Page 345 - Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

3. Each Party shall, upon request and within a reasonable period
4. The sole fact that a Party grants temporary entry to a natural after receiving a complete application for an immigration formality
person of another Party pursuant to this Chapter shall not be from a natural person of another Party covered by Article 9.2
construed to exempt that natural person from meeting any (Scope), endeavour to notify the applicant of the status of the
applicable licensing or other requirements, including any application.
mandatory codes of conduct, to practise a profession or otherwise
engage in business activities. 4. To the extent permissible under its laws and regulations, each
Party shall endeavour to accept applications for immigration
formalities in electronic format under the equivalent conditions of
Article 9.5: Schedules of Specific Commitments on Temporary authenticity as paper submissions.
Movement of Natural Persons
5. Where appropriate, each Party shall accept copies of documents
Each Party shall set out in its Schedule in Annex IV (Schedules of authenticated in accordance with its laws and regulations in place
Specific Commitments on Temporary Movement of Natural Persons) its of original documents, to the extent its laws and regulations
commitments for the temporary entry into and temporary stay in its permit.
territory of natural persons of another Party covered by Article 9.2
(Scope). These Schedules shall specify the conditions and limitations
governing those commitments, including the length of stay, for each Article 9.7: Transparency
category of natural persons included therein.
1
1. Each Party shall:

Article 9.6: Processing of Applications (a) publish or otherwise make publicly available explanatory
material on all relevant immigration formalities which
1. Where an application for an immigration formality is required by a pertain to or affect the operation of this Chapter;
Party, that Party shall process, as expeditiously as possible,
complete applications for immigration formalities or extensions (b) publish or otherwise make publicly available in its territory
thereof received from natural persons of another Party covered and to the other Parties, the requirements for temporary
by Article 9.2 (Scope). entry under this Chapter, including explanatory material
and relevant forms and documents that will enable natural
2. Each Party shall, upon request and within a reasonable period persons of the other Parties to become acquainted with
after receiving a complete application for an immigration formality those requirements;
from a natural person of another Party covered by Article 9.2
(Scope), notify the applicant of: (c) upon modifying or amending any immigration measure that
affects temporary entry of natural persons of another
(a) the receipt of the application; and Party, ensure that the information published or otherwise
made publicly available pursuant to subparagraph (b) is
(b) the decision concerning the application including, if updated as soon as possible; and
approved, the period of stay and other conditions.
(d) maintain mechanisms to respond to enquiries from
interested persons regarding its laws and regulations
affecting the temporary entry and temporary stay of natural
persons.
1 For the purposes of this Article, conditions and limitations include any economic needs
testing requirement, which no Party may impose unless specified in its Schedule in 2. Each Party shall endeavour to publish, to the extent practicable,
Annex IV (Schedules of Specific Commitments on Temporary Movement of Natural
Persons). the information referred to in paragraph 1 in the English language.

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