SINGAPORE IMPLEMENTS THE APEC BUSINESS TRAVEL CARD SCHEME

About the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme

2. The ABTC scheme aims to facilitate the travel of business persons between APEC economies. Cardholders enjoy the following benefits:

v Streamlined processing through designated lanes at the major airports and entry points of participating economies.

v Without having to make a separate visa application, pre-cleared cardholders will be able to travel to and enter the participating economies for business purposes up to 60 or 90 days.

3. The application fee for a new card is $100 (non-refundable). Each card is valid for three years, or up to the validity of the passport, whichever is shorter. The average processing time for each card is at least two months. This is because each application has to be routed to all participating economies for approval, and more time may be needed for all economies to revert. For the convenience of the applicant, an interim card will be mailed to him one month after he submits his application, or after five or more economies have pre-cleared his application, whichever is later. The interim card is issued at no extra charge. (A sample of the card is attached.)

4. Currently, 17 out of the 21 APEC economies participate in the ABTC scheme. The participating economies are

Australia

, Brunei Darussalam,

Chile

China

, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong,

Indonesia

Japan

, Republic of Korea,

Malaysia

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Peru

, the

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

and

Vietnam

[2].

5. The following groups of

Singapore

Citizens are eligible to apply for the card:

v Bona fide business persons (i.e. those who represent an economically-active business entity);

v Members of professional bodies such as doctors, lawyers, artists and other members of professional bodies.

v Public officers from Ministries, Government departments, economic agencies and statutory boards who need to travel in their official capacity.

6. Designated lanes have been set up at all checkpoints to provide immigration clearance for foreign cardholders that will be pre-cleared by

Singapore

. Foreign cardholders are advised that Singapore’s ABTC facilities are accorded only after Singapore has pre-cleared the foreign cardholder and Singapore’s code ‘SGP’ is printed on the reverse of the card.

7. More information pertaining to the card can be found in the set of Frequently-Asked Questions at Annex.

A1: Before going online to submit their applications, all applicants should have the following ready:

v One digital photograph (dimensions 400 by 514 pixels is preferred; in JPEG format not more than 60 KB) that meets the following requirements:

Þ Show the full face and without headgear of the applicant (headgear worn in accordance with religious or racial customs is acceptable but must not hide the facial features); and

v The digital image of the applicant’s signature (in the same form as signed in his

Singapore

passport);

Those applying as business persons would need to submit a scanned copy of the letter of employment at the company, or letter of authorisation/support from their organisations.

Members of professional bodies are required to attach a scanned image of his accreditation.

Public officers may apply for an ABTC if they need to travel in their official capacity. Public officers of Division II and below will be required to submit a scanned copy of their department or Ministry’s letter of support for their applications.

A2: All applications must be submitted online at http://www.ica.gov.sg. No counter applications will be accepted. The applicant need not make a trip to the ICA Building at all, as the card will be mailed to him at his mailing address when it is ready.

A3: The average processing time for each card is at least two months. This is because each application has to be routed to all participating economies for approval, and more time may be needed for all economies to revert. For the convenience of the applicant, an interim card will be mailed to him one month after he submits his application, or after five or more economies have pre-cleared his application, whichever is later.

Q4: I am a Singapore Citizen residing overseas. Am I eligible to apply for the card?

A4: As long as you are a

Singapore

Citizen and meet the application criteria, you are eligible to submit an application for the card, which can be done online. The card will be sent to you by registered post when the application is approved. Please note that delivery may take longer for overseas addresses.

Q5: Are

Singapore

Permanent Residents and foreigners residing in

Singapore

eligible to apply?

A5:

Singapore

Permanent Residents and foreigners residing in

Singapore

have to apply for the card in their home participating economies. For example, a Malaysian who is a Singapore Permanent Resident will have to apply with the Malaysian authorities.

A6: The APEC Business Travel Card is not meant to replace the passport as a travel document. You will still need a valid passport to travel. We also wish to highlight that under the ABTC operating framework, it remains the right of each economy to determine who may travel to, enter and remain in that economy even after a person has been issued with the ABTC.

A7: The replacement fee for lost and damaged cards is $50. Please note that the replacement card will bear the same expiry date as the original card issued.

Q8: Will I be able to obtain the card if a foreign participating economy rejects my application?

A8: Yes, as long as there are economies that had approved your application. Please note that your card will not bear the economy code of the foreign economies that had rejected your application. As they had rejected your application, you would also not be able to use the facilities provided by that economy for APEC Business Travel Cardholders when you travel there. Your entry to that economy will be subject to their prevailing requirements, which may include having to apply for an entry visa.

Q9: How would I know which are the economies that I can use my card to travel to?

A9: The economies that have pre-cleared you will be listed on your card according to the following economy codes:

[1] Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

[2] While Papua New Guinea and Vietnam had announced their participation in the scheme, they have yet to commence processing local or foreign card applicants. They are expected to commence operations in the near future, but no fixed dates have been set.