyone planning more than four years on one permit, because some provinces treat a fresh application as a new hire.
Watchpoints
- The permit is tied to the employer and job title. A promotion or a transfer usually means a fresh application, with the fees paid again.
- The two year extension is the last one. After it the employer files anew. Practice varies by province on whether a labour demand test applies.
- Document legalisation is where applications die. Degrees and criminal records must be consular-legalised and translated. Applicants who start after the job offer lose weeks.
- LD1 is not an upgrade. It is for people exempt from the permit requirement. Employees get LD2, same duration.
- Decree 219 changed the process, not the principle. The old labour demand approval and six-monthly reporting are gone, but the employer still files as applicant.
- Working on a tourist visa is not authorised, including remote work for a foreign company. Enforcement runs through fines and deportation.
Sources
- Vietnam Immigration Department, temporary residence card procedures, checked 2026-10-22
- Government of Vietnam, Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, in force 7 August 2025, checked 2026-10-22
- Vietnam Government Portal, new work permit regulations, checked 2026-10-22