Payslips: what it is, why it matters, how to obtain it

Specimen: a Vietnamese payslip (bảng lương)

How to prepare your payslips for a Vietnam purchase

⏱ A few days to about two weeks, done in parallel with the rest of your proof-of-funds file

1. 1

   Gather a consecutive run of recent payslips

   ⏱ 1–3 days◈ Usually free

   Download or request your most recent payslips from payroll, HR or your employer's self-service portal — most lenders and banks want 3 to 6 consecutive months, not a single slip, so they can see stable, verifiable income rather than a one-off figure. Self-employed buyers, company owners and freelancers should not try to fabricate an equivalent payslip; substitute company financials, tax returns and an accountant's income letter instead.

   DocumentsEmployee ID or payroll login · Recent bank statements for cross-checking

   ⚠A single payslip, or a run with gaps, reads as unverifiable income to most banks — request a full consecutive set from the start.

   → mortgage advisory
2. 2

   Confirm exactly how many months and what format are needed

   ⏱ Same day◈ No direct cost

   Ask your home-country lender, the receiving Vietnamese bank, the developer or your lawyer precisely how many consecutive months they want, and whether they need the original payroll-system export or a signed and stamped paper copy. Requirements differ between a mortgage application, a bank's proof-of-funds review and a TRC financial-means file — confirm before you request copies.

   ⚠Submitting two months when six consecutive months were expected is one of the most common reasons an income file is sent back.

   → mortgage advisory
3. 3

   Ask payroll or accounting to certify and stamp them if required

   ⏱ 2–5 business days◈ Usually free

   A bank or lender in Vietnam typically wants each payslip to carry an explicit certification clause from the accounting or HR department confirming the figures, plus the company's chop (seal) and a signature — a bare export of numbers without certification is often rejected. If your employer's standard payslip lacks this, ask payroll to issue a stamped, signed version instead.

   DocumentsPayroll export or payslip template · Company chop / signature

   ⚠An unsigned, unstamped printout — even if the figures are accurate — is routinely treated as unverifiable by Vietnamese banks and developers.

   → accounting
4. 4

   Translate and notarise them for local use

   ⏱ 2–5 business days◈ €40–€120 (≈ VND 1.1–3.2 million)

   If your payslips will be filed with a Vietnamese bank, developer, lawyer or immigration office, have the set rendered into Vietnamese by a certified translator and notarised — the same requirement that applies to any foreign-language paperwork used locally. The original-language payslips alone are rarely accepted on their own by a Vietnamese counterparty.

   DocumentsOriginal payslips (3–6 months) · Certified Vietnamese translation

   ⚠Translating before your lender or receiving bank has confirmed the exact number of months risks paying for it twice if they later ask for a longer run.

   → notary
5. 5

   Package them with the rest of your income and funds file

   ⏱ Immediate◈ Included above

   Submit your payslips alongside your employment contract, bank statements and bank certificate as one coherent income and proof-of-funds pack, with net pay figures that reconcile against the credits on your bank statement — lenders and Vietnamese banks alike process a complete, internally consistent file faster than scattered documents.

   ⚠Net pay that does not match the amounts actually credited to your bank account is one of the fastest ways to trigger extra scrutiny — reconcile the two before you submit.

   → mortgage advisory

Accountants who verify income files for a Hanoi purchase

Frequently asked questions

Sources