Tax policies for overseas Vietnamese’s moveable property

Question (Phạm Minh Trí, Germany): I am living and working in Germany, still holding a valid Vietnamese passport and nationality. I want to repatriate, with my household effects, including kitchen utensils, hand drill, power-saw, bicycle and other used tools. Do I have to pay tax for the property? I do not have to comply with repatriation procedures at the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in Germany, so how can I show the Vietnamese customs office that I will reside in Việt Nam permanently and is allowed to bring in my belongings without paying tax?

Answer:

According to Point 1.2.3, Section I, Part D of Circular 59/2007/TT-BTC issued by the Ministry of Finance on June 14, 2007 instructing the enforcement of import/export tax and the tax management of exports/imports, all the moveable personal property of overseas Vietnamese individuals and their families who are allowed to settle in Việt Nam is exempted from import tax.

Procedures for tax exemption in this case are as follows:

1. Fill and hand over customs declaration;

2. Present vouchers in customs file;

3. Send the duty-free property to the stipulated places for checking

Based on the regulations on duty-free subjects and the tax exemption papers, tax payers themselves fill and submit their customs declarations to the customs office.

Upon arriving in Việt Nam, tax payers must present one of the following papers to the customs office: (a) Vietnamese passport (or the like certified by the border-gate immigration office); or (b) any paper proving their Vietnamese nationality, granted by competent bodies; together with the permission of permanent residence in Việt Nam.