Vietnam Immigration declaration to be abolished

In order to create favorable conditions for foreigners travel to Vietnam, the Prime Minister has agreed to abolish the immigration declaration for all passengers when they do procedures of entry and exit at Vietnam’s international airports since September 15, 2010.

The Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security has officially announced that: from September 15, 2010, all passengers  travel to Vietnam don’t have to fulfill the immigration declaration form when they do procedures of entry and exit at the border gates which have been equipped with reading-passport machines and networked computers. At the rest border gates will clear the immigration declaration when meet the above conditions. Ministry of Public Security has issued new immigration declaration form in order to apply at the border gates which are managed by the Ministry of National Defense but have not been equipped with reading-passport machines, networked computers.

The Prime Minister has also assigned the Ministry of National Defense to preside and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Public Security to urgently equip reading-passport machines, networked computers and so on for the border gates which are managed by the Ministry of National Defense. In addition, Ministry of Finance has issued its own declaration form according to the management requests when the immigration declaration is cleared at the border gates.

Vietnam Immigration Department

Vietnam Immigration Department is the official organization granting your Vietnam visa. The following is the necessary information about Vietnam Immigration Department:
Address:
Vietnam Immigration Department (A18)
40A, Hang Bai Street, Ha Noi, Vietnam.

Working hours:
Morning: 8 am – 11 am
Afternoon: 1:30 pm – 4 pm
Monday to Friday and Saturday morning

Numbers for querying:

+ (04).8264026: about entry and exit Vietnam, residing of foreigners in Vietnam, repatriating of Vietnam citizens living abroad.

+ (04).8260922: about entry and exit of Vietnam citizens

+ (04).9345609: administration procedures

+ (04).8257941: about entry and exit at Vietnam borders and other related issues.

South Korea: Visa rules eased for 11 South Asia countries

The government will ease visa regulations for tourists from 11 South Asian countries from April 1 to attract more visitors.
Under the more lenient new rules, tourist visa applicants from the countries will be required to submit fewer documents to prove their economic and employment status, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.
At the same time, groups of tourists can receive visas without submitting personal documents separately if local tour agencies can guarantee their status as a whole.
It will also be less complicated to apply for “double-entry” visas, which allow tourists to enter the country a second time within six months for either tourism or a brief visit between overseas trips.
They are currently issued only to very wealthy people and valid for one year, according to the ministry.
The validity of the double-entry visas will be extended to three years, if they earn over $10,000 a year, are a pension recipient, have a profession such as journalist or doctor, hold a Korean university diploma or have a family member living in Korea as a migrant husband or wife.
“The move aims to attract more tourists from South Asian countries that already account for a large portion of the international tourists here,” said Kim Do-kyun, official from the Ministry of Justice. “We’ll gradually ease other visa regulations to encourage more international tourists under more convenient terms.”
The 11 countries are Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh.
The number of tourists from these nations has steadily been increasing, recording 357,932 last year, up 21.1 percent from the previous year.
The ministry, however, will monitor to see if illegal migrants take advantage of the eased regulations.
“We first amended the visa rules for the Chinese last year and we concluded there has been no major problem such as an influx of illegal migrants. We hope the new visa rules for the 11 countries will also work well without creating any trouble,” Kim said.
Source: http://www.vietnamvisabooking.com 

Work Permit Information for working in Vietnam

Requirements to Work in Vietnam

Information on Work permits for Vietnam is now essential because it's illegal to work without one. But I have never met anyone who's had any trouble and NONE of them have ever held a valid work permit.
But I tied to get it. I went through the process and I hope what ever work permit information I know is of help.

There is a grace period that can be up to a year. If anyone asks you, just say:
"It's in Process." And you'll be fine.
If you choose to work in Vietnam then try to find a good source of work permit information.
Most schools will force you through the long, tedious, almost ridiculous process of obtaining a work permit. And yet, they have little to no good work permit information to offer you.
Even if they have any work permit information on Vietnam, it's often flawed.
I went full out to get a work permit and got deep into the process. But, having the work permit information for Vietnam I have now, and looking back, I would never have started the process in the first place.
Changing places of work is common in Vietnam. When I begin a new job with a new school, I now outright refuse to get a work permit.
They always ask and always insist that their work permit information is reliable. But it never is and they always hire me despite my refusal to get a work permit.
So don't be railroaded by them. If they can, they'll have you working for free.

How to get a work permit for Vietnam

You Need:

• Proof that You've been Living in Vietnam for 6 or more Months

You pay a 20% rate of tax on all your income if you have been in the country less than 6 months. More on taxes later.
The work permit information package that you can get at the tax office will give you all the details. But what incentive to report your earnings if you are just going to have to pay the government 20% of it?
So, I never told them I had worked the previous 6 months. I said that I had been touring around Vietnam.
As you can see, you will be on your own in getting the necessary documents for your work permit application. Just writing this page excites me when I think back to the joyous tribulations of getting my own work permit.

• A Health Check performed at a hospital in Vietnam by a pre-approved Doctor

This will cost about $57USD and you should be issued the documents the same day. You will get a list of hospitals and the approved doctors you need to see from your school.
If they don't even have that work permit information, change schools.

• A Criminal Check Done in Vietnam at the Central Police Headquarters

They want to see that you've not committed ANY crimes during your previous 6 months in the country. All the forms you'll have to fill out are only in Vietnamese language.
Take someone with you who speaks the language and is willing to help you. Sometimes the school will send someone along with you. Ask them and if they say no, change schools.
The criminal check will cost you about $10USD. You will be required to produce an original Proof of Residency Document.
This document is held by your landlord or hotel owner and is a record kept with police and recorded in a book held by whoever owns the property you are renting.
All residents; foreign or local, must keep the police apprised of their whereabouts at all times. Photocopies are not accepted. You will have to borrow the original book from your landlord and take it to the central Police Headquarters.
And the landlord won't be happy about that and will outright refuse if he does not have the proper permits to rent to a foreign national. Lots of fun in a barrel of joy!
Sounds complicated? I'm just getting started!

• A Criminal Check done in Your Home Country

For some nationalities this is a long and tedious process. For others it is almost impossible.
If you are a Canadian with the right work permit information then all you have to do is get fingerprinting done and send the application off to the police station nearest your most recent address.
Processing time is 6-8 months and the cost was $70CAN Dollars about 10 months ago or the last time I inquired (Including tax and fingerprinting services).
For Americans, you have to fly back to your home country as they will not issue this document without you personally present!
I've heard recently that the U.S. government has implemented something to make this process easier. I believe that you can now hand over power of attorney to a relative and have them pick it up and forward it to you via the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam.

Apply Vietnam visa online: http://vietnamvisabooking.com/apply.html