In recent years, Vietnam is a promising market with a large population and an abundant source of cheap labor. Therefore, more and more foreign investors have the desire to enter the Vietnamese market for production and business. Setting Up Representative Office in Vietnam is one of the investment forms to enter the Vietnamese market chosen by many investors. The following are detailed instructions on how to Set Up a Representative Office in Vietnam.
1. Three basic Steps to set up Representative Office in Vietnam
Step 01: Applying for the LFE
In Vietnam, step to Set Up Representative Office in Vietnam, you firstly need to submit the RO establishment dossier to the Industrial and Trade Portal in the city where your RO is placed.
Step 02: Making the seal of Representative Office and conducting the seal specimen registration at competent authority).
Step 03: Conducting the application for the tax code of the Representative Office.
2. Required documents
- Copy of the Business Certificate or equivalent documents of the foreign company; legalized by Vietnamese Consular in your country; translated into Vietnamese and certified in accordance with Vietnamese law.
If the Business Certificate does not contain all information of the foreign company (Name; address; Certificate number; especially Business line, including services the Company provide, etc.); the Memorandum and Article of the Company must be provided. translated into Vietnamese and certified in accordance with Vietnamese law and legalized by Vietnamese Consular in your country.
- An appointing letter of the head of the Representative Office in Vietnam; translated into Vietnamese and certified in accordance with Vietnamese law).
- The audited Financial Report of the last fiscal year; translated into Vietnamese and certified in accordance with Vietnamese law).
- Copies of the passport or ID card (for Vietnamese) or copies of the passport (for foreigners) of the head of the representative office; translated into Vietnamese and certified in accordance with Vietnamese law).
- Detailed documents on the expected location of the representative office including:
– The MOU (Memorandum of understanding) / leasing agreements or documents as proof of the right to use a location as the RO; Certified copies – translated into Vietnamese and certified in accordance with Vietnamese law).
– In case you sign a leasing agreement with a lessor to use an office, Certificate of Land Use Rights or other certified copy of the document proving the ownership of this; certified in accordance with Vietnamese law and translated into Vietnamese).
- Power of Attorney (we shall provide you the form), translated into Vietnamese and certified in accordance with Vietnamese law and legalized by Vietnamese Consular in your country.
For example, a UK company wants to set up Representative Office in Vietnam, to use their documents in Viet Nam, each document must be legalized by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office / the Department of Foreign/Legalization Offices in the UK Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man), and then, legalized by the Embassy of Vietnam in the UK.
So, they shall have to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to legalese your document first.
And then, for legalization at the Embassy of Viet Nam, submitting in person or by post to the Consular Section with the following documents:
- Legalization Application Form.
- Documents with ORIGINAL apostille stamp (original or copy).
- Documents with apostille stamp (copy).
- A self-addressed envelope (in case you want your documents to be returned by post).
- Legalization fees:
Please email at consular@vietnamembassy.org.uk for details.
3. Our scope of works
Step 1: Applying for the LFE include – Our service fee: 500 USD
- Reviewing your information, is it possible for R.O in Vietnam or not?
- Consulting the business field of R.O.
- Draft all dossiers for opening R.O in Vietnam.
- Appling the application and dossiers Department of Industry and Trade (DIT)
- Follow up the application and response to DIT (if any)
- Receiving and send the License for Establishment of representative office from DIT and send it to you.
Step 2: Tax registration: Our service fee (50 USD) – you can do it by yourself
- Draft dossiers for registering Tax code in the Tax Department.
- Applying the application for registering Tax code.
- Receiving and delivering the result of tax registration.
Step 3: Making the seal of Representative Office and conducting the seal specimen registration at competent authority)
- Draft dossiers for registering seal specimens
- Applying the application to the Police Department
- Receiving and delivering the Seal to you
Above are our detailed advice related to the documents to be prepared for the current establishment Representative Office in Vietnam. For assistance with legal procedures related to foreign investment, business, intellectual property, etc., do not hesitate to contact our legal specialist.