Visa Free with APEC Card: A kind of Visa Exemption
If you’re a business professional frequently traveling within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region, you’ll be delighted to hear about the APEC Card with its visa-free travel benefits.
What is an APEC Card?
The APEC Card, or APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), is a travel document issued to business travelers who are citizens of APEC participating economies.
Designed to promote ease of short-term business travel within the APEC region, the APEC Card is typically valid for five years, which dramatically simplifies the process of crossing borders for business purposes.
Visa-Free Travel with an APEC Card
One of the primary benefits of the APEC card is visa-free travel among the 19 participating APEC economies. This means APEC cardholders can skip the often time-consuming process of acquiring a visa for each separate visit to these economies, saving both time and resources.
Here is the list of 19 participating APEC economies:
Length of stay |
Nations that accept APEC Card |
|
1 | 14-90 days |
Russian |
2 | 59 days |
Philippines |
3 | 60 days |
China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam |
4 | 90 days |
Chile, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Brunei, Peru, Mexico, Australia |
Applying for an APEC Card
To be eligible to apply for an APEC Card, you must:
- Hold a valid passport from an APEC economy (or permanent residence in the case of Hong Kong, China)
- Engage in regular business travel throughout the APEC region
- Have no criminal conviction
Application for an APEC card can be made through the immigration department of their home economy. The process usually requires proof of your business status and reason for travel among the APEC economies.
Traveling with an APEC card is a big change for business professionals frequenting the APEC region. It not only simplifies travel arrangements but also facilitates smoother entry at the borders, making the business travel experience much more comfortable.