{"id":25506,"date":"2024-06-14T06:48:23","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T06:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genacct.com\/apec\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T02:27:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T02:27:58","slug":"apec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genacct.com\/en\/apec\/","title":{"rendered":"[APEC Card] How to Apply for an APEC Business Travel Card? 5 Key Benefits of the ABTC for Business Trips!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As the pandemic has subsided, business activities have become more frequent, and more people are travelling between countries for business. At the same time, outbound travel has also increased significantly. In Japan, South Korea, and other popular travel cities in Southeast Asia, there are often very long queues at immigration, and the waiting time to enter the country is generally at least two hours. To make overseas business trips more convenient for business professionals, General Accounting shares a guide to applying for the \u201cAPEC Card\u201d (also known as ABTC or the APEC Business Travel Card), including how it is used and its benefits.<\/p>

What is the \u201cAPEC Card\u201d?<\/h2>

What is the \u201cAPEC Card\u201d? APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, commonly referred to as \u201cAPEC\u201d. To facilitate economic cooperation among member economies and promote the free movement of business people, APEC proposed the \u201cAPEC Business Travel Card Scheme (APEC Business Travel Card Scheme)\u201d at the APEC Informal Economic Leaders\u2019 Meeting held in the Philippines in November 1996. Therefore, the \u201cAPEC Card\u201d is also known as \u201cABTC\u201d1<\/sup>.<\/p>

The launch of the ABTC Business Travel Card Scheme makes it easier for eligible business people in participating economies to obtain long-term visas and enjoy expedited immigration clearance. APEC member economies have also set up dedicated ABTC lanes for cardholders.<\/p>

What do \u201cAPEC Card\u201d and ABTC refer to?<\/h2>

In fact, \u201cAPEC Card\u201d is simply taken from the first word of \u201cAPEC Business Travel Card\u201d, while ABTC is the abbreviation of \u201cAPEC Business Travel Card\u201d. Both refer to the APEC Business Travel Card \/ APEC Business Travel Permit2<\/sup>.<\/p>

More articles: Company Incorporation Process<\/a> | Company Incorporation Fees<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Why apply for an APEC Card? What are the benefits?<\/h2>

Applying for an \u201cAPEC Card\u201d makes it easier to travel in and out of different economies for business activities. APEC Card holders can conduct business travel freely among APEC economies.<\/p>

\"APEC<\/p>

Benefits of the APEC Card (APEC Business Travel Card \/ ABTC)<\/p>

1. No visa required<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

APEC Card holders entering ABTC member economies do not need to apply for a visa. Simply present the APEC Card and passport to enter and exit member economies directly. During the validity period of the APEC Card, there is no limit on the number of entries and exits, and multiple trips to various destinations do not require reapplying for a visa<\/span>3<\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>

2. Longer stay<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>

Entering with an APEC Card allows a stay of up to 60 to 90 days<\/span>3<\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>

For example, when entering Thailand with an HKSAR passport, you may stay for 30 days<\/span>4<\/sup>, but entering with an APEC Card allows a stay of 90 days<\/span>1<\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>

3. Fast-track immigration clearance<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>

APEC Card holders can use the fast-track lane3<\/sup> for expedited entry and exit clearance, without queuing with general travellers.<\/p>

4. Time-saving and convenient<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>

In addition to fast-track immigration clearance, it also saves the time required to apply for visas.<\/p>

Taking entry into Indonesia as an example, the time from arrival to applying for a visa on arrival and clearing immigration takes at least 2.5 hours. With an APEC Card, you do not need to queue for a visa, and you can use the priority lane, reducing the total entry time to under one hour.<\/p>

5. Cost savings<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>

The fee for applying for the APEC Business Travel Card is only HK$5402<\/sup>. As visas are not required for travel to ABTC economies, visa expenses can be reduced.<\/p>

Using a Vietnam entry visa as an example, a single-entry visa costs US$25 (about HK$200). Assuming you travel to Vietnam for business four times a year, that is 12 trips over three years. Visa fees for Vietnam alone would total as much as HK$2,400, not including potential visa fees for other economies that require visas.With an APEC Card, you only need to pay HK$540 and can save on visa application costs.<\/span><\/p>

Eligibility for applying for an \u201cAPEC Card\u201d<\/span><\/h2>