What is APEC? Who are the members?

APEC is the acronym of the English name of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. Its full name is Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.

At present, APEC has 21 economies: China, Hong Kong, Taipei, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Mexico, the United States, Canada and Russia.

What is an economy?

Among the 21 members of APEC, there are members from Hong Kong, China and Taipei, China. Through consensus, APEC members are all called economies.

Which economies have participated in the APEC Business Travel Card Program?

At present, 21 economies of APEC have joined the travel card program, of which the United States and Canada are transitional members, and applications from other economies will not be approved for the time being.

What are the transition members of APEC Business Travel Card Program?

At present, the United States and Canada are transitional members of the travel card program. They do not accept APEC business travel card applications from other economies, but provide visa applications and entry and exit customs clearance facilities for cardholders from other economies.

When did China join the APEC Business Travel Card Program?

In 2002, the Chinese government officially joined the travel card program. In December 2003, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began to accept applications for APEC business travel cards. In March 2004, travel cards were issued to Chinese applicants.

What are the benefits of APEC Business Travel Card?

Applicants apply once, valid for five years, enter the country many times, and can stay at least 60 days each time. In addition, all economies generally provide convenient entry and exit customs clearance for cardholders.

How many economies can Chinese cardholders access with valid APEC business travel cards at most?

At present, the United States and Canada do not approve foreign travel card applications. Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan do not apply travel cards to each other, so Chinese cardholders can enter 16 economies at most with valid cards.

How long can I stay in each economy with a card?

The maximum allowable stay period of each economy varies from 60 days to 90 days, specifically:

60 days: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea

90 days: Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Brunei, Mexico, Peru, Chile

If the valid period of the travel card is less than 60 days or 90 days, you need to leave the country before the card expires.

Cardholders from other economies can stay in China for up to 60 days each time.

How to identify the economies of APEC Business Travel Card?

There can be up to 16 abbreviations of foreign economies on the back of the travel card of Chinese cardholders: JPN (Japan), KOR (South Korea), MYS (Malaysia), IDN (Indonesia), BRN (Brunei), PHL (Philippines), SGP (Singapore), MEX (Mexico), THA (Thailand), VNM (Vietnam), AUS (Australia), NZL (New Zealand), PNG (Papua New Guinea), CHL (Chile), PER (Peru), RUS (Russia). The English abbreviations of other economies are: CHN (China), HKG (Hong Kong, China), TWN (Taipei, China), USA (United States), CAN (Canada).

Can Chinese cardholders access Hong Kong and Taiwan with the APEC Business Travel Card?

No, travel cards are not applicable to each other between the mainland and Hong Kong and Taiwan. However, the cardholder can use the special channel to enter and leave Hong Kong.

Can APEC business travel card holders go to the United States and Canada through fast customs clearance channels?

sure. At present, major airports in the United States and Canada are equipped with special channels for APEC business travel cards (or shared with diplomatic channels) to facilitate rapid customs clearance for cardholders.

What advantages can APEC Business Travel Card holders enjoy when applying for a US visa?

At the request of the travel card holder, the US embassy and consulate in China can provide convenience for visa interview appointment in advance for the card holder who really needs it.

Who can apply for APEC Business Travel Card?

(1) Government officials engaged in APEC affairs or government officials responsible for travel card business and Chinese officials serving in APEC organizations; (2) Management personnel, main business personnel and technical personnel of large state-owned enterprises under central management; (3) Personnel of local state-owned enterprises; (4) Personnel of private enterprises; (5) Chinese (mainland) personnel in Sino foreign joint ventures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises and Taiwan Hong Kong Australian funded enterprises.

Can foreigners apply for APEC Business Travel Card in China?

Citizens of economies that are full members of the travel card scheme shall apply to the competent authorities of their economies. The competent authorities of China will not accept applications from foreigners.

How to apply for APEC Business Travel Card?

(1) Senior government officials engaged in APEC affairs or government officials in charge of travel card business and Chinese government officials serving in APEC organizations shall submit their materials to the superior competent department with foreign affairs approval authority for review according to the administrative approval procedures for going abroad on business; Chinese officials serving in APEC organizations shall be reviewed by their original affiliated units or sent to their superior competent departments with foreign affairs approval authority for review. After examination, the relevant departments will send the relevant materials to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for examination. The Consular Department will issue a card to the applicant after passing the examination and being approved by other economies.

(2) The personnel of large state-owned enterprises under the central administration shall be sent to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for reexamination after the applicant's materials are reexamined by the applicant's enterprise according to the approval procedure for going abroad on business. The Consular Department will issue a card to the applicant after the final review is qualified and approved by other economies.

(3) Personnel of local state-owned enterprises shall apply to the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of the provincial or sub provincial city where the enterprise is registered according to the approval procedures for the administration of going abroad on business. The relevant foreign office shall review and submit it to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for approval. The Consular Department will issue the card to the applicant after passing the final examination and being approved by other economies.

(4) The Chinese (mainland) personnel in private enterprises, Sino foreign joint ventures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises and Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia funded enterprises shall apply to the foreign affairs office of the government where the applicant is registered. Relevant foreign offices shall be sent to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for final review after passing the preliminary review. The Consular Department will issue the card to the applicant after passing the final examination and being approved by other economies.

What materials do you need to apply for APEC Business Travel Card?

In China, the travel card work is subject to a three-level examination and approval management system, in which the applicant's enterprise or department is responsible for the preliminary examination, the local foreign affairs office is responsible for the reexamination and the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the final examination. At present, the right of review has been fully delegated to local foreign affairs offices, and local governments can formulate corresponding application and management methods according to their own actual conditions. The materials required vary from place to place, so the applicant should check with the Foreign Affairs Office of the local people's government for specific information.

How long does it take to apply for APEC Business Travel Card?

The review time of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is about 5 working days; The applicant's information will then be submitted to other economies for approval. The approval time of each economy is different. If you want to obtain the approval of all 16 economies, it will take about 2-3 months from the date when the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submits the applicant's materials to other economies.

How much does a travel card cost?

According to the relevant regulations of the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, the service center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas agencies will charge 720 yuan for each card, and the same fee will be charged for card replacement and replacement. In addition, the local foreign affairs offices shall formulate local charging standards based on the principles of openness, transparency and rationality, and report to the local price and financial departments for approval to charge a certain service fee.

Can we only apply for visas for specific economies, which can shorten the approval time and reduce the application fee?

The travel card cannot be applied for by the designated economy. If there is a need, you can apply for card printing in advance.

How can the applicant check the approval progress of APEC business travel card?

The applicant can inquire the travel card approval progress from the application materials acceptance foreign office.

How to handle the application for APEC Business Travel Card if you are eager to travel to an economy?

If the applicant's travel card application has been approved by the economy to which the applicant intends to travel, the accepting foreign office can apply to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for card printing in advance. After the approval of other economies, the applicant can apply for card replacement, but the card printing fee needs to be paid again. If the economy to be visited is not approved, you can apply for a visa at the embassy or consulate in China, and go to the economy after obtaining the visa.

Can Chinese embassies and consulates abroad accept applications for APEC business travel cards?

At present, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad do not accept applications for APEC business travel cards.

Can intermediaries and travel agencies accept applications for APEC business travel cards?

No, it can only be accepted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government where the enterprise is registered.

Can APEC Business Travel Card holders also apply for short-term business visas for Australia and New Zealand? What is "visa coverage"?

Australia and New Zealand require applicants to hold only one valid entry visa. If the cardholder applies for another entry visa for Australia and New Zealand within the validity period of the travel card, once approved, the subsequent visa with a shorter validity period will automatically cover the five-year "visa" carried by the travel card, which will invalidate the travel card visa, causing the cardholder to be unable to enter Australia and New Zealand with the travel card, This is the issue of "visa coverage". Other economies have not seen the problem of "visa coverage", but it is not recommended that cardholders apply for other similar visas.

At present, the travel card visa approved by Australia can be used for both business activities and private travel. When entering the country for tourism purposes, it should be noted that the APEC business travel card cannot be presented and the special channel cannot be used. If the cardholder uses another type of passport to go to Australia (such as using a business passport to apply for an APEC business travel card, or using a private passport to go to Australia), he/she should inform the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance of his/her trip so that the Consular Department can notify the Australian side to make corresponding adjustments.

How to use APEC Business Travel Card?

The cardholder holds a valid passport and valid travel card when applying for a travel card to enter and leave the relevant economy. Cardholders can only access the economy that approved their travel card application (marked on the back of the travel card in English abbreviations). All the major ports of the economies participating in the travel card program have dedicated travel card channels, usually marked "APEC Business Travel Card".

What activities can I use the APEC Business Travel Card for?

In principle, the APEC Business Travel Card is only applicable to international travel for business purposes, and cannot be used for non business purposes such as travel, visiting relatives, friends, and seeing a doctor. At present, Australia, Thailand, South Korea and Papua New Guinea allow non business travel.

How to keep the APEC Business Travel Card?

The travel cards applied for by the personnel of large state-owned enterprises under the central administration, government officials engaged in APEC affairs and Chinese officials working in APEC organizations shall be uniformly managed by the competent foreign affairs department of the cardholder's unit with reference to the Measures for the Administration of Certificates for Going Abroad on Business; The travel cards applied for by the personnel of local state-owned enterprises shall be managed by the local foreign affairs office that accepts the application for travel cards according to the requirements for the administration of certificates for going abroad on business; The travel cards applied for by private enterprise personnel and Chinese/mainland personnel working in Sino foreign joint ventures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises and Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia funded enterprises shall be managed by the cardholder's enterprise after the cardholder's enterprise formulates management rules and submits them to the corresponding local foreign affairs office for filing.

Is it necessary to return the travel card when the APEC business travel card holder's unit changes?

After the cardholder leaves the original unit or his/her identity changes, the original unit shall cancel his/her travel card in a timely manner. Or, if the original unit and the new unit reach an agreement, the travel card can be handed over to the new unit and reported to the local foreign affairs office for filing.

What if I lose my travel card?

As a certificate as important as the passport, the travel card holder should keep it properly. In case of accidental loss, the card holder should report the loss to the local public security organ in a timely manner, and apply to the competent department of the unit or the local foreign affairs office for replacement.

What should I do if my passport expires or is lost?

After issuing a new passport, the cardholder shall issue an official letter to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the travel card sending unit to explain the situation, return the old card, and apply for card replacement (a copy of the new card is required).

What should I do if my APEC business travel card expires?

After the travel card expires, the cardholder can apply for a new card to the local foreign affairs office. In addition, the cardholder can also submit an application for card renewal in advance to the relevant foreign affairs office within 6 months before the expiration of the original travel card. The application materials and procedures are the same as those of the initial application.

How to inquire about APEC business travel card?

Can log on to China Consular Service Network http://cs.mfa.gov.cn For enquiries, or by using the APEC Business Travel Card of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please call 010-65963079/3080 and e-mail: abtc@mfa.gov.cn 。

The specific application process and application materials need to call the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government where the enterprise is registered for consultation.