- Vietnam will enforce new penalties from September 10, 2026 for foreign workers and employers under Decree No. 283/2026/ND-CP.
- Workers without valid authorization can face fines of VND15 million to VND25 million, plus deportation in qualifying cases.
- Employers may pay up to VND75 million for unauthorized hiring, false filings, or altered documents.
Vietnam will impose new penalties on foreign workers and employers from September 10, 2026, targeting unauthorized work, expired authorization documents, and failures in employer reporting. Workers without a valid work permit or exemption certificate can face fines of VND15 million to VND25 million.
The same fine applies after authorization expires. Deportation and confiscation of altered, falsified, or forged papers may also follow, depending on the violation.
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The measure is Decree No. 283/2026/ND-CP. It tightens Vietnam’s labor-compliance rules for foreign workers and the businesses that employ them.
Issued on July 15, 2026, the decree takes effect on September 10. It replaces Decree No. 12/2022/ND-CP, the framework that had governed these violations since 2022.
| India | China | ROW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Oct 15, 2022 | Jul 01, 2023 | Current |
| EB-2 | Unavailable | Sep 01, 2021 | Current |
| EB-3 | Jan 01, 2014 | Jan 01, 2022 | Sep 01, 2024 |
| F-1 | Jan 22, 2020 ▲403d | Jan 22, 2020 ▲403d | Jan 22, 2020 ▲403d |
| F-2A | Aug 22, 2026 ▲31d | Aug 22, 2026 ▲31d | Aug 22, 2026 ▲31d |
The changes reach beyond immigration paperwork. They form part of a wider update covering labor, social insurance, and Vietnamese workers employed overseas under contract.
Employers therefore face new exposure of their own. Filing errors and false documents carry separate penalties.
Employers face separate fines for filings and false documents
Businesses can be fined when they fail to submit required notifications, file them late, or provide incomplete information. The notification rule applies in certain cases involving foreign workers exempt from permits or employees working for one employer in multiple centrally governed cities or provinces.
| Employer conduct | Possible fine or consequence |
|---|---|
| Failure to file required notifications | VND1 million to VND3 million |
| Late or incomplete notifications | VND1 million to VND3 million |
| Altering or falsifying application documents | VND40 million to VND60 million |
| Employing a foreigner without valid authorization in some cases | Up to VND75 million |
The document penalty covers applications for permits or exemption certificates. It adds a direct compliance risk for employers that submit altered or falsified materials.
The higher employer penalties apply to more serious violations. Some summaries of the decree report fines of up to VND75 million for employing foreigners without valid authorization.
Expired authorization can end the right to work
Foreign workers must keep their permit or exemption certificate current. Continuing to work after expiration receives the same treatment as working without authorization.
That creates a clear deadline for both sides. A worker must stop unless the document has been lawfully renewed or extended.
Employers should verify the expiration date before assigning work. They should also match the employee’s actual work locations and duties against their filings.
Document checks may become stricter after the decree starts. Authorities can confiscate forged, altered, or falsified papers and documents in qualifying cases.
The wider decree reaches labor and overseas employment
The new measure does not deal only with foreign workers in Vietnam. It also updates penalties across labor and social-insurance administration.
Some labor violations can draw fines of up to VND75 million. Overtime violations fall within that wider group in some cases.
The decree also changes limitation periods for certain violations. Labor and social-insurance violations carry a one-year period, while overseas worker violations carry a two-year period.
Vietnamese workers abroad are covered by another part of the framework. Those who illegally remain overseas after their contracts expire may face fines of VND80 million to VND100 million.
That provision concerns overseas employment. It is separate from the penalties imposed on foreign nationals working inside Vietnam.
Records should be ready before the rules begin
The compliance work falls on both employers and workers, but their responsibilities differ.
Employers should check that notifications are timely and complete. They should review permit and exemption applications for accuracy, preserve supporting documents, and confirm reporting when one employee works across multiple provinces or centrally governed cities.
Workers should check the validity of their own authorization. They should not continue working after expiration unless a renewal or lawful extension is in place.
The new enforcement approach is being positioned as a shift toward stronger deterrence in labor administration. Its first fixed milestone is September 10, 2026, when the replacement framework takes effect.
Deportation remains available as an additional sanction in qualifying foreign-worker cases. Document confiscation can accompany the financial penalties when papers have been forged, altered, or falsified.
