On April 12, 2023, The Prime Minister issued Decision 09/2023/QD-TTg stipulating order, procedures, authority, issuance, and management of APEC business travel cards.
Accordingly, the Decision stipulates that the APEC Business Travel Card, referred to as the ABTC card, is issued by the competent authority of an APEC member economy to its business person after receiving consent to allow entry from other member economies.
The subjects that are considered for the issuance of ABTC cards to Vietnamese businessmen include:
- Businessmen working in state-owned enterprises:
+ Chairman of the Members' Council, Chairman of the Board of Directors, President of the company, members of the Members' Council, members of the Board of Directors;
+ General directors, deputy general directors, directors and deputy directors of enterprises, banks or bank branches;
- Heads and Deputy Heads of Management Boards of industrial parks, export processing zones and economic zones;
- Chief Accountant, Head of Department, Deputy Head, Head of Department, Deputy Head of Department are directly related to business, trade, investment and service activities in enterprise.
+ Head of branch of the enterprise.
- Chairman of the Members' Council, Chairman of the Board of Directors, President of the company, General Director, Deputy General Director or Directors and Deputy Directors of enterprises affiliated to socio-political organizations;
- President, Vice President of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Head, Deputy Head, Director, Deputy Director, Head of Department of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- Entrepreneurs working at enterprises legally established in accordance with Vietnamese law:
+ Owner of a private enterprise, Chairman of the Members' Council, member of the Members' Council, Chairman of the Board of Directors, member of the Board of Directors; President of the company; General Director or Director, Deputy General Director or Deputy Director of the enterprise;
+ Chairman of the Board of Directors, members of the Board of Directors, General Director or Director of cooperatives or inter-cooperatives;
+ Chief accountant, department director or department head who is directly related in business, trade, investment and service activities in enterprises; Head of the branch of the enterprise.
- Officers, civil servants, and public employees whose duty is to attend conferences, seminars, meetings, and other activities on economic cooperation and development of APEC.
- Chief representative, deputy chief representative of Vietnam's trade representative agencies in APEC member countries and territories.
Conditions to be considered for issuance of APEC business travel card, this Decision stipulates as follows:
(i) With the agency or organization where the entrepreneur is working:
There is a need to send personnel to travel frequently and short-term to attend conferences, seminars, annual meetings and activities on economic cooperation and development of APEC.
(ii) With the enterprise where the entrepreneur is working:
- The enterprise has operated continuously for 12 months or more, strictly complied with the provisions of law on trade, tax, customs, labor, social insurance and other relevant laws.
- Enterprises must have direct business cooperation and signing activities with partners of APEC member economies.
- There is a need to send personnel to travel frequently and short-term to carry out business cooperation, trade, investment, service or other economic purposes in APEC member economies.
(iii) With entrepreneurs applying for ABTCs:
- Being full 18 years old and having full civil act capacity;
- Currently working, holding actual positions at agencies, organizations or enterprises for 12 months or more up to the time of applying for permission to use ABTCs.
- Not falling into the cases of temporary suspension of exit as prescribed in Article 36 of the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese citizens.
Decision No. 09/2023/QD-TTg will take effect from July 10, 2023.
