APEC Business Travel Card to be extended from three to five years effective 1 September 2015

APEC Business Travel Card to be extended from three to five years effective 1 September 2015

Facilitated entry for frequent business travellers in the Asia-Pacific region will be even more convenient with the announcement by APEC that the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) will be extended from three to five years, effective 1 September 2015.

Under the revised arrangements applications lodged on or before 31 August 2015 will be granted an ABTC valid for three years and applications lodged on or after 1 September 2015 will be granted an ABTC valid for five years.

Through a single application, the ABTC will offer bona fide businesspeople a five-year, short-stay, multiple-entry visa to other participating member economies and priority lane access at major airports in APEC economies.  The extension of validity of the ABTC will benefit business travellers who will not have to apply for a new card as frequently, with a resulting reduction in processing times.

Source: DIBP