Experience letter attestation by Ministry of Foreign Affairs

You'll prolly need to get those experience certificates verified (attested) by a competent authority before taking those docs to MoFA for MFA legalization.

Please check this site/page. 
http://mofa.gov.pk/ (Consular Affairs --> Experience Certificates)
They say ...

Engineering Diplomas, certificates, experience certificates are required to be attested from Pakistan Engineering Council, Islamabad.

Usually MFA puts their stamp on a doc ONLY after it is authenticated/attested by a competent Govt. body.

Hope this info helps. 

Thank you @Senwl,

PEC (Pakistan Engineering Council)  does n't have the authority to notarize/legalize the Experience Letters issued  Software Companies or Software Houses  in Pakistan. 

PEC main statutory functions include registration of engineers, consulting engineers, constructors/operators and accreditation of engineering programmes offered by universities/institutions, ensuring and managing of continuing professional development, assisting the Federal Government as Think Tank, establishing standards for engineering products and services besides safeguarding the interest of its members.
PEC interacts with the Government by participating in Commissions, Committees and Advisory Bodies. PEC is a fully representative body of the engineering community in the country.

Is there any other option senwl available ?  Any advice

Thanks,

Just to add 1 more point,

I also have Police Clearance Certificate of my home country, which is also a requirement for Work Permit. This can be attested by MoFA.

The only problem is 3 years work experience notarization.

Is there a solution for this ?

Please advice,

Well, there must be a way out because IT industry is predominantly a private sector and people are getting their experience certificates attested and legalized.

Get in touch with your previous employers, they may be able to guide you on that.

In most countries there are some agencies who provide legalization/apostille services  (e.g. VFS.Global in India). I am sure in Pakistan too you have a few such agencies.

You can ask a question on Pakistan forum to get some leads.

As for VN work permit, yes you need at least 3 yrs of experience in a relevant field.

Thank you dear,

Yes you are correct. Mostly, more than 90%, Software Companies in India and Pakistan are owned by private sector.

You made a good point here. I will try to consult agencies who offer attestation/notarization services and hope that they will give me some solution.

Can my Masters Degree be considered as a valid qualification or replacement for work experience ?

Is there any other possibility to convince the VN authorities about validity of my work experience ?

Regards,

Dear Senwl,

I called couple of agencies which are offering attestation/notarization services here in Pakistan and they were not sure about it that MoFA will attest such the Experience Letters. Most probably MoFA wont attest it, in their opinion.

Secondly, as an alternate, if I get it attested by an Authorized Government Official or Notary public, then would it be acceptable for VN embassy ?

Regards,

mtariqkhan wrote:

.

Can my Masters Degree be considered as a valid qualification or replacement for work experience ?

Is there any other possibility to convince the VN authorities about validity of my work experience ?

Regards,

These days they are very strict (and getting stricter) about foreign document legalization.
In the past you could just get your docs attested by your embassy in VN and the Labour Dept. would accept that.
Now even the embassies (of many countries) refuse to "take responsibility" to attest a document originating in their home country. They are asking candidates to get everything legalized through the VN embassy in their home country ... exactly what you are doing over there in Pakistan.

Your Master Degree is definitely a welcome qualification but not a replacement for 3-yr experience (minimum), especially when you are going to work in the industry.

Why would they allow your Vietnamese employer to hire a foreigner (you) instead of an equally  qualified and experienced local, unless that foreigner has some special expertise in that field ... and, as we all know, expertise comes from hands-on industry experience. Hence that mandatory requirement.

All the best!

mtariqkhan wrote:

Secondly, as an alternate, if I get it attested by an Authorized Government Official or Notary public, then would it be acceptable for VN embassy ?

Only the VN embassy in Pakistan can answer that question.
Their policies regarding acceptance of foreign documents vary from country to country.

Why would they allow your Vietnamese employer to hire a foreigner (you) instead of an equally  qualified and experienced local, unless that foreigner has some special expertise in that field ... and, as we all know, expertise comes from hands-on industry experience. Hence that mandatory requirement.

1 clarification here, The employer is actually German operating in Vietnam. 

Ya, I agree that company will only hire someone from abroad if they don't find the suitable candidate in the country. Besides Programming and Software Development, I have Training experience also which they need and this combination is not locally available. I am hoping that my employer will try to convince VN authorities on this.

I am trying my best to sort out this issue.

Thank you very much Senwl for you help and support.

Hope that everything would resolve smoothly.

Regards,

Also, ask your employer if a direct reference letter (statement of employment) from your former employer/s can help in this case.
I know in the past it used to work. Now, not sure.
Since your (German) employer is a foreign investor in Vietnam they may have certain influence on the local authorities to justify why they want to hire a foreigner (you) whom they deem competent and skilled for a certain position in VN.
Good luck!

The Statement of Employment is also same as Experience Letter. 

Can this letter make any difference ? Is there any significant difference between these ?


Regards,

mtariqkhan wrote:

The Statement of Employment is also same as Experience Letter. 

Can this letter make any difference ? Is there any significant difference between these ?

Essentially they are the same.
Many employers want to get a fresh Ref. Letter/ Stmt. of Empt. from the former employer, usually sent directly to them by mail/courier.
Make sure the document clearly mentions the exact dates (from - to), duration of employment, name of the company, a very brief statement about the company's service/s, country of employment, your name, DoB, ID, nationality and designation/role .... with a company seal and signature.
Statement of Employment is a formal HR document that usually covers most (if not all) of the aforementioned particulars.
The Labour Dept. is quite picky about these particulars. That's what a VN lawyer once told me.

That's great help Senwl,

I will keep your mentioned points in mind and try my best to overcome this hindrance.

Thanks a lot Senwl for your great help once again.


Regards,

Sir if solve your problem about experience letter can you tell me bcoz me also verified to experience letter in ministry of foreign affairs

The problem with the remaining five communist authorities in the world is that they often ask for documentations that no other countries in the world have any idea about. A classic example is your case.

If any job requirements are too difficult to meet, it is a sign that the employer or the host country does not want to hire you. You are well qualified and have lot of experience in your field. Look some where else, You may be better off there. Good luck.

Dear all,

I'm a psychologist from Serbia starting to work in Hanoi and I'm also facing the same problem with the Experience letter. If Anyone found a way to cope with that, please let me know.

Tnx in advance!

My all experience certificate attested by embassy.but my salary is very less.not based on experience. I am recruited by moh,ksa as a staff nurse,what I will do.

Libhero wrote:

The problem with the remaining five communist authorities in the world is that they often ask for documentations that no other countries in the world have any idea about. A classic example is your case.

If any job requirements are too difficult to meet, it is a sign that the employer or the host country does not want to hire you. You are well qualified and have lot of experience in your field. Look some where else, You may be better off there. Good luck.

Hi Libhero,
I agree with the first part and but with second.
I think its not the employer who is not interested in hiring but the host country can make it too difficult.
As in my case, my employer waited for 5 months to complete all the documentations. Maybe I am lucky

Man Ray 1993 wrote:

Dear all,

I'm a psychologist from Serbia starting to work in Hanoi and I'm also facing the same problem with the Experience letter. If Anyone found a way to cope with that, please let me know.

Tnx in advance!

Hi Man Ray,
Is there any government department/ministry in Serbia responsible for attestation??
Are you still facing the problem or has it been resolved.

Saravanaselvi wrote:

My all experience certificate attested by embassy.but my salary is very less.not based on experience. I am recruited by moh,ksa as a staff nurse,what I will do.

Saravanaselvi,

What is MOH?
If your experience letters are attested by Embassy then it should be accepted by Government of Saudia Arabia.
has your problem been resolved ?

mtariqkhan wrote:

What is MOH?

Just guessing but since people are talking about a nursing job, maybe Ministry of Health?

Hi Tariq,

I wish and hope you got through the cumbersome process and received your work permit.

I'm almost exactly in the same situation as yours. Experience from private software company which is required to be attested by MOFA so as to be provided to my South Korean sponsor for visa processing.

If you could please guide me on how to get it done, it'd be great.

Thanks in advance,

Usmankhan_717 wrote:

Hi Tariq,

I wish and hope you got through the cumbersome process and received your work permit.

I'm almost exactly in the same situation as yours. Experience from private software company which is required to be attested by MOFA so as to be provided to my South Korean sponsor for visa processing.

If you could please guide me on how to get it done, it'd be great.

Thanks in advance,

Curious, I thought labour law states that professional from overseas can be hired by foreign company or Vietnamese company ... So I guess it depends on what does or doesn't  qualify someone as professional.

I also see you have Korean sponsor.. so you will work for Korean company here ??? If that's the case you are technically exempt from work permit rules.

Are you sure you have been given correct information?

Usmankhan_717 wrote:

Hi Tariq,

I wish and hope you got through the cumbersome process and received your work permit.

I'm almost exactly in the same situation as yours. Experience from private software company which is required to be attested by MOFA so as to be provided to my South Korean sponsor for visa processing.

If you could please guide me on how to get it done, it'd be great.

Thanks in advance,

I've never gone through this but it sounds backwards to me.

I was recently in discussions with a company in Danang about working for them doing voice overs in English for a Vietnamese app for children.

They told me that after they received information back from the government, they would prepare an experience letter for me and I would submit it to the company where I had experience.

I would then give the completed letter back to them and they would submit it.

I'm only mentioning it here because my contact with their company is a lawyer who has a position with another company doing immigration processing for expert employees.

(Everything got shut down with covid-19 lockdown, so I may be picking this back up sometime in the future since I could do the work from anywhere, not just in Danang)

Usman has discussed his matter in detail with me.
I have answered his queries and he is well satisfied. He has to follow the necessary procedure which is defined by the government to legalize his documents.

It is important for a professional to get his documents (Educational and Experience Letters) stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and only then foreign authorities can accept that and provide work permit.

Hope this would help other readers as well.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Usmankhan_717 wrote:

Hi Tariq,

I wish and hope you got through the cumbersome process and received your work permit.

I'm almost exactly in the same situation as yours. Experience from private software company which is required to be attested by MOFA so as to be provided to my South Korean sponsor for visa processing.

If you could please guide me on how to get it done, it'd be great.

Thanks in advance,

I've never gone through this but it sounds backwards to me.

I was recently in discussions with a company in Danang about working for them doing voice overs in English for a Vietnamese app for children.

They told me that after they received information back from the government, they would prepare an experience letter for me and I would submit it to the company where I had experience.

I would then give the completed letter back to them and they would submit it.

I'm only mentioning it here because my contact with their company is a lawyer who has a position with another company doing immigration processing for expert employees.

(Everything got shut down with covid-19 lockdown, so I may be picking this back up sometime in the future since I could do the work from anywhere, not just in Danang)

OB how long have you been here ? I assumed you was part of the local population now 😀

This Korean sponsor letter thing.. I ever about two years ago some guy on Facebook or some agent offer similar to me, can write letter myself and have someone in authority certify.. then he would have charged me to have it legalised or something in Korea.. I'll have to have a look if I still have the details

Jlgarbutt wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Usmankhan_717 wrote:

Hi Tariq,

I wish and hope you got through the cumbersome process and received your work permit.

I'm almost exactly in the same situation as yours. Experience from private software company which is required to be attested by MOFA so as to be provided to my South Korean sponsor for visa processing.

If you could please guide me on how to get it done, it'd be great.

Thanks in advance,

I've never gone through this but it sounds backwards to me.

I was recently in discussions with a company in Danang about working for them doing voice overs in English for a Vietnamese app for children.

They told me that after they received information back from the government, they would prepare an experience letter for me and I would submit it to the company where I had experience.

I would then give the completed letter back to them and they would submit it.

I'm only mentioning it here because my contact with their company is a lawyer who has a position with another company doing immigration processing for expert employees.

(Everything got shut down with covid-19 lockdown, so I may be picking this back up sometime in the future since I could do the work from anywhere, not just in Danang)

OB how long have you been here ? I assumed you was part of the local population now 😀

Over two years now.

I continually explore music business opportunities here, and except for 9 months in Vũng Tàu (going back & forth to HCMC) I've been pretty transient.

The opportunity with the app company would qualify me for a TRC, so I'm hoping we resume talks soon.

TRC is the way to go, VEC was easier at the time but couldn't use it because of border closure.

If the voice over is for an app.. you could play the system, have the person you are dealing with advertise the task on freelancer or one of the other homework remote working sites. You simply apply and done. Freelancer is based overseas so effectively you become a digital nomad

Jlgarbutt wrote:

TRC is the way to go, VEC was easier at the time but couldn't use it because of border closure.

If the voice over is for an app.. you could play the system, have the person you are dealing with advertise the task on freelancer or one of the other homework remote working sites. You simply apply and done. Freelancer is based overseas so effectively you become a digital nomad

Actually the only reason that I'm interested in this position is because I want the TRC.

I don't really need the income, but I'll take it.

It would defeat my purposes to avoid making this a legal employment position.

I was offered voice over work once (not in VN) in advertising.  I didn't bother as it was basically a one day job.  I am wondering how doing voice overs for an app could justify continued employment and a TRC, or are you as was suggested "play[ing] the system.".

Ahhh I if the app invoice overs for something like a language tutoring app.. could easily make that last.

I think if you get creative then there has to be a way round it

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Ahhh I if the app invoice overs for something like a language tutoring app.. could easily make that last.

I think if you get creative then there has to be a way round it

But I don't want to get creative.

I seriously didn't want to get involved with anything that had deadlines and where I wasn't the person in charge of the creative process.

But a friend in Danang knew about this company through the owner, and when he told her that he needed an English-speaking person to do voice overs she thought about me.

It would definitely be a lot of steady work because it's a very dynamic app for children with new material being added all the time to keep it up-to-date, and it's a new idea for them to go through their entire catalog and have an English language version of every story in addition to other lessons.

So I would not only be working on new material but I would be going back through everything they've already done and providing an English version.

I went ahead and met with them and then I made a demo based on a story that they already had and they really loved my work.

They asked me what sort of reimbursement I would require and I told them that the most important thing to me would be the ability to be legally hired in order to receive a TRC.

They don't have a problem with that, and it's totally legal because they immediately started talking to the government about what would be required to establish me as an expert.

It was right about that time that the lockdown happened in Danang and everything ceased to go forward, because the government was putting off responding to them until after the lockdown.

I sort of guessed it woukd be for english tuition style affair
Now just have to wait until later ?

At least its a step in the right direction

Hey Tariq,

I'm almost exactly in the same situation as your was. I have 4.5  years Experience  in telecom private company in Pakistan which I have to attest it by MOFA so that I can get Chinese  working visa. I am currently in china and I got job offer now my company need my attested experience letter.

If you could please guide me on how to get it done, it'd be great.

Thanks in advance,
Regards:
Malik

Hi Malik,

I went through the process recently.

It required me to get a letter having a particular format acceptable by MOFA.
=> It had to be under the company's letterhead
=> To be addressed to To whom it may concern
=> Had to have the To and From date of employment
=> To be attested by relevant government entity*
=> After then it was attested by MOFA.

The point marked with * is a bit tricky.
You can connect with me via linkedIn if you wish, i may be able to guide you better had you have any confusion.

Goodluck!

Hi bro
I need your help too. I'm stuck in similar state. Can you help me. I have fulfilled everything and the only thing I am stuckn in is the Mofa attestation of my experience letters and the companies are private.

My whatsapp number is
***

Awaiting

Thank you Usman ( @Usmankhan_717 ) for your guidance.

All points are ok but did you find any solution regarding attestation from government authority? Especially for IT professionals ?

Which government authority can attest such experience letter issued by private companies ?
Have you got your letter attested? If yes, then how?

It's a big issue and many people are suffering from this.

Hi Sami2K4,

Unfortunately, this issue still exists. A lot of people are facing this issue. I have tried to convey this problem to MOFA officials but I don't think they will be able to resolve it soon.

Can you please explain your case in a bit of detail please, like
- Which country you got the  job from?
- How many experience letter you have?
- Would you have to go through the protector stamping process also?

I am trying my best to contact as many officials of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and convey this problem to them so that they could solve this issue as soon as possible.

I will also send you a private message to discuss some details.



Regards,
   Muhammad