APEC Business Card: An Alternative to a Business Visa to China and Other Countries

APEC Business Travel Card (APEC Business Card) simplifies the procedure of border and immigration control during the implementation by citizens of the countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation of business (official) trips to the territory of all countries included in this association. Such a card is issued exclusively by special decision, and is valid for 5 years. During this period, its owner can cross the border of the states belonging to the union without a visa.



APEC includes 21 states, including Russia and Russia since 2010. Our country is represented in the organization by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, which is responsible for the implementation of projects within the APEC framework on Russian territory.



The main goals of creating this organization are expanding export borders, sharing experience, well-functioning logistics and customs control. A complete list of countries that are members of APEC and which have a map - Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, China, Chinese Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Chile, Japan. The APEC card is also valid and issued in the USA and Canada, but since these countries are transitional members of the agreement, the cards there are valid only for passport control through a designated corridor without waiting in line, that is, you still need to get a visa.

If we talk about the advantages of the APEC card, in addition to the fact that its holder can not apply for a visa for 5 years (which is a big time saver), he always passes passport and visa control through a diplomatic “green corridor” without the usual “ordinary guest” »Queues. The card should be used only for business trips, but according to reviews, when crossing the border, questions are usually not asked.

Why is it difficult to get an APEC card?

APEC Business Travel Card is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only upon recommendation and request of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and is not issued to private individuals. The procedure for filling out the document is regulated by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 2, 2009 N 1773 “On the participation of the Russian Federation in the system of using cards for business and official trips to the countries of the member of the Organization of Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation”.

First of all, the card is issued to government officials. In addition, employees holding senior positions in companies focused on international activities in the countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation can count on receiving it.



The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs is the main body whose mandate is to coordinate candidates and draw up an APEC card for Russians. However, if the company in which the candidate is employed is not included in the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, or has no relations with other authorized structures, it is unrealistic to receive a recommendation for issuing a card.

APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) in Russia is issued exclusively to citizens of the Russian Federation officially employed in Russian companies. Russians working in foreign companies and working abroad will not be able to draw up such a card and will not pass the test.
Another difficulty in applying for an APEC card is the wide range of documents that often require submission for consideration. This will include (in addition to the standard set for a visa) and recommendations from foreign partners, and copies of contracts, a certificate of no criminal record, etc.

But even if all the documents are collected, this does not guarantee that the treasured card is in your pocket. The queue for a visa-free document is very long, and the Foreign Ministry is authorized to issue no more than 30 cards per month. For the entire period of work of Russia in the agreement on APEC cards since the end of 2009, a little more than 2000 cards were issued, which directly indicates the status of the people to whom they are issued.

The APEC Business Card is a document that gives its holder the opportunity not to apply for work visas for five years, crossing the borders of the APEC member countries. This saves both significant costs and time. Indeed, to apply for each visa you need to collect a package of documents, pay for the visa application center (or consulate), and wait a long time for issuing a visa.

The advantages of the card are undeniable, but it is very difficult to draw it up. Therefore, before you start applying for an APEC Business Travel Card, you need to verify that your candidacy meets all the criteria mentioned in the article.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/undefined/