According to Article 8 of Decree No. 393/2026/ND-CP dated October 20, 2026, issued by the Government and effective from December 5, 2026, foreign workers who fall under any of the following categories are exempt from work permit requirements:
1. Foreign workers falling under one of the cases specified in Clauses 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Article 154 of the Labor Code.
2. Foreign workers who are owners or capital-contributing members with a capital contribution value of 3 billion VND or more in a limited liability company.
3. Foreign workers who are Chairpersons of the Board of Directors or members of the Board of Directors with a capital contribution value of 3 billion VND or more in a joint-stock company.
4. Foreign workers entering Vietnam to provide expert professional and technical advisory services or perform other tasks serving research, formulation, appraisal, monitoring, evaluation, management, and implementation of programs and projects funded by non-refundable official development assistance (ODA), preferential ODA loans as stipulated in project documents, non-project documents approved by competent authorities, or international agreements on ODA, or international treaties on ODA funding and preferential loans signed between competent state agencies of Vietnam and foreign parties.
5.Foreign workers who are press and media correspondents certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
6. Foreign workers assigned by competent foreign authorities or organizations to Vietnam to teach or work as managers or executive directors at educational institutions established at the request of foreign diplomatic missions or intergovernmental organizations in Vietnam, or institutions established under international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory or contracting party.
7. Foreign pupils, students, and trainees studying at schools and training institutions in Vietnam or abroad who have internship agreements or job offer letters from agencies, organizations, or enterprises in Vietnam; or trainees/interns on Vietnamese seagoing vessels.
8. Foreign workers who are relatives of members of foreign representative missions in Vietnam and are permitted to work in Vietnam under international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member.
9. Foreign workers holding official passports who enter Vietnam to work for state agencies, political organizations, or socio-political organizations.
10. Foreign workers responsible for establishing a commercial presence.
11. Foreign workers serving as volunteers.
12. Foreign workers entering Vietnam to execute international agreements signed by central-level or provincial-level agencies and organizations in accordance with the law.
13. Foreign workers falling under one of the following cases:
a) Entering Vietnam for short-term employment. In cases where an employment relationship, labor usage, or salary payment arises, an application for a work permit under the form of an employment contract must be submitted pursuant to Article 19 of this Decree;
b) Internal transferees within enterprises operating in the 11 service sectors specified in Vietnam’s Schedule of Specific Commitments in Services with the World Trade Organization (WTO) as detailed in Appendix II accompanying this Decree.
14. Foreign individuals working at educational institutions, including:
a) Participating in teaching, researching, or transferring international educational programs, including teaching in joint educational/training programs approved by competent Vietnamese authorities; participating in projects, topics, scientific research cooperation programs, technology transfers, innovation, or international cooperation projects in education approved or executed by competent authorities;
b) Participating in educational and training cooperation programs and projects between foreign educational institutions and educational institutions in Vietnam through cooperation agreements or joint training programs;
c) Holding a Master’s degree or higher in STEM, science, technology, digital transformation, finance, economics, or business administration participating in teaching or scientific research at educational institutions;
d) Holding a Doctoral degree participating in teaching or scientific research at vocational or higher education institutions;
dd) Holding the title of Professor or Associate Professor participating in teaching, scientific research, or academic exchange at vocational or higher education institutions.
15. Foreign workers certified by ministries, ministerial-level agencies, or Provincial People’s Committees.
16. Individuals entering Vietnam to work who are granted special visa exemption cards pursuant to Decree No. 221/2025/ND-CP of the Government on time-limited visa exemptions for special categories of individuals requiring incentives for socio-economic development.
17. Foreign workers who are experts working in fields listed under the List of Strategic Technologies and the List of Strategic Technological Products pursuant to the Decision of the Prime Minister, and their relatives.
18. Foreign workers attracted under the Prime Minister’s Decision on the National Program for Artificial Intelligence Human Resources Development.
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