Application
Fee
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.
Which
are the participating economies?
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.
Note:
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.
Who
is eligible to apply for the card?
The
following groups of Singapore Citizens are eligible
to apply for the card:
All
applicants must have a valid Singapore passport.
Foreign
cardholders
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.
What
are the required documents when submitting an application?
Before going online to submit their applications,
all applicants should have the following ready:
Business
persons and members of professional bodies
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
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.
What is the application procedure?
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.
What is the expected processing time?
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.
I am a Singapore Citizen residing overseas. Am I eligible
to apply for the card?
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.
Are Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners
residing in Singapore eligible to apply?
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. To get contact details for participating
authorities visit: http://www.businessmobility.org/key/abtc.html
Do I still need to bring my passport when using the
card?
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.
What if my card is lost or damaged?
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.
Will I be able to obtain the card if a foreign
participating economy rejects my application?
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.
How would I know which are the economies that
I can use my card to travel to?
The
economies that have pre-cleared you will be listed
on your card according to the following economy codes:
AUS
- Australia
BRN - Brunei
CHL - Chile
CHN - China
HKG - Hong Kong (China)
IDN - Indonesia
JPN - Japan
KOR - Korea
MYS - Malaysia
NZL - New Zealand
PER - Peru
PHL - The Philippines
SGP - Singapore
TWN - Chinese Taipei
THA - Thailand
