How Much Does It Cost to Set Up an FDI Company in Vietnam?
There is no single sticker price for setting up a foreign-invested (FDI) company in Vietnam — the total depends on your sector, your capital, and how many of your documents need legalizing. Rather than quote a number that would not fit your case, we break the cost into the parts that actually make it up, so you can see where your money goes before you commit.
Capital: how much you must commit
Capital is not a fee you pay to anyone — it is your own money that goes into the company and stays there to fund the business. But it is the first cost you need to plan for, because the amount is not entirely your choice.
Capital requirements must be checked for the exact activity and project. IRC assessment includes financial capacity and any applicable investment-per-area and workforce requirements. Charter capital need not equal project investment capital; we check the dossier against the applicable requirements before filing.
LLC members or owners contribute charter capital within 90 days of the ERC, excluding time for transport, import and ownership-transfer procedures for contributed assets. Joint-stock company shareholders pay within 90 days or a shorter period in the charter or subscription agreement, with the asset-related exclusions in Article 113(1). Project-capital schedules in the IRC are checked separately. The capital-account type depends on the investment structure, IRC requirement and transaction, rather than ownership percentage alone. An enterprise formed with a foreign investor and required to obtain an IRC falls under Article 3(2)(a) of Circular 06/2019/TT-NHNN. For enterprises under point (b), the current threshold is more than 50% under Article 11(3) of Circular 03/2025/TT-NHNN.
Registration and state fees
For a newly formed LLC or joint-stock company with a foreign investor carrying out a project requiring an IRC, the IRC records the project and the ERC registers the enterprise; the company acquires legal personality when its ERC is issued. Capital contributions and acquisitions of shares or interests follow separate rules and do not automatically require a new IRC. The IRC dossier goes to the competent investment registration authority under Article 27 of the Investment Law. Generally, the management board handles projects within industrial, export-processing, hi-tech, concentrated digital technology or economic zones, and the Department of Finance handles projects outside zones. Multi-province projects, projects inside and outside zones, zones without a board, and dossiers requiring investment policy approval have specific filing rules; we identify the authority for your project. The ERC is issued by the business registration authority under the Department of Finance; addresses in a hi-tech park fall under its management board (Article 20(1), Decree 168/2025/NĐ-CP, as amended by Decree 296/2026/NĐ-CP).
The state fees themselves are modest and can vary by province and by how your business is structured. They also include small mandatory items such as publishing the company's registration information. We set these out line by line so nothing is a surprise.
Document legalization and translation
From 11 September 2026, public documents covered by the Convention from countries where it applies with Vietnam use Apostille, subject to applicable exemptions or rules requiring no certification. Documents outside its scope or between countries without a Convention relationship are assessed under consular certification/legalization rules and exemptions. Foreign-language ERC documents require a Vietnamese translation with the translator’s signature certified under Article 10(2) of Decree 168/2025/NĐ-CP as amended by Article 19(1) of Decree 296/2026/NĐ-CP; IRC documents follow Article 5 of Decree 96/2026/NĐ-CP.
The cost therefore scales with how many documents you have, which country issued them, and whether an individual or a corporate investor is behind the project. A single individual investor has far less to legalize than an overseas parent company setting up a subsidiary.
Office, seal and post-licensing set-up
The company needs a registered office in Vietnam with an identifiable contact address. Before choosing leased or serviced premises, check the right to use the location, its permitted use and the requirements for the activity and project. After the ERC, we check the case-specific tax and invoicing duties, bank and capital accounts, capital contributions, business conditions and seal arrangements. The enterprise number is also its tax number; the enterprise determines its seal type, including a carved seal or digital signature under Article 43 of the Enterprise Law. The requirements and timing depend on the case.
- After the ERC, we check the case-specific tax and invoicing duties, bank and capital accounts, capital contributions, business conditions and seal arrangements. The enterprise number is also its tax number; the enterprise determines its seal type, including a carved seal or digital signature under Article 43 of the Enterprise Law. The requirements and timing depend on the case.
- The capital-account type depends on the investment structure, IRC requirement and transaction, rather than ownership percentage alone. An enterprise formed with a foreign investor and required to obtain an IRC falls under Article 3(2)(a) of Circular 06/2019/TT-NHNN. For enterprises under point (b), the current threshold is more than 50% under Article 11(3) of Circular 03/2025/TT-NHNN.
- Some activities are subject to business conditions. These may require a license, certificate, professional credential, confirmation or approval, or compliance without a written confirmation. We check the exact activity and the conditions to meet and maintain when operating.
Timeline — and why it affects cost
For projects requiring no investment policy approval and meeting Article 39(3) of Decree 96/2026/NĐ-CP, the IRC is issued within 10 working days of receipt of a valid dossier. For a project requiring an IRC with simultaneous investment policy and investor approval, the authority issues the IRC within 5 working days of receiving the decision (Article 38(1)(a)). For an approved project with an auction or tender winner, or investor approval under Article 23(3), the 5 working days run from receipt of the application letter; an economic-zone board approval under Article 38(3) is issued together with the IRC. The special investment procedure applies only to projects within Article 28 of the Investment Law: 15 working days from receipt of the dossier under Decree 96, Article 47(5)(b). ERC: 3 working days from receipt of a valid dossier under Enterprise Law Article 26(5). Preparation, authentication and supplementary documents take additional time; the overall estimate is assessed for your file.
Delays usually come from legalization and rounds of supplementary requests — and each round can add translation and administrative cost. Getting the paperwork right the first time is the single biggest way to keep both the timeline and the bill down.
How we quote it
Because every case is different, we do not publish a fixed price. We review your sector, your investor profile and your documents first, then give you one fixed quote that lays out each component above. You see the full picture before anything begins, and you only pay once you accept.
Sources
Want to know what your FDI company will cost?
We map every cost component to your specific case and give you a single fixed quote up front — no obligation, and you only pay once you accept. Your financial documents stay confidential. InTimeVisa is a private consulting firm, not a government agency, and is not affiliated with the Vietnamese government; the investment and licensing authorities make all final decisions.