Visa exemption issuance shortened to 1 working day

The Government agreed to streamline procedures in seven areas: press, privileges and immunities, international conferences and seminars, bilateral cooperation and research activities, visa exemption, immigration, and notarization.

A key change is the reduction of processing time for visa exemption certificates at Vietnamese representative offices abroad, from two working days down to just one. In addition, applicants for visas will be allowed to submit documents via postal services, not only directly in person.

In the press sector, procedures for establishing permanent offices of foreign media in Vietnam, assigning correspondents to other provinces, and licensing foreign reporters who are not based in Vietnam will all see shorter processing times. These procedures will also be available online via the National Public Service Portal.

For notarization, the time limit to authenticate the legality of contracts and transactions will be cut from a maximum of two working days to within 24 hours. For complex contracts, the deadline will be shortened from 10 working days to six.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also allow the use of digital signatures and digital seals when submitting applications for diplomatic and official passports at domestic agencies, aiming to make the process faster, more transparent, and more convenient.