Extension
Use this route only for an eligible permit that remains valid, has not exhausted its extension and can be filed in the statutory 10–45 day window.
Work Permit Extension in Vietnam
Keep a foreign employee’s work authorisation aligned with the next assignment. First check whether the permit qualifies for extension or a new application is required.
SERVICE GUIDE
Extend, replace or apply for a new permit?
The expiry date alone does not determine the application. The employer needs to identify which fact is changing and which permission will still be valid on the next working day.
New permit
Consider a new application if the permit has expired, the extension has already been used or the next role or employing entity does not fit the extension route.
Reissue or exemption
A corrected passport or permit detail may call for reissue; a new legal basis for exemption needs a separate assessment. Neither is an automatic substitute for an expiring permit.
We compare the permit, employment arrangement, immigration status and the planned continuation date before preparing forms. An application for the wrong route may consume the limited time available.
SERVICE GUIDE
Build the 10–45 day filing calendar
The employer files before the permit expires, at least 10 days and no more than 45 days in advance under Decree 219/2025.
Before the window
Obtain the permit copy, confirm whether it was previously extended, review the role and start collecting health and assignment evidence.
Within the window
Prepare the current employer request and supporting records; validate passport, employer, location and period across every document.
After submission
Track requests for clarification and plan staffing conservatively. Filing does not by itself prolong a permit that later expires.
The authority period begins only when it receives a complete valid dossier. Medical appointments, foreign documents, translation and internal signatures can take additional time; these belong on the project calendar.
SERVICE GUIDE
What belongs in the extension dossier?
The exact package depends on the working form, but the current request must match the person, employer and job on the existing permission.
Employer request
Use the prescribed current form rather than a superseded two-step form; describe the continuing need and requested period consistently.
Worker evidence
Review the existing permit, passport, health certificate and any evidence required for the actual working form.
Corporate evidence
Confirm the employing entity, signatory, assignment or contract records and any change in work location or position.
Foreign-issued material may need authentication and translation. We flag missing or inconsistent information before filing rather than assuming the authority will treat an old permit as proof of the new facts.
SERVICE GUIDE
If the current permit expires
An expired work permit has no automatic grace period for continued work. The lawful next step depends on the person’s actual status and the planned assignment.
Stop and reassess
Do not plan continued work on the assumption that a late extension will validate an expired permit.
Choose the new route
Review a new permit, exemption or other applicable route and the time required before the person resumes work.
Coordinate immigration
A visa or residence card must be assessed on its own basis; a work-authorisation issue can affect the wider stay plan.
Administrative consequences can arise for the worker and employer. We do not quote a generic penalty as the answer to a specific case; the current rule, dates and conduct need review.
SERVICE GUIDE
After an extension is issued
The service does not end when a new permit arrives. The company must make its people and immigration records consistent with the approved permission.
Verify the permit
Check name, passport number, employer, position, working form, location and validity against the application.
Update employment records
Complete or update the employment contract and internal records where the law and working form require it.
Review the stay
Check visa, temporary residence card and sponsorship records; arrange any separate immigration step before its expiry.
Our handover identifies what was filed, the result, the next expiry and any related action for HR. The legal fee is scoped separately from official fees, medical checks, translation and immigration work.
SERVICE GUIDE
How long does the authority stage take?
The Vietnamese service page describes a ten-working-day authority period after receipt of a complete valid extension file under the current decree.
This is not the same as the end-to-end project time. The first review may reveal a missing health certificate, inconsistent passport number, foreign assignment evidence or a role that requires a different procedure. Those issues should be addressed before the statutory submission window closes. An authority request to clarify the dossier can also affect the timetable.
Our first written scope therefore distinguishes document collection, review and drafting from the authority stage. It identifies who will obtain each record and who will respond to a request for clarification. Government charges, medical examination, translation, legalisation and any visa or residence-card application are shown separately from the legal service fee.
SERVICE GUIDE
A change in work facts needs its own decision
If the worker is moving employer, switching position or working at another site, a routine extension may not be the correct route.
We compare the existing permit fields with the next assignment and ask when each change will take effect. A passport replacement, a changed employing entity and a wholly new job are not interchangeable events. The right filing may be a reissue, new permit or other applicable procedure, and the worker must have a valid basis for the actual work while the transition is handled.
For a business with several foreign employees, the same review can be turned into an expiry calendar: permit, contract, visa and temporary residence card dates, document owner and expected filing window. That gives HR a practical control beyond one successful application.
HOW WE WORK
From first review to next decision
- Read the current permit and expiryCompare the permit expiry, extension history and continued job against the 10–45 day filing window.
- Check eligibility and employment factsCheck passport, health certificate, employer evidence and any change that calls for a different work-permit route.
- Prepare the prescribed dossierPrepare the employer’s extension file, confirm signatures and submit to the competent authority within the statutory window.
- File, monitor and align immigrationTrack the authority decision, then align the employment record and stay document with the approved period.
INITIAL REVIEW
What to send for a useful first review
These items let us classify the route and give a realistic scope before requesting originals, translations or formal signatures.
- A clear scan of the current work permit, including the expiry date and any extension history.
- Passport identity page and the worker’s current visa or residence-card details.
- Employer name, working form, position, location and intended continuation period.
- Employment or assignment agreement and a note of any change since the permit was issued.
- Health certificate status and the person responsible for obtaining missing foreign documents.
SERVICE GUIDE
What the engagement can deliver
A route memo, tailored document list, prepared application, filing follow-up and a handover checklist for visa or residence-card alignment. Preparation time is separate from the authority period for a complete valid file. A late or rejected application may interrupt lawful work; do not assume an extension request preserves the old permit. After approval, verify the employer, position, location and new expiry, then review the employment contract and the worker’s visa or residence card. The quote should separate legal work, government charges and document costs.
Questions before you proceed
Can every work permit be extended?
No. Eligibility, timing and previous extension history must be checked against the current rules.
What if the role or employer changes?
That may change the correct procedure. Review the proposed change before preparing an extension file.
When should we start collecting records?
Begin before the statutory filing window so health checks, foreign evidence and signatures do not consume the 10–45 days available for submission.
Does an application let the worker keep working after expiry?
No automatic extension follows from filing. Confirm valid work and stay permissions for each day of the planned assignment.
Who files the extension request?
The employer or other responsible sponsoring entity follows the applicable procedure; the worker’s documents and signatures must support it.
LEGAL BASIS
Source and scope
This guide draws on Decree 219/2025/ND-CP and the corresponding Vietnamese service page. Forms, deadlines and filing routes should be confirmed against the current rules and the facts of each matter before submission.
NEXT STEP
Discuss the facts before filing
Send the current records, your planned activity and any deadline. We will identify the initial questions and agree the scope of work.