“Thank you very much for your esteemed support throughout the process. I truly appreciate your assistance.”
Nationality error on the Social Insurance book fixed before filing
Client now back in India · March 2026
One-time Social Insurance claim service for foreigners in Vietnam
Leaving Vietnam in the next few months? Claim your Social Insurance before you fly.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certifiedMember of I-GLOCAL Group, 20+ years in Vietnam
Can you claim? Check in 3 questions
Answer three quick questions to see whether now is the right time to start your one-time Social Insurance claim.
1
Are you still in Vietnam?
2
When does your contract or work permit end?
3
How long have you paid Social Insurance?
One-time Social Insurance calculator for foreigners
Enter when you started and stopped paying, plus your insured salary, to see your estimated one-time Social Insurance amount.
Only contributions from January 2022 count for foreign employees. Months before that are not paid out.
Choose a period and enter your salary to see the estimate
Common misunderstandings that cost time and money
I will sort it out after I fly home.
Once you leave, the authorization must be notarized at a Vietnamese embassy and some cases can no longer be claimed. Sign it before you fly.
It is one form, I can file it myself.
The file needs a notarized passport copy, termination papers, your Social Insurance book and an authorization. One missing item sends it back.
The money should arrive within a few days.
Preparing the file takes 1 to 2 weeks, then the authority needs about 4 to 6 weeks to pay out.
The rules are the same as a few years ago.
Claims now follow the Law on Social Insurance 2024 (No. 41/2024/QH15). terra prepares your file under the current rules.
How terra reduces the risk of a rejected Social Insurance claim
terra knows the law, gets every document right and deals with the authority for you. Start before you leave Vietnam and the claim runs smoother.
Compliant and correctly documented
Files are prepared under the Law on Social Insurance 2024 (No. 41/2024/QH15), right the first time.
You authorize terra to act for you
You sign one legal authorization. terra files and follows up with the authority for you.
By legal authorizationClear, transparent pricing
10% of the amount you receive, minimum VND 15 million before VAT. VND 10 million at signing, the rest after you are paid.
Service fee charged after you are paidMultilingual support
The authorization and every document come in Vietnamese, English or Japanese.
3 languages: Vietnamese, English and JapaneseWhat clients said after their claim
“Thank you and the team once again for all your help and support throughout the process.”
Original documents kept safe and handed over after the move
Client relocating to Thailand · May 2026
“Thank you all for your help. I have recommended you to a friend.”
Referred a friend after the claim
Expat client · 2026
Let terra experts assess your Social Insurance claim
Fill in your details. A terra consultant replies within one business day with the next steps and a fee quote for your case.
Contact us directly
Ho Chi Minh City office:+84 28 7102 0608 ext 101
Hanoi office:+84 28 7102 0608 ext 201
Email:info@vina-payroll.com
Send us your situation
How it works: 4 simple steps
From your first message to the money in your account. terra does the paperwork, you sign once.
- 11 to 3 days
Talk to a consultant
Send your details. We review your situation and quote the fee for your case.
- 21 to 2 weeks
Sign and check eligibility
Sign the contract and the authorization. We check eligibility and prepare your file.
- 32 to 3 weeks
terra files for you
We file at the Social Insurance office and handle every follow up. You get updates by email.
- 4About 1 week
You get paid
The money reaches your account. Only then is the rest of the fee charged.
Leaving in the next two months? Read the 60-day plan
Frequently asked questions
Start before you fly. Once you have left Vietnam, the authorization must be notarized at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, every follow up takes weeks longer, and terra may not be able to take on the case. If you have already left, message us with your details and we will tell you honestly whether your claim can still go ahead.
The main documents: passport (notarized copy), an expired work permit or contract termination decision, your Social Insurance book, and a valid authorization letter to terra. Additional documents may be required depending on your situation. terra will guide you in detail after the eligibility consultation.
The actual total time from when terra receives a complete file to when the Social Insurance is paid into your account is usually 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the Social Insurance authority's processing. terra provides regular status updates by email.
The service fee is 10% of the one-time Social Insurance amount you receive, with a minimum of VND 15 million. It is paid in two stages, both set out in the service contract.
When you sign the contract, you pay the first VND 10 million of the fee. This covers the eligibility review, preparing and completing your file, guiding the notarization of your authorization, and filing and following up with the Social Insurance authority.
After the Social Insurance payment reaches your account, terra invoices the balance of the fee.
All amounts are quoted before VAT. The service contract states the rate applicable on the date of signing.
For example, on a withdrawal of VND 200 million the fee is VND 20 million before VAT: VND 10 million at signing and VND 10 million after the payout. On a withdrawal of VND 100 million, the minimum fee of VND 15 million applies. Use the estimator at the top of this page to see the gross amount you can expect before fees.
If the claim does not succeed, you pay only the VND 10 million paid at signing and terra charges nothing further.
Get a fee quote for your case
When you sign the contract, you pay the first VND 10 million of the fee. This covers the eligibility review, preparing and completing your file, guiding the notarization of your authorization, and filing and following up with the Social Insurance authority.
After the Social Insurance payment reaches your account, terra invoices the balance of the fee.
All amounts are quoted before VAT. The service contract states the rate applicable on the date of signing.
For example, on a withdrawal of VND 200 million the fee is VND 20 million before VAT: VND 10 million at signing and VND 10 million after the payout. On a withdrawal of VND 100 million, the minimum fee of VND 15 million applies. Use the estimator at the top of this page to see the gross amount you can expect before fees.
If the claim does not succeed, you pay only the VND 10 million paid at signing and terra charges nothing further.
Get a fee quote for your case
terra has a team of experts supporting Vietnamese, English and Japanese. Every stage of the process, from consultation and contract signing to progress updates, can be done in the language you choose.
No. A one-time Social Insurance withdrawal is a personal financial benefit and does not affect your visa or work permit if you return to work in Vietnam in the future. However, if you return and contribute again, you start a new contribution period from zero.
The balance of the fee never arises if the claim does not succeed, because it is invoiced only after the Social Insurance payment has reached your account.
The VND 10 million paid at signing is not refundable, because it covers work already carried out: the eligibility review, preparing your file, and dealing directly with the Social Insurance authority.
So if your application is rejected because the eligibility requirements are not met, your total cost stops at VND 10 million plus VAT. This is set out in the service contract.Service contract commitment
The VND 10 million paid at signing is not refundable, because it covers work already carried out: the eligibility review, preparing your file, and dealing directly with the Social Insurance authority.
So if your application is rejected because the eligibility requirements are not met, your total cost stops at VND 10 million plus VAT. This is set out in the service contract.Service contract commitment
terra provides a standard authorization template. You sign and notarize it at the Vietnamese embassy in the country where you currently live, or notarize it in Vietnam before leaving. The authorization template is available in Vietnamese, English and Japanese.
One-time Social Insurance withdrawal for foreigners in Vietnam is the lump-sum refund of the retirement and survivorship contributions a foreign employee paid while working under a Vietnamese labour contract. You can claim it as soon as the contract ends or the work permit expires without renewal, you do not have to wait 12 months, and you do not have to have left the country. The amount is about 2 months of your average insured salary for every year contributed from 1 January 2022, the Social Insurance authority must decide within 7 working days of a complete file, and the payment is exempt from personal income tax. Since 1 July 2025 the rules sit in the Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15 and Decree 158/2025/ND-CP, which have replaced Decree 143/2018/ND-CP, so many older guides online are no longer accurate. This page summarises eligibility, the formula, the documents, the filing routes, the timeline and the fees under the current law, with lessons from the 100+ files terra has handled.
Social insurance for foreigners in Vietnam: the quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Can a foreigner withdraw Social Insurance in Vietnam? | Yes. Under Article 70, Clause 2, point dd of the 2024 Law, a foreign employee can claim once the labour contract ends or the work permit expires without renewal. |
| Do I have to wait 12 months after leaving my job? | No. The 12-month wait applies to Vietnamese employees only. You can file as soon as your former employer closes your Social Insurance book. |
| How much will I get back? | 2 months of your average insured monthly salary for each year contributed from 1 January 2022. The 2014 date in general guides applies to Vietnamese employees, not to foreigners. Insured salary is capped at VND 50.6 million from 1 July 2026. |
| How long does it take? | 7 working days by law once the file is complete (Article 79, Clause 3). 4 to 6 weeks end to end in practice, because most of the time goes into closing the book and collecting documents. |
| What documents do I need? | Closed Social Insurance book, Form 14-HSB, passport (certified copy with Vietnamese translation if a representative files), proof the contract ended, power of attorney if someone files for you, bank details. |
| Can I still claim after I have left Vietnam? | Yes, through an authorised representative. The power of attorney then needs consular legalisation, so the process is slower and costs more than signing it in Vietnam before you fly. |
Who can withdraw one-time Social Insurance as a foreigner in Vietnam
Under point dd, clause 2, Article 70 of the 2024 Social Insurance Law, a foreign employee who has stopped participating in compulsory Social Insurance can claim the one-time payment on request in either of two situations:
- The labour contract with the Vietnamese employer has ended.
- The work permit, practising certificate or practising licence has expired and is not renewed.
The general cases also apply: reaching retirement age with fewer than 15 years of contributions, meeting the pension conditions but no longer residing in Vietnam, or suffering from cancer, polio, decompensated cirrhosis, severe tuberculosis, AIDS or a working-capacity reduction of 81% or more.
The right belongs to anyone who was compulsorily insured: foreign nationals working in Vietnam under a labour contract of 12 months or more, with a work permit, practising certificate or practising licence issued by a Vietnamese authority. Intra-company transferees whose entire salary is paid by the foreign parent, and employees who had already reached Vietnamese retirement age when they signed, were never enrolled, so there is nothing to claim.
The condition most people get wrong is the trigger. It is the end of the contract, not the date you leave the country. If you move straight to another employer in Vietnam, your contributions continue and no claim is possible yet. If you leave Vietnam without filing, the right survives, but you move onto the slower route described below.
One rule cuts the number for foreign employees specifically: contributions by foreigners only count towards the retirement and survivorship fund from 1 January 2022. If you worked in Vietnam before that date, the earlier contributions to the sickness, maternity and occupational accident funds are not added to your one-time payment, however long you were here.
How to calculate one-time Social Insurance for foreigners
The benefit is based on your average monthly salary declared for Social Insurance and the number of years contributed:
- Each year contributed from 1 January 2022: 2 months of the average declared salary. The 2014 date quoted in general guides applies to Vietnamese employees, not to foreign employees.
- Odd months from 1 to 6 count as half a year; from 7 to 11 count as a full year.
- Fewer than 12 months contributed: the payment equals the amount paid into the retirement and survivorship fund, capped at 2 months of the average salary.
The salary used for Social Insurance is capped at 20 times the reference wage: VND 46.8 million per month until 30 June 2026, and VND 50.6 million from 1 July 2026 after Decree 161/2026/ND-CP raised the base salary to VND 2.53 million. If you earn more, the calculation still uses the cap.
Worked example. Contributions from March 2023 to May 2026 on a declared salary of VND 40 million per month. That is 39 months, rounded to 3.5 years. The one-time payment is 2 x 40 million x 3.5 = VND 280 million. After terra’s fee (10% with a minimum of VND 15 million, before VAT, so VND 28 million here) about VND 252 million is left. The same person on a contract salary of VND 80 million would still be calculated on the capped insured salary.
Estimate from the salary your employer declared to the Social Insurance authority, not from your gross pay. For many expats the declared figure is lower than the contract salary and is capped. Ask HR for your contribution statements, then enter your own figures in the estimator at the top of this page.
The one-time Social Insurance payment is exempt from personal income tax (PIT), so the amount decided by the authority is received in full without tax withheld. If you also need to finalise PIT before leaving, terra handles both in the same file.
Documents for a foreigner’s one-time Social Insurance claim
Article 78 of the Law keeps the statutory file short: the Social Insurance book and a written request from the employee. In practice the office also wants proof that the contract ended and, where a representative files, the authorisation. Under Decision 2222/QD-BHXH of 29 July 2025, which replaced Decision 166, the complete set is:
| Document | Notes from terra’s files |
|---|---|
| Social Insurance book, closed by your former employer | The most common cause of delay. Ask for it in writing before your last day; from 2026 many books are electronic and identified by your Social Insurance number. |
| Claim form 14-HSB | In Vietnamese. terra completes it for you. |
| Passport | Original when you file in person; notarised copy with Vietnamese translation when a representative files. Name and date of birth must match the book exactly. |
| Proof the contract ended or the work permit expired | Termination decision, mutual termination agreement or the expired permit. |
| Power of attorney (Form 13-HSB) or notarised authorisation contract | Only if you will not file and collect the money in person. Signed in Vietnam it takes one notary visit; signed abroad it needs consular legalisation. |
| Bank account details | A Vietnamese account is simplest. Keep it open until the money has landed. |
Files submitted through a representative are checked more carefully, because the authority is tightening control over misuse of authorisations. Pledging, selling or “lending” a Social Insurance book is illegal; services that offer to buy your book leave you with nothing and a legal problem.
Where to file and how long the Social Insurance withdrawal takes
A complete file goes to the Social Insurance office of the province where your employer registered you. There are three routes: in person at the office or the Public Administrative Service Centre, by registered post, or online through the National Public Service Portal. The online route requires a Vietnamese level-2 electronic identity, which most foreign employees do not hold, so in practice the choice is between filing in person and filing through a representative.
Once the file is complete, the Social Insurance authority must decide within 7 working days and must reply in writing with reasons if it refuses (Article 79, Clause 3). The 4 to 6 weeks quoted on this page is the end-to-end time from engaging terra to money in your account. Most of it is spent chasing the former employer for the closed book and, where needed, the notary and translation, not waiting for the authority.
terra’s 4-step process
Step 1: Eligibility check and estimate
You send your contribution period, declared salary and planned last working day. A terra specialist checks your eligibility, looks up your contribution history and tells you the estimated amount and timeline before you sign anything.
Step 2: Closing the Social Insurance book with the former employer
The employer must report your departure and confirm your contribution period after the contract ends. terra guides the former employer’s HR team where needed so the file does not stall here. If the company has been dissolved, terra handles the separate procedure with the Social Insurance office.
Step 3: Signing the service contract and the power of attorney
You sign the contract and notarise the power of attorney to terra while you are still in Vietnam. This is the most important step for anyone about to leave: it takes about half a day, but once you have left, the document must be consular-legalised at a Vietnamese mission abroad, which is slower and more expensive.
Step 4: Filing, follow-up and payment
terra files the claim, handles any request for additional documents and updates you by email. The one-time payment is transferred to the bank account you registered, even if you are already abroad.
Before you leave Vietnam: the 60-day plan
Every step is faster and cheaper while you are still in the country. Work backwards from your flight: confirm eligibility and estimate the amount (day 60 to 45), ask HR in writing to close the book (day 45 to 30), sign the authorisation at a notary in Vietnam and keep one bank account open (day 30 to 14), then file or hand the folder to your representative (day 14 to 0). If you have less than two months, read the 60-day plan for claiming Social Insurance before leaving Vietnam for what to do at each milestone, including what still works when your flight is in two weeks.
Service fees: what terra charges and what doing it yourself costs
| Item | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| First payment | VND 10 million, before VAT, deducted from the service fee | When you sign the service contract |
| Balance of the service fee | 10% of the one-time Social Insurance amount you receive, minimum VND 15 million, less the VND 10 million already paid, before VAT | Only after the money has reached your account |
| If the claim is refused because you are not eligible | Only the VND 10 million paid at signing | Nothing further is charged |
Doing it yourself costs notary and translation fees, usually under VND 2 million, plus your time at the office. It works well if you will still be in Vietnam when the money arrives, you read Vietnamese or have someone who does, and your employer cooperates. Use a service when any one of those three is missing. Nothing is added outside the contract.
Common mistakes that delay a foreigner’s Social Insurance refund in Vietnam
- Leaving before the book is closed and with no one authorised to collect it.
- Closing the Vietnamese bank account on the last day. The payment lands in a Vietnamese account; keep one open.
- Signing the power of attorney abroad when one notary visit in Vietnam would have done.
- Name or date-of-birth mismatch between passport and Social Insurance book, often after a passport renewal. Fix it before filing.
- Estimating from gross salary instead of the declared, capped insured salary, then being disappointed by the decision.
- Multiple Social Insurance numbers from different employers that were never merged.
Frequently asked questions about Social Insurance for foreigners
Can I claim while I am still in Vietnam and still on my visa?
Yes. Eligibility starts when the labour contract ends or the work permit expires without renewal. Your visa or residence card status does not matter, and filing while you are still here is the fastest route.
Can the claim be filed online?
The online route on the public service portal requires a level-2 Vietnamese electronic identity, which most foreigners do not have. In practice the file is submitted at the Social Insurance office in person or through an authorised representative.
Does my passport need to be translated and notarised?
If you file in person, the original passport is enough. If a representative files, the office needs a notarised copy with a certified Vietnamese translation. terra arranges both.
How long until the money is in my account?
7 working days from a complete file by law. Counting the time to close the book, notarise documents and answer any query from the office, plan for 4 to 6 weeks.
Is the one-time Social Insurance payment taxed?
No. It is exempt from personal income tax, so you receive the full amount decided by the authority.
My former employer is slow, has closed down or will not close my book. What can I do?
Employers are obliged to confirm the contribution period when the contract ends. terra works directly with the former employer’s HR team and, if needed, helps you send a written request that gives you grounds to follow up. If the company has been dissolved, the book can be closed through the Social Insurance office in a separate procedure.
Do contributions before 2022 count?
No. Foreign employees only started contributing to the retirement and survivorship fund on 1 January 2022, and only that fund is refunded. Years in Vietnam before 2022 do not add to the lump sum.
I have lost my Social Insurance book or have two Social Insurance numbers. Is the claim still possible?
Yes. The book can be reissued and duplicate numbers merged before filing. Both add time, so raise them at the eligibility check.
Why terra
terra is a member of I-GLOCAL, a Japanese consulting group with more than 20 years of experience supporting foreign-invested companies in Vietnam. The terra team has completed more than 100 one-time Social Insurance files for foreign employees and knows the working style of each Social Insurance office and the additional documents they commonly request.
- Support in English, Vietnamese and Japanese throughout the process.
- Files are checked before submission to reduce the risk of rejection.
- Regular progress updates, even after you have left Vietnam.
- Published fees, with nothing added outside the contract.
Send your details for terra to check your estimate your one-time Social Insurance amount
