United States
Miami, FLHouston, TXDallas–Fort Worth, TXAtlanta, GABoston, MASeattle, WALos Angeles, CASan Diego, CAWashington, DCApostille for Vietnam: The Embassy Step Is Gone
Most people who need an apostille for Vietnam are putting together a work permit — very often to teach — and have been handed a checklist that says every US document must be legalized by the Embassy of Vietnam. Until September 2026 that was right. Vietnam deposited its accession to the 1961 Apostille Convention on 31 December 2025, and after the treaty's waiting period it took effect on 11 September 2026, making Viet Nam the Convention's 129th contracting party. The checklist is now describing a process that no longer applies.
Embassy legalization versus the apostille: what changed
Legalization was a chain. Each office certified the signature of the office before it, and the Vietnamese Embassy's stamp at the end was the only part Vietnam itself recognized — so a mistake at any link sent the document back to the start. An apostille collapses the chain into one certificate that every Convention member accepts directly. For the longer explanation of the two systems, see apostille vs. authentication.
| Step | Before 11 Sep 2026 | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Notarize (private documents only) | Required for anything not issued by a government office | Still required — an apostille certifies a public signature, and the notary's is that signature |
| State authentication | Certificate of authentication from the Secretary of State | Replaced by the apostille itself, from the same office |
| U.S. Department of State | Authentication certificate on top of the state's, for most documents | Only for federal documents such as the FBI check, and it issues the apostille |
| Embassy or consulate of Vietnam | Legalization stamp, paid by money order, returned by mail | Gone. No Vietnamese mission in the United States is involved |
Under the old rules federal records, including the FBI check, skipped the notary and state steps and went straight from the U.S. Department of State to the Embassy. They still go to the Department of State — it simply issues an apostille now instead of an authentication certificate addressed to an embassy.
Which authority apostilles your document
| Your document | Apostille issued by | With us |
|---|---|---|
| FBI Identity History Summary (background check) | U.S. Department of State, Washington DC | $179 flat |
| University diploma or transcript | Secretary of State of the state where the school is, usually after a notary or the registrar certifies the copy | Quoted from $300 |
| Birth, marriage, divorce or death certificate | Secretary of State of the state that issued it | Quoted from $300 |
| Notarized documents — power of attorney, affidavit, employer reference letter | Notarized first, then the Secretary of State of the notary's state | Quoted from $300 |
Government fees are included in both figures. State-issued documents are quoted rather than sold at a flat rate because the issuing state and the certification step in front of the apostille move the real cost. Add $119 if the finished document has to reach you in Vietnam rather than a US address.
An apostille for a Vietnam work permit
A work permit file typically holds a criminal record check from your home country and proof of your qualifications — for teachers, the degree. For an American that splits across the state/federal line: the FBI background check is a federal record and is apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, while the degree is a state-level document and is apostilled by the Secretary of State where the school is. Running both lanes at once rather than one after the other is what keeps the file on schedule.
Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, which governs foreign workers, requires foreign documents in the application to be consularly legalized unless a treaty Vietnam shares with the issuing country exempts them. The Apostille Convention is that treaty, which is why the embassy step fell away without the decree itself changing. The same decree requires a Vietnamese translation, certified under Vietnamese law — the apostille does not replace it, and your employer can tell you who arranges it. Employers commonly ask for a background check issued within the last six months, so check the date your employer will accept before ordering. If you have already been living in Vietnam, ask whether the labor office wants a Vietnamese criminal record certificate instead; that one is issued in Vietnam and involves no US apostille at all.
Where to go next
For how the FBI check moves through the U.S. Department of State, and how long that takes, see the FBI background check apostille page. For degrees, see diploma and transcript apostilles; for vital records, see birth certificates. If you have not obtained the background check itself yet, that comes first and you can order it at FederalBackgroundCheck.com; if you are already in Vietnam, read getting an FBI check from abroad.
Three switchover mistakes we are already seeing
Paying for legalization that is no longer needed. Some services still sell the embassy chain for Vietnam. It costs more, takes longer, and adds a stamp nobody in Vietnam asks for any more.
Sending a state document to Washington. The U.S. Department of State apostilles federal records only. A diploma or a birth certificate sent there comes back unprocessed — the single most common delay in a Vietnam file.
Assuming every country now accepts Vietnam's apostilles. Germany, Austria and Czechia objected to Vietnam's accession, so between Vietnam and those three countries legalization still applies. The United States did not object; between the US and Vietnam the apostille works in both directions.
Holding a document issued in Vietnam?
Then this is the wrong direction and no US office can help you. Vietnam apostilles its own public documents: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority, and apostilles are issued by its Consular Department in Hanoi and by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs. Each carries a QR code that can be checked on the Ministry's online e-Register. We do not sell that service, and pointing you straight at it saves you a week.
Vietnam apostille FAQ
Is Vietnam a Hague Apostille Convention country?+
Yes, since 11 September 2026. Viet Nam deposited its instrument of accession on 31 December 2025, becoming the 129th contracting party, and the Convention entered into force for it on 11 September 2026. From that date a US public document needs one apostille for use in Vietnam and no longer goes to a Vietnamese embassy or consulate.
Do I still need the Vietnamese Embassy to legalize my US documents?+
No. Embassy legalization was the process for countries outside the Convention, and Vietnam is no longer outside it. The apostille issued in the United States is the whole authentication. Guides and even employer checklists written before September 2026 still describe the embassy step — they are out of date, not wrong about the past.
Who issues the apostille for an FBI background check going to Vietnam?+
The U.S. Department of State in Washington DC, because the FBI Identity History Summary is a federal record. No state office can apostille it. That is the document almost every Vietnam work permit file contains, and it is the one we apostille at a flat price.
Who issues the apostille for my university degree?+
The Secretary of State of the state where the school is located, not the federal government. Most states want the diploma or a copy of it certified first, by a notary or by the registrar, before they will attach the apostille. We handle that step as part of the quote.
My documents were legalized by the Vietnamese Embassy before 11 September. Do I have to redo them?+
Generally no — a document that completed the full legalization chain under the old rules was properly authenticated when it was done. Ask the office in Vietnam that will receive it before paying for a second authentication; that office decides what it accepts.
Do I need a Vietnamese translation?+
For a work permit, yes. Decree 219/2025/ND-CP requires foreign documents in the file to be translated into Vietnamese and the translation certified under Vietnamese law. The apostille does not replace the translation — ask your employer who arranges it, because it is usually done in Vietnam.
Which countries objected to Vietnam joining, and does it matter to me?+
Germany, Austria and Czechia lodged objections, so the apostille does not operate between Vietnam and those three countries and their documents still need legalization. The United States did not object, so a US apostille is accepted in Vietnam and a Vietnamese apostille is accepted in the US.
My document was issued in Vietnam. Can you apostille it?+
No — no US office can. A Vietnamese public document is apostilled in Vietnam, by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi or the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs. Vietnamese apostilles carry a QR code that can be checked on the Ministry's online e-Register.
Federal Apostille™ is a private, independent courier and document-processing service. We are not affiliated with the FBI, the U.S. Department of State, the government of Vietnam, the Embassy of Vietnam, or any government agency. Requirements are summarized from the sources linked above and can change — confirm anything decision-critical with the office that asked you for the document.