Legalise Your Degree for a Vietnam Work Permit (2026)

Foreign degrees, certificates and experience letters can be used for a Vietnam work permit only after three steps: consular legalisation (unless a treaty exempts them), translation into Vietnamese and certification. This is required by Article 5 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP. Vietnam joins the Apostille Convention on 11 September 2026. From then on, documents from many member countries can carry an apostille instead of consular legalisation. The exceptions are countries that objected to Vietnam’s accession, such as Germany, Austria and Czechia. Info Travel handles degree legalisation, experience letters and notarised translation in one package. Message us on WhatsApp at +84327828822.

Contents

Why your degree must be legalised

Under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP (in force since 7 August 2025), you must prove your qualifications and experience with documents to get a permit as an expert, executive director or technical worker:

Expert: a bachelor’s degree or higher (or equivalent) and at least 2 years of experience. Only 1 year is needed in finance, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation and certain priority sectors.
Executive director: at least 3 years of experience.
Technical worker: at least 1 year of training plus 2 years of experience, or 3 years of experience.

Article 5 says foreign documents used to apply for, reissue or extend a work permit must be consularly legalised. The exceptions are documents exempted by a treaty that Vietnam and the other country have both signed, by reciprocity or by law. Legalised documents must then be translated into Vietnamese and certified. A copy must be certified against the original before it is translated.

Which documents need legalisation?

Document	Notes
Bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree	Include the transcript if the degree certificate does not show your major
Training or vocational certificate	Used by technical workers (at least 1 year of training)
Teaching certificate (TEFL, CELTA, etc.)	Usually needed by language teachers
Experience letter	Issued by a previous overseas employer
Foreign criminal record certificate	Issued no more than 6 months before filing
Foreign health certificate	Accepted only under a recognition agreement and no more than 12 months old

Documents issued by Vietnamese authorities do not need legalisation. Examples are a previous Vietnamese work permit and a Vietnamese criminal record certificate. See our page on criminal record certificates.

Apostille or consular legalisation?

The Apostille Convention takes effect for Vietnam on 11 September 2026. If your document comes from a member country that did not object to Vietnam’s accession, an apostille from that country’s competent authority is enough. You no longer need to go through a Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Some countries objected, including Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. The apostille system does not apply between those countries and Vietnam, so their documents still need consular legalisation.

	Apostille	Consular legalisation
When it applies	Member countries that did not object to Vietnam, from 11 Sep 2026	Countries outside the Convention, or countries that objected
Process	One step, at the apostille authority of the country that issued the document	The issuing country certifies the document, then a Vietnamese mission legalises it (or an equivalent route inside Vietnam)
Time	Usually faster	Slower, because several offices are involved

Because the rule is new, local offices may handle apostilled documents differently at first. Check with the work permit office before you file. Documents from some countries that have judicial assistance treaties with Vietnam may be exempt from legalisation altogether. We check your situation before we start. See our consular legalisation service.

How to write a proper experience letter

The experience letter is the document most often behind a returned application. A good letter includes:

The full company name, address and contact details, on official letterhead.
Your full name and, ideally, your passport number.
Your job title and duties, matching the position you will hold in Vietnam.
Exact employment dates (from… to…) that cover the number of years required.
The signer’s signature, name and title, plus the company seal where one is used.

Many countries require the signature on an experience letter to be notarised before it can be apostilled or legalised. If you have held a Vietnamese work permit or exemption confirmation before, you can use it instead of an experience letter.

Translation and certification in Vietnam

After the apostille or legalisation, every page must be translated into Vietnamese, including stamps and the apostille certificate. The translator’s signature is then certified as required by law. Names, the school, the degree title and the major must match your passport and Form 03. See our notarised translation service.

Process and timing

We review your degrees and experience against the conditions in Decree 219.
We confirm the right route: apostille, consular legalisation or exemption.
Your documents are notarised or certified in the issuing country, then apostilled or legalised.
The documents are translated and certified in Vietnam.
We file your work permit application. A new permit takes 10 working days.

Legalisation time depends on the issuing country and on courier times, so start well before your planned start date. See the whole process on our Vietnam work permit service page and in the 2026 work permit rules.

Info Travel’s legalisation service

Advice on which documents need legalisation and whether your country can use an apostille.
Experience letter templates that match your job title.
Consular legalisation support and notarised translation.
Work permit filing, followed by a temporary residence card.

We quote service fees case by case on WhatsApp at +84327828822. Teachers should also read our guide to the work permit for foreign teachers.

FAQ

Can I use a degree that was apostilled before 11 September 2026?

An apostille takes effect for Vietnam only once the Convention applies to Vietnam. If your document was apostilled before that date, ask the receiving office first. If they do not accept it, you will need consular legalisation.

Can a German degree be apostilled for Vietnam?

No. Germany, Austria and Czechia objected to Vietnam’s accession, so documents from these countries still need consular legalisation.

Can I legalise my degree inside Vietnam?

Sometimes. Some countries let you do it through their embassy in Vietnam and then the Vietnamese foreign affairs authority. This depends on the country, so check first.