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The APEC Business Travel Card is a travel document issued to business travellers who are citizens of APEC participating economies. Valid for three years, the card eliminates the need for its holder to possess a visa when visiting other APEC participating economies as long as pre-clearance has been obtained during the application process. ==Participating APEC economies and application process== Most APEC economies are full participating economies in the APEC Business Travel Card: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Russia began full participation on 1 June 2013. Citizens of these economies can apply for a card from their national government. Different economies may have very different criteria for vetting applications from their own citizens; for example, Hong Kong accepts applications from all permanent resident ''bona fide'' business people, but Australia restricts participation to representatives of businesses which generate at least AU$5 million in exports, are members of the Forbes 2000, or meet other similarly strict criteria. After submitting an application, an applicant's name is circulated amongst the other participating economies which give entry pre-clearance when all conditions are met. The names of the economies for which entry pre-clearance has been given are printed on the card's reverse. It may take as long as three to four months for all member economies to respond to the pre-clearance queries from the applicant's government, as a result of which applicants may choose to have their card issued without waiting for some governments' dilatory responses and thus not enjoy travel privileges in those economies.〔 The card is valid for three years or until the applicant's passport expires, after which a fresh application must be made. However, there have been discussions to extend the validity period to five years and to permit reissuance of an existing card after the holder's passport is updated. As of February 2014, there were roughly five hundred thousand ABTCs in active use.〔 Two economies are transitional members: United States and Canada. This permits them to issue ABTCs to their own citizens and nationals so that they can take advantage of expedited visa appointment and immigration clearance procedures in other economies, but without their citizens and nationals enjoying additional visa-free travel, or having to grant visa-free travel status to holders of APEC cards issued by other participating economies.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=U.S. Participation in the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) Scheme )〕 The U.S. began accepting applications for ABTCs in June 2014, while Canada announced in October 2013 that it would begin a limited-participation trial programme. It is also possible for a citizen of a third party country (including the United States and Canada) who is also permanent resident of Hong Kong to apply via Hong Kong immigration; for example a British citizen who is a permanent resident of Hong Kong can apply via the Hong Kong Immigration Department for an APEC card. This exception does not apply to any other member countries 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「APEC Business Travel Card」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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