Setting Up an FDI Company in Vietnam
Want to own and run your company in Vietnam under your own name instead of relying on a local nominee? A foreign-invested (FDI) company lets you do exactly that, legally. Here is the full process — from IRC and ERC through to a company that is up and running — and InTimeVisa handles all of it for you.
What are the IRC and ERC?
Foreign investors usually need two licenses: the IRC — the Investment Registration Certificate, and the ERC — the Enterprise Registration Certificate. The IRC records the investment project; the ERC gives birth to the company as a legal entity.
Since 1 July 2025, investment registration and enterprise registration applications are filed at the Department of Finance (Sở Tài chính) — the authority that took over this function after the merger, no longer the former Department of Planning and Investment.
The main steps
- Pre-check: confirm the business lines are open to foreign investors (some sectors are conditional or cap foreign ownership) and advise on the right structure and charter capital
- Apply for the IRC: prepare and file the investment dossier at the Department of Finance (Sở Tài chính)
- Apply for the ERC: incorporate the company once the IRC is granted
- Post-licensing: company seal, tax code, bank account, direct investment capital account (DICA), and any sub-licenses your sector requires
Capital and timeline
Vietnam sets no general minimum capital across all sectors, but charter capital must match the scale of the project, and some sectors have their own conditions on capital or foreign ownership. Once the ERC is issued, the charter capital must be contributed within 90 days through the direct investment capital account (DICA).
On timing: by law, the IRC takes about 15 working days and the ERC about 3 working days. In practice the full process usually takes from a few weeks to more than a month, owing to document legalization and rounds of supplementary filings — we shorten that by getting the paperwork right from the very start.
Ready to set up your FDI company?
Get a quote →Before filing, we vet your business lines and structure to avoid a rejection at the investment stage, then handle the whole process and any sub-licenses afterward. Your financial documents are kept confidential. The quote is free and no-obligation — you only pay when you agree. InTimeVisa is a private consulting firm, not a government agency, and is not affiliated with the Vietnamese government.