Key Summary
- DocumentsA criminal record certificate, degree certificate, career certificate, health certificate, etc. are required.
- ChangeFrom September 11, 2026, Korean documents will be authenticated by Apostille instead of consular authentication or embassy authentication.
- Private documentCareer certificates and private university academic records must first be notarized.
- MaintenanceThe 6-month issuance date requirement for the criminal record certificate and the Vietnamese translation and certification remain the same.
There are frequently asked questions. “I am dispatching an employee to Vietnam, but if the Apostille has been changed, do I have to prepare the documents again from scratch?”
The document list remains the same. What has changed is the way Korean documents are authenticated. Work permits for foreigners working in Vietnam are based on Decree 219/2025, implemented on August 7, 2025, and the documents required by this Decree have not changed before or after the implementation of Apostille. Instead, the preparation sequence has been simplified by eliminating the embassy step.
In this article, we will organize what and how to certify based on the documents frequently prepared when dispatching expatriates, teachers, and technical personnel.
How to prepare each document
| Documents | Processing in Korea | Things to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal record report | It is an official document issued by the National Police Agency, so it is directly Apostilleed. | Issued within 6 months from the date of submission |
| Degree/Graduation Certificate | Apostille for public universities immediately, Apostille for private universities after notarization | Do the job requirements and major match? |
| Career certificate | Apostille after notarization as it is a private document issued by a company | Minimum experience period for each occupation |
| Teacher certification, etc. | Apostille is issued by public institutions. | Frequently requested when dispatching teachers |
| Health certificate | Usually examined at designated medical institutions in Vietnam | Within 12 months after issuance |
| Vietnamese translation | Apostille after local translation certification or Korean translation notarization | Confirm method with submitting organization |
Documents required by enforcement ordinance
The work permit application documents stipulated by Enforcement Decree 219/2025 are an application completed by the employer, a health certificate within 12 months of issuance, a passport, a criminal record certificate within 6 months of the date of submission, two 4×6cm photos with a white background, employment-supporting documents such as a work contract or dispatch letter, and documents proving that the person is an expert, manager, or technical worker.
In principle, documents issued by foreign countries must receive consular authentication, but cases exempted by international treaties are an exception. As of September 11, 2026, the Apostille Convention falls under this exception, and Korean documents will be replaced by Apostille. The order of translation into Vietnamese and certification of the translation according to Vietnamese law remains the same.
Translations are prepared according to the method of reception by the submitting organization. There is a way to translate documents that have completed the Apostille in Vietnam and have the translation certified locally. There is also a way to translate documents from Korea into Vietnamese and notarize both the translation and the original (or a copy of the original) and receive an Apostille on the notarized document. The enforcement ordinance also states that when submitting a copy of a document, it must first be certified as being the same as the original.
Meet the experience requirements for each job category first
Experience requirements, rather than certification, are where the most complaints come from. Based on the enforcement ordinance, experts need a bachelor's degree and two years of relevant experience, and priority fields such as finance, science and technology, and digital transformation are relaxed to one year. Technical personnel require at least 1 year of education and 2 years of experience, or 3 years of experience. A manager must have 3 years of experience, and an internal transfer must have worked at an overseas corporation for at least 12 months.
Before certification, please check whether the period of employment and duties indicated on the career certificate meet these requirements. If you find that the period is not enough after completing the certification, you must start again from the beginning.
You can also receive the criminal record report directly.
Criminal record reports can be issued online for foreign entry and stay permits through the National Police Agency’s criminal record report issuance system. If you enter the issuance number on the Apostille website, the Apostille will be printed for free. This method has been in operation since October 2019, and the Apostille received at the counter is 1,000 won per case.
However, this method only extends to attaching an apostille to the original newsletter. Vietnamese translation and certification must be done separately, and it is advisable to check in advance whether the local agency will accept the Apostille printed online. If you have already lived in Vietnam, you may check with your employer to see if you can substitute a criminal record certificate issued in Vietnam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I use a degree certificate that was confirmed by the consulate and certified by the embassy before September?
Yes. Certifications received before the effective date will remain valid. However, for documents that have an issuance date requirement, such as a criminal record certificate, you must double-check the date.
Q. Can I get a health certificate from a Korean hospital?
The enforcement decree requires that health certificates received from foreign countries be recognized only if there is a mutual recognition treaty with Vietnam. So, people usually undergo checkups at local designated medical institutions in Vietnam.
Q. Do I need to have my career certificate notarized?
Since it is a private document issued by a company, notarization is required before receiving an Apostille. The company official name and contact information must be accurately entered.
Q. Do I need to translate documents issued in English?
Foreign documents submitted to Vietnamese organizations require Vietnamese translation even if they are in English.
Conclusion
The list of Vietnam work permit documents remains the same, but only the authentication method has been changed to Apostille. If you check the notarization of private documents, the 6-month issuance date requirement for criminal record certificates, and the period requirements for each job category for career certificates, the risk of rejection will be greatly reduced.
Nanum Global provides notarization, apostille, and Vietnamese translation of Vietnam dispatch documents all at once. If you tell us the number of people dispatched, their job category, and the documents prepared, we will guide you through which documents need to be notarized first and how long the schedule is required.
Do you need Vietnam work permit documents?
If you tell us the number of people dispatched, their job category, and the documents prepared, we will organize the schedule and route for notarization, apostille, and translation.
