This FDI company setup checklist is designed for foreign investors and their in-house teams who need a practical, sequenced view of what actually happens when establishing a company in Vietnam. Rather than a generic overview, this FDI company setup checklist walks through the structure decision, capital contribution, IRC/ERC licensing, work permits and tax registration in the order regulators expect to see them, so nothing is missed and no step is started out of sequence.

Why use this FDI company setup checklist

Most delays in Vietnam market entry come from sequencing errors rather than missing documents, and this FDI company setup checklist was built specifically to prevent that. It reflects current practice under Vietnam’s Law on Investment and Law on Enterprises, and cross-references the requirements published on the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) portal so foreign investors can verify each step against the official source before filing.

FDI company setup checklist Vietnam
Free download · Updated July 2026

15 Things to Prepare Before Setting Up an FDI Company in Vietnam

A pre-filing checklist for foreign investors, built from the questions our team answers most often when international groups license their first Vietnamese entity. Four pages, no fluff, current to the 2026 framework.

What is inside

  • Structure and market access Confirming your business lines are actually open, choosing the holding jurisdiction so the best treaty applies, and selecting the entity type you will not need to convert later.
  • Capital and banking Sizing total investment capital against charter capital, statutory minimums by sector, the direct investment capital account, and the 90-day contribution deadline.
  • Licensing and documents Consular legalisation lead times, the sub-licences that dictate your structure, lease documentation the authority will ask for, and when investment policy approval applies.
  • People and mobility Work permits under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, sizing a founder’s personal shareholding for the investor visa tier, and the legal representative structure.
  • Tax and ongoing compliance Intercompany agreements before the first invoice, incentive value under the global minimum tax, and the compliance calendar from day one.
Why it matters. Where this checklist is completed before filing, an ordinary project licenses in six to ten weeks. Where it is not, the same project typically takes three to four months and often needs an amendment within the first year. The variance is preparation, not authority discretion.

Reflects the 2026 framework

Decree 96/2026/ND-CP guiding the Law on Investment, Decree 219/2025/ND-CP on foreign employees, Decree 236/2025/ND-CP on the global minimum top-up tax, and Decree 20/2025/ND-CP amending the transfer pricing regime. For the underlying detail see our guides on the IRC and ERC procedure, total investment capital, the DICA account and work permits for foreign executives.

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    What this FDI company setup checklist covers

    The full FDI company setup checklist is organized into five stages: choosing the right investment structure, meeting the registered capital requirement for your sector, preparing the Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) and Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC) application file, opening the capital account and completing bank formalities, and registering for tax and social insurance once the company is incorporated. Each stage in the checklist lists the specific documents regulators typically request, the government agency responsible for review, and the realistic processing timeline based on current practice.

    Because sector-specific conditions can change the sequence and documentation required, we recommend treating this FDI company setup checklist as a planning tool rather than a final legal opinion, and confirming any conditional business line requirements with counsel before filing.