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Police Clearance Certificate.


Mekong
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OK Update,

 

Ckrisg I am sorted now but a colleague of mine needs some assistance PM Sent.

 

Having spent more than 20 years of dealing with numerous Thai Government departments I thought I had seen it all, nothing could be worse, how wrong I was welcome to Vietnam.

 

Being the good citizen that I am (sic!) I complied with the requirements and landed in VN last October with a nice shiny Police Clearance in my hand, Valid for 6 months and I thought "Here we go" NO.

 

What I was not told was that I was on a few months probation for the position I am working, for the Vietnamese to admit that they need outside assistance is a loss of face since the Socialist Republic is at the forefront of all knowledge and knows it all allegedly. I am used to jumping through hoops so a few more did not concern me too much. Eventually I got the signature I needed for Work Permit application, not so much as a signature but a "Chop" the stamp from the Socialist Republic representative, they admitted they needed the silly old fool who is me.

 

Applied for Work Permit early April still had 28 days validity left on my Thai Police Clearance Certificate and was then told "No Good Needs to be Valid for 1 Calendar Month" so rather than go ballistic I just asked "so now what?" to which I was told "you now need a Vietnamese police clearance certificate" so the whole process started over again. As i said many years of dealing with Thai bureaucracy has taught me "Jai Yen" and go with the flow, bite ones tongue.

 

Eventually after 9 months of hoop jumping, doing somersaults and being tickled on the stomach I got my "Giay Phep Lao Dong" (Work Permit) ironically it has embossed on the front of it "Independence-Freedom-Happiness" WTF far from it.

 

Next is my TRC (Temporary Residence Card) should only take another week, it is a Credit Card / ATM Card / Driving Licence sized piece of plastic, flash that at Noi Bai International Airport and no stamps required in my passport. ASEAN open borders starts Jan 1 2015 and even I as a non ASEAN passport carrying person having a residency card from an ASEAN member country allows me unrestricted travel to all ASEAN member countries without a time constraint.

 

Working / Living in Vietnam may not be every bodies cup of Tea, but for me it beats the Middle East (for many reasons) and Europe (taxed to high heaven), the wife can flit back and forth between VN and TH as she pleases and she does an she is now spending more time in VN than TH, she comes here to kick my butt.

 

I have stated before and will say again ASEAN is going to happen and any expat should jump in at the start to take advantage, personally i don't like being here so much but one put up with the crap and takes the $$$

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Cav,

 

In Thailand one requires three things, Non-Imm O (Marriage) or Non-Imm B Visa, Work Permit and Re Entry permit.Visa's and re entry permits take up pages in ones passport plus more stamps every time one exits and returns to Thailand. I like the concept of carrying a card and no more stamps in the passport required

 

Farang in ASEAN has not been tested yet since the rules only kick in 1 Jan 2015 and interesting times ahead, maybe I will be one of the guinea pigs who will test it out.

 

Once I get my TRC then I can get one for the wife, save her the hassle of getting visa when here for over 30 days at a time.

 

As I said the process of getting TRC is a pain in the arse, they don't come free with a box of Kellogs Corn Flakes, the majority of foreigners in Vietnam who apply for one give up after 6 months or so, less than 20% of expats in Vietnam have TRC. I never planned to come to VN, it sort of happened but being the industrial whore that I am I never turn down money, and believe me there is $$$ to be made here and it sure beats the Middle East.

 

I admit I have led a charmed life, an easy go lucky existence for over 30 years of which the past 23 have been based in Thailand, a few months ago when I turned 50 I asked myself the question "Do I want to be doing this in 15 years time?" An emphatic NO was my answer so now work my butt off and hopefully get out of the rat race within the next 10 years.

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  • 2 weeks later...

...a few months ago when I turned 50 I asked myself the question "Do I want to be doing this in 15 years time?" An emphatic NO was my answer so now work my butt off and hopefully get out of the rat race within the next 10 years.

 

How is your liver doing? I was under the impression (based on your posts some months ago) that you only had a few yrs to live because of a liver problem. Your post here sounds like you are planning on living into old age,

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