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Authenticating documents in Vietnam (American in Hanoi) 2017

 
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nomadic_meow



Joined: 07 Apr 2013
Posts: 59
Location: Vietnam

PostPosted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 7:36 am    Post subject: Authenticating documents in Vietnam (American in Hanoi) 2017 Reply with quote

I have seen some other threads about this, but they are either a few years old or for citizens of other countries, thus the reboot.

What exactly do US citizens need to bring to the US consulate in Hanoi, and what exactly do we need to get from the consulate so that the Vietnamese government will be happy and move on to the next step?

I have Vietnamese recruiters and companies trying to tell me that they want the US to "authenticate" documents. I have been through this with China too, and it is a total non-starter. The US consulate will not even give you an appointment for that. They simply say they only do authentications (they are talking about the American system!) in the US.

However, I believe people are getting embassy/consulate help in Vietnam. I need to know what exactly they are getting, which the consulate IS doing. Is it for example, a simple signed affidavit that "Yes I promise this is really a legitimate American degree I'm holding here!" I have been told the consulate can do that -- IF that is what is needed.

Now, I also have some word that it may be a notarization that the Vietnamese want. If that is the case, does Vietnam need the stamp to be on original documents? Would they take photocopies?

Or, does this vary by the province of employment location, or with the company? I did have one recruiter take my documents and promise to deliver a shorter term business visa within a couple days, no consular run on my part involved. (It fell through because their job was nothing like they promised and asking the world.)

Thank you for the help. When one more agency says 'get authenticated by the US consulate' ugh. Heh.
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nomadic_meow



Joined: 07 Apr 2013
Posts: 59
Location: Vietnam

PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, after a lot of run around, it appears all they want is an affidavit from the consulate. At least the company I'm dealing with seemed happy enough with that. Not that they really understand the process either! They also seemed to be under the illusion that the US government is actually verifying the documents themselves, which they are not. But they do understand that you pick Notary/Other to get inside the consulate for this business. Ahem.

Just whatever you do, don't ever mention the word "authenticate" to the US consulate good heavens.

The company also once suggested that my TESOL cert might have to be stamped by the consulate of its own institution's (other) country... But given that the US consulate didn't complain about stamping an affidavit for my promise it's the real deal... That issue seems to have at least gone away.

I also found that if all your documents are going to the same place, then you only need one $50 fee. Never mind what the website might appear to suggest about $50 per document/page even (or was it more like per service, which isn't much clearer)?

Met another teacher in the airport who had gone through the same whole confusing run around and was also delayed by it. Not sure who I'm more annoyed with: The US consulate who should probably have seen this misunderstanding all in English a few hundred times by now, or the companies who can't seem to learn any words besides authenticate.
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nomadic_meow



Joined: 07 Apr 2013
Posts: 59
Location: Vietnam

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have successfully obtained some affidavits at the embassy over the few months after this was posted. The webpage has been cleaned up so that there are no longer as many options when you make an appointment. That much is great. Do say "affidavit" specifically when you go.

You may still need to go through a little formal or feeler discussion at the consulate, where you tell them you're doing this for employment purposes. Some of the staff at least, appear fairly comfortable putting these together at least for Vietnamese employment purposes.

Some might still warn that this is not actually any 'US government' authentication of the documents themselves - and they are not technically guaranteeing that another country will be satisfied with this (especially if you are asking for a third country's process). In that case, I have been able to get it after repeating that this is what the employer is saying their own government process requires.
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isitts



Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Posts: 193
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you want to get your degree and background check authenticated, you do it back in the US.

For the degree, you have to take the degree to a notary public and they will notarize a photocopy of the degree. You then send that notarized copy to the Secretary of State (has to be the same state as the notary) to get it authenticated. You let them know it’s for Vietnam so they don’t put an apostille on it.

Actually, these days, notary publics may be reluctant to notarize your degree since they have no way of knowing if it’s real. So you may need to contact your university directly to work out how to notarize a copy.

For the background check, if it’s a national background check (which seems to be what job postings are asking for), get your fingerprints taken, submit them to the FBI (or a channeler, if you want the results back in a timely manner), then send the results to the Department of State (in DC) to get authenticated. Again, you let them know it’s for Vietnam so the correct authentication form is used.

The US Consulate does not perform any of these services, which is why they were giving you a hard time.
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Piscador



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

isitts, thanks for the update. I'm in the process of helping an American friend get ready for the move to VN and your post was extremely helpful.
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isitts



Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Posts: 193
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Piscador wrote:
isitts, thanks for the update. I'm in the process of helping an American friend get ready for the move to VN and your post was extremely helpful.

No problem Smile
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