APEC Business Travel Card - Express Immigration Clearance

[caggs]

Caggs, I would do a few things:

1. Check with Immi and ask if they can chase up China. Immi are responsive and will tell you how the situation is. China is slow but usually not 12 months slow.

2. Get a paper visa if time is against you. 1 above may save the cost.

3. When you get there go to Apec lane (Shanghai is on the far right) anyway and show your APEC card, and as long as you have a visa they will be responsive and process you (at least that was my experience before my clearance came through) and since they have been just as obliging.

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Thanks for that - i have already contacted Immi and there response was that China is slow in granting Visa's.

I have already applied for the paper visa - pick it up Tuesday.

I just realised that as I will be taking the train from HK into China, there is no APEC lane, so no shortcut there - just the added expense for the paper visa.

Cheers

 

[dgruber]

Applied in Dec 05, just checked my "application status".

The only one still missing is Peru.....

 

[infoworks]

_________________________________________________________

Thanks for that - i have already contacted Immi and there response was that China is slow in granting Visa's.

I have already applied for the paper visa - pick it up Tuesday.

I just realised that as I will be taking the train from HK into China, there is no APEC lane, so no shortcut there - just the added expense for the paper visa.

Cheers

Shenzen has its "moments"! The China clearance works at all points, but not all have special lanes. I would still be inclined to try the outside lanes, showing both paper and card (even though China is not printed on it).

Good luck!

 

[jasonja3]

Shenzen has its "moments"!

Ain't that the truth, stay clear on weekends.

I have just applied for my APEC card, and look forward to queing with the residents.

 

[caggs]

Shenzen has its "moments"! The China clearance works at all points, but not all have special lanes. I would still be inclined to try the outside lanes, showing both paper and card (even though China is not printed on it).

Good luck!

I went up into Shenzen last year on a tourist visa- oh what fun. I got the visa at the Shenzhen train station - isnt that an easy office to find - not. It's nice of them to put the sign pointing where to go - behind you. The way we found it was to follow the other foreigners up the stairs to the office.

Hopefuly going into Guangzhou will be easier this time with a business visa.

Cheers

 

[infoworks]

It's been a long time now since I went through Guangzhou, but my memory is it's a long, bust strainght walk, with no less bureaucracy, etc.

 

[jasonja3]

Hopefuly going into Guangzhou will be easier this time with a business visa.

Cheers

A little OT......
I stick to the ferries, much more pleasant.

 

[sully]

Only negative I can think of are the wankers standing in the standard lines complaining that you get priority treatment. When you travel as much as I (we) do a few luxuries like this are more than welcome and actually deserved. Plus it saves us or our companies money in not having to pay visa fees in a lot of countries that are coughulatively greater than the $50 odd per year we pay for the card.

 

[Damien]

Only negative I can think of are the wankers standing in the standard lines complaining that you get priority treatment.

Personally I enjoy their reaction. Just smile and say nothing...

 

[simongr]

Is this card really so good? Who knows about any negative moments with it?

Well one thing is the lack of availability of it to non-Aussie citizens

Umm and one thing... is advertising for home loans really appropriate to randomly post into a thread?

A link to some home loans

 

[infoworks]

Anyone who has a passport of a member country and can demonstrate to them they are a regular business traveller can apply to their passport jurisdiction for a card. I am not aware of any restrictions having an Aussie PR, for example, has (but there may well be some).

As long as Sydney Immi stops directing non-apec people to "our" lane, as they did recently as I was bolting through, only upside so far.

In fact, I had a discission with an immi guy in C terminal because the APEC lane guy was (and is regularly) missing. He said that with the card it was OK to come to the head of the line if the APEC lane is not staffed and it's crowded. This was ahead of the 8am SQ flight, and it was quiet, so no biggie, but I wonder...

 

[simongr]

Anyone who has a passport of a member country and can demonstrate to them they are a regular business traveller can apply to their passport jurisdiction for a card. I am not aware of any restrictions having an Aussie PR, for example, has (but there may well be some).

Sorry - I wasnt clear its one of my personal bugbears - I am not an APEC citizen of any jurisdiction I am English . 17 months and counting until I can get to be Australian citizen

 

[infoworks]

Sorry - guess you'll have a bit of a wait. In the meantime revenge may be waving at us as we line up at Heathrow and you sail past there - lol.

 

[cssaus]

Searched this thread trying to find details of the APEC line at Kuala Lumpur both inwards and outwards.

Didn't find anything so I was wondering if someone could advise.

It seem to me that it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a "sticky" thread that summarises where the APEC lines are at all the airports where it can be used. Would make a valuable and quick reference. Not sure how one would go about doing this though.

 

[NM]

Searched this thread trying to find details of the APEC line at Kuala Lumpur both inwards and outwards.

Didn't find anything so I was wondering if someone could advise.

It seem to me that it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a "sticky" thread that summarises where the APEC lines are at all the airports where it can be used. Would make a valuable and quick reference. Not sure how one would go about doing this though.

At KUL there is a "Premium" lane (well its two desks actually) right in the middle of the immigration desks. It can be used by CX and MH (not sure about other airlines as I have only use MH and CX to/from KUL) premium cabin passengers via an invitation slip handed to you at check-in or onboard. I assume this is the same lane used for APEC card holders. I have never seen the Premium desk with more than 1 or 2 people deep.

Last time I departed KUL there was no queue at the regular desk, so I slipped my Premium Line invitation into my document folder "for a rainy day" and used the regular line. But peak arrival times can have a very long queue for inbound immigration processing for non-Malaysian passport holders who don't have access to the premium lane by virtue of their airline and class of travel.

 

[cssaus]

At KUL there is a "Premium" lane (well its two desks actually) right in the middle of the immigration desks. It can be used by CX and MH (not sure about other airlines as I have only use MH and CX to/from KUL) premium cabin passengers via an invitation slip handed to you at check-in or onboard. I assume this is the same lane used for APEC card holders. I have never seen the Premium desk with more than 1 or 2 people deep.

Last time I departed KUL there was no queue at the regular desk, so I slipped my Premium Line invitation into my document folder "for a rainy day" and used the regular line. But peak arrival times can have a very long queue for inbound immigration processing for non-Malaysian passport holders who don't have access to the premium lane by virtue of their airline and class of travel.

Thanks for the info. I'm actually going to be arriving on SQ, would that at the same terminal as MH and CX?

 

[infoworks]

SQ usually comes into gate C2 or C4 and you have to take the aerotrain to the main terminal, then down to immigration. SQ is part of the premium lane user group, which are also the APEC lanes as NM has mentioned. They are slightly to the left as you reach the immigration boxes.

I have seen the line deeper than the regular lanes (which have the ubiqutous snake line to them) and been able to go straight to any counter, but usually the premium lane is quicker, but not always staffed by 2 people.

 

[moa999]

Any update on APEC China waits from people who have recently got it.

Finally applied for APEC card after getting a new passport.

Letter that came out said:
- average clearance time for all economies except China is 1 month
- China is in excess of 4 months

Currently due to head to China in Feb-07 so right on the timing.

 

[cssaus]

Any update on APEC China waits from people who have recently got it.

Finally applied for APEC card after getting a new passport.

Letter that came out said:
- average clearance time for all economies except China is 1 month
- China is in excess of 4 months

Currently due to head to China in Feb-07 so right on the timing.

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for China.

I received my card in January and out of the 17 economies it applies to I'm still waiting for 3 of them including China. I rang to check only the other day and the APEC people said that they are continually trying to get them thru but they cannot guarantee when it will be.

 

[infoworks]

I came through the new BKK airport today. Large and IMHO a blend of HKG and KLIA, lots of concrete inside and sails on the outside. Immigration was fairly quiet and is certainly more spacious than the old airport, counters are "zig zagged" and the counters are in pairs and more open than the old "boxes" (more like paired check in counters).

I saw no APEC/Diplomatic signs and as there were no lines it wasn't an issue. I asked the immigration lady who "stamped me" but she said she didn't know and thought they didn't have them at the new airport. She was much more interested in the length of my stay and not particularly helpful. I couldn't hang around as I had to get downtown for meetings.

On may way out on Sunday I will investigate further if I can.