Work Permit Confusion

rosspbradley wrote:

I'm British and currently living and teaching in HCMC.

I'm constantly hearing contradictory things (even from official sources) about the Work Permit procedure.

I'm getting very confused and thought it might be easier just to ask on here.

I welcome information from anyone, but it would be FANTASTIC if a Brit who has successfully applied in the last two months could answer this query.

Three things in particular:

1.)  Do my documents have to be notarised back home AND authenticated here
or
Do they just have to be authenticated here?
(I have notarised copies of some of my documents, but not all of them)

2.) I've been in the country much longer than six months so wanted to do a Local Police Check instead of a UK one.
BUT a lady at the HR department at my school, thought it might be problematic because I have been working in the country illegally for the past year.
Is this likely to cause me a problem?

3.) I've heard that you have to be registered at your address for a certain amount of time before you can apply for the Local Police Check.
How long? And will it be an issue if I move?  As in, do I have to be registered at one specific address for that period of time?

I think these are my main issues right now. But any other pertinent information would be welcomed.

1 Translated and Notarised here. ( need to produce originals ).
2/3   I remember reading somewhere that if you have been living in VN for longer than 6 months, you only need a VN check.????? ( I'll try and find out more on that ). Update, TNH Hanoi website 2010   "No Criminal Records Certificate"??
I'm currently registered at 3 addresses, no time limit on how long you stay at an address. ( As long as you are registered there ).
  Who know's you have been working illegally? If no one " important " knows, not a problem, ( until you get caught, expelled from VN, and employer fined ).
What visa do you hold now, ( DL? ), you probably realise that you need to exit/re enter to change this now .

rosspbradley wrote:

I'm British and currently living and teaching in HCMC.

I'm constantly hearing contradictory things (even from official sources) about the Work Permit procedure.

I'm getting very confused and thought it might be easier just to ask on here.

I welcome information from anyone, but it would be FANTASTIC if a Brit who has successfully applied in the last two months could answer this query.

Three things in particular:

1.)  Do my documents have to be notarised back home AND authenticated here
or
Do they just have to be authenticated here?
(I have notarised copies of some of my documents, but not all of them)

2.) I've been in the country much longer than six months so wanted to do a Local Police Check instead of a UK one.
BUT a lady at the HR department at my school, thought it might be problematic because I have been working in the country illegally for the past year.
Is this likely to cause me a problem?

3.) I've heard that you have to be registered at your address for a certain amount of time before you can apply for the Local Police Check.
How long? And will it be an issue if I move?  As in, do I have to be registered at one specific address for that period of time?

I think these are my main issues right now. But any other pertinent information would be welcomed.

1. All papers issued from abroad such as 5-year experience certificate, criminal record abroad, university degree need to be made consular legalization and notarized translation into Vietnamese. you are British, so you can take your documents to British Embassy in VN to stamp and take them again to Consular Department - Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs to legalize and then translate and notarise them. Ofcourse in Vietnam.
2. If you work in Vietnam under tourist visa, it means you work illegally. However, you are still possible to obtain Criminal record in VN. No problem.
3. No need a certain time. Because you only stay here 1 day, you can still obtain criminal record.

" All papers issued from abroad such as 5-year experience certificate, criminal record abroad, university degree need to be made consular legalization and notarized translation into Vietnamese. you are British, so you can take your documents to British Embassy in VN to stamp and take them again to Consular Department - Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs to legalize and then translate and notarise them. Of course in Vietnam."
It's MUCH cheaper to use a VN Govt translation service. If your Embassy/Consulate is anything like the Aus one, around $25 a document, in a VN office, less than a few $'s. ( And there will be somewhere there who will speak English ),

bluenz wrote:

" All papers issued from abroad such as 5-year experience certificate, criminal record abroad, university degree need to be made consular legalization and notarized translation into Vietnamese. you are British, so you can take your documents to British Embassy in VN to stamp and take them again to Consular Department - Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs to legalize and then translate and notarise them. Of course in Vietnam."
It's MUCH cheaper to use a VN Govt translation service. If your Embassy/Consulate is anything like the Aus one, around $25 a document, in a VN office, less than a few $'s. ( And there will be somewhere there who will speak English ),

yes I see. But I mean about legalization, not only notarise and translation.

KathyBrown1410 wrote:

bluenz wrote:

" All papers issued from abroad such as 5-year experience certificate, criminal record abroad, university degree need to be made consular legalization and notarized translation into Vietnamese. you are British, so you can take your documents to British Embassy in VN to stamp and take them again to Consular Department - Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs to legalize and then translate and notarise them. Of course in Vietnam."
It's MUCH cheaper to use a VN Govt translation service. If your Embassy/Consulate is anything like the Aus one, around $25 a document, in a VN office, less than a few $'s. ( And there will be somewhere there who will speak English ),

yes I see. But I mean about legalization, not only notarise and translation.

You need to produce the original document before they will translate and notarise.

2, they are doing a police check for crimes, not and employment check.

Does anybody here know of any Agency or reliable person I can talk to on getting a work visa without a college degree or certification? Just want that so I will technically be legal. I am sure there will be a fee but I know in Vietnam it is all about connections and who you know alot like alot of these countries. Corrupt.

jdavis10 wrote:

Does anybody here know of any Agency or reliable person I can talk to on getting a work visa without a college degree or certification? Just want that so I will technically be legal. I am sure there will be a fee but I know in Vietnam it is all about connections and who you know alot like alot of these countries. Corrupt.

A Work Permit is a lot different to say a Driving Licence, if you get caught working without a Work Permit you can be 
expelled from the country and your employer will face millions of VND in fines, and have their business closed for some time.
  The Govt doesn't go around checking up on drivers licences, but does on schools. ( Even on VN teachers working at    home ).
But there are plenty of schools willing to take that risk..

From my research 95% of teachers in Vietnam working without one as its difficult to get one. I read that alot of companies have to prove that a vietnamese teacher could not handle position and have to hire foreigner. Guess the paperwork harder and more time consuming in this country, I am aware the risk of working in the country. They say alot of the officials let it happen because they need the teachers in the country due to the poor english of the locals.


I was just wondering if there was agency that could handle this or find loophole in possibly obtaining legal working visa

jdavis10 wrote:

From my research 95% of teachers in Vietnam working without one as its difficult to get one. I read that alot of companies have to prove that a vietnamese teacher could not handle position and have to hire foreigner. Guess the paperwork harder and more time consuming in this country, I am aware the risk of working in the country. They say alot of the officials let it happen because they need the teachers in the country due to the poor english of the locals.


I was just wondering if there was agency that could handle this or find loophole in possibly obtaining legal working visa

That's just a formality informing the Govt that a VN teacher can't do the job, ( although some VN's can do it just as badly as a some Filipino teachers I've met ), they should make it law that only a Native English teacher should be teaching English.  But in a few more years, there won't be any need for NES anyway, with so many Filipino/Negro/Indian, etc, teachers here now, the colour of the skin won't be any problem, in my little city they already have gullible parents paying the same fee for a Filipino as they do for a NES, in the same school????
Good luck with the search for a corrupt agency, but I think you will find it's not worth the risk even for them, too many palms to grease, firstly you will need a fake Uni Degree, or a letter from a Foreign school, ( have you taught before, maybe that is an option for you, but you need 5 yrs experience ).

5 years experience?? No I have online teaching experience for over 1 year teaching IELTS/TOEFL. I want sweat over it. I wanna teach but if anything I will teach sideline in Philippines or something. I don't want trouble. However everyone working there are working there and renewing tourist visas every 3 months

jdavis10 wrote:

5 years experience?? No I have online teaching experience for over 1 year teaching IELTS/TOEFL. I want sweat over it. I wanna teach but if anything I will teach sideline in Philippines or something. I don't want trouble. However everyone working there are working there and renewing tourist visas every 3 months

Only the unlawful ones, many are even advertising online for private students, might be ok in the big city, but I wouldn't try it where I live, the students I do teach privately are for free, ( a VN teacher from a school here goes passed my house everyday, and she had already dobbed me in for working outside their school when I was teaching there, all I was doing was climbing a ladder to turn off my houses electricity meter, so I could do a repair, but seriously , how stupid was that, to think I could get a job with a VN electricity company, but that just shows you how petty some VN's can be ).

Well you know what they say about small towns....Words spread like wildfire. I was raised in small town from USA so I know exactly what that is like. Ya ideally i wanted to experience working in Asia teaching english, but not sure $1300 is worth all that trouble for. If I do find sweet vietnamese lady though I will for sure be in HO CHI MINH

Yes I know of an agency that can help you. contact me here. My name is John

what is the agency that can helP?

Note, when I got my work permit 2 years ago, every week I had to dish out more money, ended up costing me about 1500 USD for a genuine work permit as an expereinced executives who advises governments and intergovernmental agencies. Restarting the process now as it runs out in March, am not paying another 1500 USD>

I'm trying to figure if it's just a total shake-down or part-time thing,  or ur really expected to work here illegally  for three years before u can work here legally?

I got a dn visa, despite  having a work permit.  Screws me hard.  Benefits corrupt quy  nhon skimmigration  officials.......
  Go figger...

Current documents to apply WP of an English teacher (Employee only)
1. University Degree or higher (In case you don't have this, can be replace by a 5 year experiences of of foreign (outside Vietnam) company in similar position.
2. Teaching Cert.
3. Criminal check (If have not been in Vietnam, only need foreign criminal check or Vietnam criminal check if you have been in Vietnam (no need foreign crminal check).
4. Health check cert (If have not been in Vietnam, Foreign health, If you have been in Vietnam, only Vietnam health check (only listed hospital)
5. True copy passport with work visa (more than 01 year valid).
6. Pink book or letter confirm by police in your current address.
7. 2 Pic 4x6 (international standard)
All documents from abroad must be consular legalization and translated into Vietnamese.