HCM City has made significant improvements in administrative reform to better serve overseas Vietnamese and encourage them to invest in the country.

Area for overseas Vietnamese at the Immigration Department in HCM City. The city has made significant improvements in administrative reform to better serve overseas Vietnamese and encourage them to invest in the country. — Photo sggp.gov.vn HCM CITY

The HCM City's Judicial Department, for example, has made it easier for overseas Vietnamese by working directly with them through mail.

Previously, under the law, overseas Vietnamese, foreigners working in HCM City, and overseas Vietnamese who used to be HCM City residents had to be verified at the Ministry of Public Security when applying for a criminal record card.

But now the Ministry of Public Security, National Centre for Criminal Records and Judicial Department have worked together to verify the criminal record more quickly.

Pham TrungKien, deputy head of the HCM City's Department of Investment Registration, said that registration for investment had been done online since 2014.

Overseas Vietnamese can now apply for a licence to set up a business in Viet Nam without having to prove their origin is Vietnamese.

Colonel Nguyen Van Anh, head of the Immigration Department of the HCM City Police, said that overseas Vietnamese and others who qualify could now apply for a new passport online.

However, they must submit the application at the department in person.

The issuance of Vietnamese visas has been made easier for overseas Vietnamese. They can apply for either a visa or a resident card within a few days or apply for visa-free permission. In urgent cases, applications can be processed on the same day.

To help overseas Vietnamese who reside here temporarily, hotels and guesthouses can also declare temporary residence for their customers online, rather than going directly to the police office.

The department has developed an online system connecting more than 710 hotels and guesthouses.

Tran Hoa Phuong, vice chairman of the National Committee for Overseas Vietnamese in HCM City, said every year the committee welcomed 1,000 overseas Vietnamese who visit to learn about policies related to investment, doing business, labour, residences and housing ownership.

A dialogue meeting between HCM City authorities and more than 70 overseas Vietnamese businesses who operate businesses in the city was held yesterday.

Challenges facing the businesses owned by overseas Vietnamese arise from complicated administrative procedures, unclear tariff systems, customs procedures, and gaps in the legal system.

In recent years, businesses owned by overseas Vietnamese have made great contributions to the city's socio-economic development. Last month, remittances to HCM City reached US$2.42 billion, according to the committee.

VNS