Guide to APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) – Singapore
Asia Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a special type of visa adopted by APEC countries to facilitate business travel in the region. You can read more about ABTC at the APEC website here: https://www.apec.org/groups/committee-on-trade-and-investment/business-mobility-group/abtc.
In Singapore, applications for the issuance of ABTC cards are issued through the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
What Are the Requirements?
In order to submit an application to ICA, applicants must pay a fee of 100 Singapore dollars. ABTC is issued for a period of up to 5 years or until the expiration of the passport, whichever comes first. The ABTC number is attached to the number of the current passport, so it is worth considering renewing the passport if it is expiring soon.
However, an irrevocable fee can be returned. All rules have their own exceptions and this case is not unique. In order to return 100 SGD, you must be a member of one of the Solitaire PPS Club of Singapore Airline. You can get membership if you often fly a business or the first class and the club card is recorded under your name. Another option is a Priority Banking Account. If you have an active bank account for your company in Singapore, you can become a member of this club.
Waiting for ABTC Issuance
It is worth noting that the ABTC issuing procedure is not fast. ICA can give an approval as early as in about 3 months, but in practice it will be 5-6 months more often. It is not difficult to explain such a long waiting time by the fact that you are actually opening visas to all these countries.
In order to use the advantages of the card, it is necessary to indicate up to five different countries of the APEC participants, which will open access to you first. As soon as approval from each specified country will be given, an intermediate ABTC certificate will be issued that can be used immediately. The countries will be indicated on the back of the card.
Introduction to the Use of Virtual ABTC
APEC announced the introduction of virtual AWT technology in March 2021 that was created as a mobile application. “The virtual ABTC is a new innovative travel method for ABTC. It transfers the existing method to a new digital era by providing a valuable service for card holders on smartphones. Virtual ABTC is a safe, effective and convenient service. It is important to note that this service provides information in real time. So the card holder will be able to benefit almost immediately while using the virtual ABTC. ” – says ABTC Business Mobility Group.
At the time of writing this article, the virtual ABTC is expected to be launched in Singapore.
The most amazing thing is that this table does not have Singapore, which is known for its introduction of innovation. But ICA is already engaged in the development and implementation of this useful technology into practical use. And hopefully, in the near future it will be necessary to adjust this table.
Summary
If you are a citizen of any of the APEC member countries and you need to travel frequently within the region, ABTC card could be a good option. It will undoubtedly save you from the queues at the airport, as it allows automatic priority clearance. And in some cases it even saves you from the applying for to some APEC countries. If we take into account the cost of this advantage for a period of 5 years, then certainly the benefit is obvious.
Based on material from Milelion.com
