APEC Business Travel Card
APEC Business Travel Card
I was surprised this week to discover the APEC Business Travel Card. The card is a substitute for a visa used when entering APEC member countries. It is used in special APEC entry and exit lanes at major airports, eliminates the need to apply for visas in participating countries, can be used for multiple entries, and is good for three years of travel. Sounds good to me!
The APEC card has been around since 1997 (I was in Europe then, which explains why I’m surprised to hear about it now). The participating countries (economies, APEC has to call them) are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guniea, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The United States and Canada are “transitional members”. I’m not quite sure what that means, but card holders can use the “air crew” immigration lanes at all U.S. international airports and eight of Canada’s. That’s a good time-saver by itself, even if foreign travelers still have to get U.S. and Canadian visas.
To be eligible for the APEC card, you must hold a passport from one of the participating countries, be a frequent business traveler within the APEC countries, and not have any criminal convictions. Each participating country may have additional requirements. Follow this link to discover more and to see if you are eligible for the card. U.S. citizens can’t get APEC cards yet, but many of your overseas customers and colleagues can.
If any of my readers have been using the APEC Business Travel Card, I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences with it.
