ABTC eligible entities in Vietnam

What is ABTC?

Pursuant to the provisions of Decision 09/2023/QD-TTg, ABTC is a card issued by the competent authority of an APEC participating economy (hereinafter referred to as participating economy) to its business people after receiving the approval for entry from other participating economies.

The ABTC has two forms: physical card and virtual card. A physical ABTC and a virtual ABTC have the same legal validity.

- Physical ABTC card is a rectangular shaped card that is printed on special materials, utilizing technology that is common to all participating economies and meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization's standards.

- Virtual ABTC is a card issued on a virtual interface through the ABTC application on a smart electronic device connected to the internet.

Vietnamese business people choose physical ABTC or virtual ABTC in their discretion.

The ABTC contains the subsequent details: portrait, full name, date of birth, sex, nationality, card number, card expiration date, signature, passport number, participating economies’ consent for entry.

Vietnamese business people issued with ABTCs are responsible for using the card in travel to engage in business cooperation, trade, investment, service activities or attend conferences, seminars and for other business purposes in participating economies; keep and preserve the card; not to arbitrarily erase, alter or falsify the form and information written on the card; not to use the card to violate the law.

Business people issued ABTCs shall observe and abide by the provisions of law on entry, exit, residence and other regulations concerning activities of business people in participating countries or territories.

If a Vietnamese business person no longer works at an agency, enterprise or organization or no longer holds the position mentioned in Article 9 of Decision 09/2023/QD-TTg, he/she shall return the ABTC to the agency, enterprise or organization.

ABTC eligible entities in Vietnam (Internet image)

ABTC eligible entities in Vietnam

Pursuant to Article 9 of Decision 09/2023/QD-TTg, ABTC eligible entities in Vietnam include:

(1) Business people working for state-owned enterprises:

- Presidents of the Board of Members, Presidents of the Board of Directors, Presidents of companies, members of the Board of Members, members of Board of Directors; General Directors, Deputy General Directors, Directors, Deputy Directors of enterprises, banks or bank branches;

- Heads, Deputy Heads of Management Boards of industrial parks, export processing zones and economic zones;

- Chief accountants, heads and deputy heads of boards, heads and deputy heads of departments in person related to business, trade, investment and service activities in enterprises; Heads of the branches of the enterprise.

(2) Presidents of the Board of Members, Presidents of the Board of Directors, Presidents of companies, General Directors, Deputy General Directors or Directors, Deputy Directors of enterprises affiliated to socio-political organizations; President, Vice President of Vietnam Federation of Trade and Industry; Heads and Deputy Heads of boards, Directors, Deputy Directors and Heads of Departments affiliated to Vietnam Federation of Trade and Industry.

(3) Vietnamese business people working for enterprises that are legally established under laws of Vietnam;

- Sole proprietors, Presidents of the Board of Members, members of the Board of Members, Presidents of the Board of Directors, members of Board of Directors; Presidents of ompanies; General Directors or Directors, Deputy General Directors or Deputy Directors of enterprises;

- President of the Board of Directors, members of Board of Directors, Directors or General Directors of cooperatives or joint cooperatives;

- Chief accountants, Directors of divisions or Managers in person related to business, trade, investment and service activities in enterprises; Heads of the branches of the enterprise.

(4) Officials and public employees responsible for attending meetings, conferences, seminars and other economic cooperation and development of APEC.

(5) Heads, deputy heads of Vietnamese trade representative offices in member states or territories of APEC.

Mai Thanh Loi

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