APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) Promotion Meeting, jointly hosted by Hangzhou People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (HPAFFC) and Hangzhou Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League, was held at the ISO Conference Base on June 29. ABTC-related policies was explained by the director from Hangzhou Entry-Exit Center for Business. Representatives of young entrepreneurs attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Hangzhou Entry-Exit Center for Business introduced policies about the use of ABTC and its convenience with regards to visa free, rapid pass, cost saving, etc.. He also answered questions about Eligibility Criteria, range of application, application process, and the way to use it. He further encouraged Hangzhou enterprises to apply for the card and to make the best of it in international market expansion.

Shen Qi, Deputy Director of Hangzhou Entry-Exit Center for Business

In order to keep international business channels of Hangzhou enterprises smooth, Hangzhou Entry-Exit Center for Business keeps improving the ABTC reform. The reform includes simplification and optimization of application materials, application time, application process. With aims to realize “one-stop” and even “zero-stop” visa service, the foreign affairs service effectiveness has been comprehensively improved. According to directors from HPAFFC, “the promotion of ABTC has become vigorous evidence of foreign affairs service’s service principles, namely ‘foreign affairs for people’ and ‘foreign affairs for enterprises’. At the same time, it has become the benchmark of communism party history education examination with regards to the international business channel management. The next step is to keep promoting ABTC, innovating and upgrading modes of foreign affairs service, therefore, the benefits of ABTC policies can be enjoyed by more and more enterprises and help them accelerate the international business market expansion.” The attendees visited the ISO Conference Base after the meeting.

APEC Business Travel Card

I. What Is APEC Business Travel Card?

APEC Business Travel Card, short for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Card, is a kind of business travel document that allows successful applicants, who are expected to be businessmen from economies within the APEC region, to enter and exit 16 APEC economies directly.

II. List of 16 Participating Economies

Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Russia.

III. Range of Application 

As of now 21 economies have joint ABTC scheme. As transitional members of the scheme, the United States and Canada do not accept ABTC application from other economies, but facilitate visa application and entry & exit clearance of their ABTC holders. The card does not authorize visa-free travel between Mainland China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan Province. These citizens are still subjected to existing rules for such entry. Thus Chinese citizens are allowed to enter 16 participating APEC economies with valid card and passport. The card is valid for five years, multiple round trips with the card is accepted.

IV. Potential Applicants

1. Applicants from non-public enterprises registered in Hangzhou (including private enterprises, Sino-foreign joint ventures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises, and Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan-funded enterprises) requiring frequent travelling to conduct commercial activities in participating APEC economies; those from the last three types of enterprises should belong to the Chinese side (Mainland China).

2. Business people and technicians who come from state-owned enterprises and travel frequently to conduct commercial activities in participating APEC economies.

3. In addition to those from processing and manufacturing enterprises and enterprises for import and export trade in goods, and those who engage in finance, education, law, accounting, tourism and other fields, and frequently exchange with or provide service to APEC economies are also allowed to apply for the card.

V. Application Requirements

1. Applicant (enterprise) should have business contacts with APEC economies or future plans to do business with them.

2. Applicant (enterprise) pays tax in accordance with law every year.

3. Applicant (enterprise) has no less than 10 employees in principle.

4. Applicant (individual) should have worked for an enterprise for at least six months.

5. Applicant (individual) has not previously been denied entry to any of the participating economies.

6. Applicant (individual) has never been convicted of a criminal offence.

VI. Materials Required

1. Enterprise’s tax affairs of the past year (only required when the record cannot be automatically obtained via system interface).

2. Social insurance payment record (checked by our backstage in principle); For remote payment or commission payment, applicant (enterprise) should provide relevant proof and written commitment, and upload the files to the system.

3. Proof of business contacts with other economies

(1) Processing and manufacturing enterprises or enterprises for import and export trade in goods: For those which have had business contacts with APEC economies, provide customs declarations or purchases and sales contracts (total volume of imports and exports ≥ $100,000); for those which intend to develop business relations with APEC economies, provide one or several letter(s) of intent.

(2) Enterprises in finance, education and other fields: Provide contracts, project plans, or other business visas issued to the applicant by other APEC economies during the past year.

4. A scan of the front page of the applicant’s passport (period of validity ≥ 1 year) in digital version.

5. A scan of the applicant’s passport-sized photo in digital version.

6. The applicant’s Certificate of No Criminal Record issued by the public security bureau.

7. Enterprise’s letter of application and a scan of the letter of application with official seal, both in digital version.

8. A scan of the Application for APEC Business Travel Card in digital version.