APEC Business Travel Card (APEC Business Card) simplifies the procedure of border and immigration control when citizens of the countries participating in the "Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation" conduct business (business) 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 that are members of the union without a visa.
APEC includes 21 states, including 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 APEC projects on Russian territory.
The main goals of the creation of this organization are to expand the boundaries of exports, exchange of experience, streamlined work of logistics and customs control. A complete list of countries that are members of APEC and in which the card is valid - 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 only work for passing passport control along a dedicated corridor without a queue, 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 owner may not apply for a visa for 5 years (and this is a big time saving), he always goes through passport and visa control through the diplomatic "green corridor" without the usual queue for an "ordinary guest". The card should only be used for business trips, but according to reviews, questions are usually not asked when passing the border.
Why is it difficult to get an APEC card?
APEC Business Travel Card is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only on the recommendation and application of the RSPP, and is not issued to individuals. The procedure for issuing a document is regulated by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 2, 2009 N 1773 βOn the participation of the Russian Federation in the system for using cards for business and official trips to the countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organizationβ.
First of all, the card is issued to employees of state bodies. 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 RSPP is the main body responsible for approving candidates and issuing an APEC card for Russians. However, if the company in which the candidate works is not a member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, or has no connections 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 issue such a card and will not pass the verification.
Another difficulty in obtaining an APEC card is a wide list of documents that are often required to be submitted for consideration. This will include (in addition to the standard set for applying for a visa) recommendations from foreign partners, copies of concluded contracts, a certificate of no criminal record, etc.
But even if all the documents are collected, this does not at all guarantee that the treasured card is in your pocket. The queue for obtaining a visa-free document is very long, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is authorized to issue no more than 30 cards per month. Over the entire period of Russia's work in the APEC card agreement since the end of 2009, a little more than 2000 cards have been 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 issue work visas for a five-year period, crossing the borders of APEC member countries. This saves both significant money and time. After all, for the issuance of each visa, you need to collect a package of documents, pay for the visa application center (or consulate), and wait a long time for the issuance of a visa.
The advantages of the card are undeniable, but it is very difficult to issue it. Therefore, before starting to apply for an APEC Business Travel Card, you need to check that your candidacy meets all the criteria mentioned in the article.
Source: habr.com