There are nearly 10.000 foreign representative offices in Ho Chi Minh City now, and the same numbers in Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ha Noi… some have been operating since 1995 till today. Some representative offices are operating together with a subsidiary company which all belongs to the same headquarters from overseas. VIVA would like to share some information regarding typical rights and obligations of foreign Representative Office (RO) in Vietnam.
Vietnam-based representative office of foreign investors is a dependent unit, which is established under the provisions of Vietnamese law to conduct a market survey and a number of commercial promotion activities permitted by Vietnamese law.
TYPICAL BENEFITS OF REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
- With a representative office, foreign investors can set up a lawful office in Vietnam, recruit staff to manage and promote sale contracts with local business partners, research and develop products, seeking opportunities for the purchase or sale of goods and provision of services… The expatriate employees who work for representative can obtain work permit and two years multiple visa (temporary residence card) for themselves and their family in Vietnam. The license of the representative office is renewed after every two or five years. Means, you can perform your investment activities in Vietnam form of a representative office.
- Although a representative office can enhance and support a lot for business of the parent company such as it is very easy to manage and save cost and avoid risky things from local compliance procedures: No add valued tax, no corporate income tax, no accounting books, no financial statement, no independent audit required… and it is easy to shut down a representative office also. Means, operating a representative in Vietnam can help to perform your investment in the most economical option.
TYPICAL CHALLENGES OF REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
- A representative office of foreign companies is not allowed to perform profit-making activities, and their activities are limited to market research and other non-profit activities. In case you do not have sufficient information to make a decision to invest in Vietnam yet, it would be a suitable foothold in Vietnam. Generally speaking, the initial and operating cost of representative office is much lower than the cost of having a subsidiary. On the contrary, having a subsidiary in Vietnam in the form of either Joint Stock Company or Limited Liability Company is a better form of investment for an investor who intends to manufacture products in Vietnam or to conduct sales activities. As long as you follow the regulations in Vietnam, establishing a company in Vietnam gives you more flexibility in business activities.
- A representative office shall comply with labor, social insurance regulations by registering for labor use and paying monthly insurance. The compulsory payable amount of social insurance may be up to 34,5% on the salary budget. Expats working for more than 3 months shall be granted a work permit.
- A representative office shall comply with personal income tax regulations by registering tax code numbers for every staff and declaring for monthly personal income tax, preparing and submitting annual settlement reports. The personal income tax rate for none resident is 20% on the income earned inside Vietnam, for resident is from 5 to 35% on global incomes.
- A representative office shall comply with other regulations such as anti-money laundering law, other tax law, commercial law for any activity in Vietnam. In particular, the representative should collect and manage for all the business records in related to any query or question from competent authorities. After every 3 to 5 years of operations, the tax department will perform inspection procedures to verify the true, fair and lawful of each transaction…
- A representative office shall prepare and submit an annual report for the Licensing department.
- The operation term of a representative office is 5 years at maximum and can be extended.
According to the highest current local regulations:
- Commercial Law 36/2005/QH11 dated June 14, 2005 (Basic regulation)
- Decree No. 07/2016/ND-CP (Detailed regulation)
TYPICAL RIGHTS OF REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
- To operate for the purposes, within the scope and duration stipulated in the establishment licenses.
- To rent offices, rent and purchase equipment and facilities necessary for its operations.
- To recruit Vietnamese and expatriate employees to work for the office according to the provisions of Vietnamese law.
- To have seals bearing its name according to the provisions of Vietnamese law.
- To open accounts in foreign currencies or foreign currency-based Vietnam dong at banks licensed to operate in Vietnam, and to be allowed to use those accounts solely for their operations.
TYPICAL OBLIGATIONS OF REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
- Not to directly conduct profit-generating activities in Vietnam.
- To conduct commercial promotion activities within the scope permitted by this Law.
- Not to enter into contracts, not to amend or supplement contracts already entered into by foreign traders, except where chief representatives obtain valid letters of authorization from foreign traders or other special cases.
- To pay taxes, fees and charges, and fulfill other financial obligations provided for by Vietnamese law.
- To report on its operations according to Vietnamese law.
ABOUT VIVA BUSINESS CONSULTING
Who we are?
- VIVA is a business consulting company, specializes in business compliance procedures according to local business laws and regulations since 2006. VIVA has been continuously trusted by thousands of well-known clients since 2006.
- The insights and consistent backgrounds in Business Laws – Accounting and Corporate Finance – Tax Management – Labor Relations and Payroll – Secretarial services help us build trust and confidence in the entrepreneur's community.
- We have been successfully providing service for thousands of leading companies from Hong Kong, Japan, US, EU, Singapore, India, China, Korea…. in forms of FDI companies, Foreign representative offices, Foreigners working in Vietnam, Vietnamese SMEs, Chief Operation Officers.
What we do
- Services for Expats in Vietnam: Visa, Work Permit, Temporary residence card, Compulsory Insurances, Personal Income tax, Labor contracts, Employment Records and Relations, Other Secretarial Services.
- Services for Representative offices in Vietnam: Establishment, extension of representative office licenses. Required compliance procedures during operation. Rights and obligations of the chief of representative office. Closure of representative office risks management.
- Services for a company in Vietnam: Setting up a new company and licensing service. Business records management. Daily business transactions management. Tax management. Accounting and financial statements. Employments, payroll and compulsory insurances. Representative on behalf of competent state agencies for any business administration procedures.
Motivated by our core values of ceaseless improvement, our great insights in local business culture and regulations, as well as the exclusive services, promise to offer you one-stop and tailored-made solutions that optimize every of your business in Vietnam in the lawful manner.
We are looking to be your valued business partner and resources in Vietnam as we have been choosing since 2006.
VIVA not only manage business required procedures by laws but firstly places client’s compliance and good standing, in the optimal methods when offering any solution, and integrated with our intensive resources that allow us to prevent most of the risks in advance, create more benefits, advantages and business inspiration for entrepreneurs.
The insights and consistent backgrounds in Business Laws – Accounting and Corporate Finance – Tax Management – Labor Relations and Payroll – Serectarial and consistent with our exclusive standard operation processes, consisting of consultation – implementation – pratice operation help us fully protect client interests as one-stop solution.
YOU WILL RECEIVE
- An email and a phone call from us
- A copy of our Confidentiality Commitment
- An appointment with our experts
- A suitable solution for your concern
“If you ask any successful businessperson, they will always have had a great mentor at some point along the road.”
Read more:
- Foreign representative offices in Vietnam: what you need to know
- Setting up a foreign representative office in Vietnam: what you need to know
- Foreign invested company (FDI) or representative office: which form of business for you in Vietnam?
- Foreign representative office in Vietnam: the required compliances that you need to know
- Operating representative office in Vietnam: manage your 08 compliance procedures
- Bank accounts for foreign representative office in Vietnam
- License of representative office in Vietnam: what you should keep in mind?
- Headquarter locations of a company or rep office in Vietnam: 09 key things you shall keep in mind
- Annual budget and running cost of representative office in Vietnam
- Tax management foreign representative offices in Vietnam
- Representative offices in Vietnam: business records management
- Annual operation reports for foreign representative offices
- Risk management on representative office operation in Vietnam
- Manage employment relations in Vietnam
- Foreign representative office: managing and recruiting Vietnamese employees
- Chief of representative office or head of branch in Vietnam: roles and responsibilities
- Foreign representative office: cashbook and lawful invoices for tax inspection
- How to closure a foreign representative office in Vietnam: tax final settlement and tax completion certificate
- Cases and how to shutdown a foreign representative office in Vietnam: required papers and condition
- Representative office or subsidiary or branch? How to transform business models in Vietnam
