After the establishment of APEC, in order to strengthen economic cooperation in the region and promote the free flow of business people, the Philippines, South Korea and Australia launched the APEC Business Travel Card Program 1996+065438+ 10 in June at the APEC Leaders' Informal Meeting in the Philippines, and the participating economies proposed to provide fast customs clearance for business people with multilateral long-term visas. 1997 began.
In order to further facilitate business personnel exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region, China decided to accept foreign APEC business travel card virtual card holders from May 1 2023. As a transitional arrangement, before May 1 2023, if a virtual cardholder applies for a visa in China, China will provide convenience. Please consult embassies and consulates in China for specific requirements.
Brief introduction of APEC business travel card
Important documents like passports should be kept by cardholders. In case of accidental loss, it shall report to the competent department of the unit or the foreign affairs office of the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, sub-provincial cities and coastal open cities, and apply for a replacement. After the competent department of the unit or the foreign affairs office explains the situation to the consular department, the consular department will reissue the travel card.
The examination time of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is about 5 working days, after which the applicant's information will be submitted to other economies for examination. The approval time varies from economy to economy. If all 16 economies want to get approval, it will take about 2 to 3 months from the date when the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submits the applicant's materials to other economies. The United States and Canada do not approve foreign travel card applications. Travel cards are not applicable to China, Chinese mainland, China, Hongkong and China, so China cardholders can enter up to 16 economies with valid cards.
Refer to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia -—APEC Business Travel Card