APEC Business Travel Card - Express Immigration Clearance

[moa999]

millesm.
See pg32 - positive experiences at LAX and SFO with the card
Just go the Crew lane if no APEC signage

 

[sully]

PRC has come through for me now finally. It only took 18 months. I still don't have Brunei but am not losing sleep over it.

 

[tallboy]

Looks like the China logjam's been broken.

After almost 2 years I've received China clearance and a colleague has received theirs after 6 months.

I would have to agree.

I applied late July 2006, and my application response letter from the ABTC office was dated 01 August 2006.

First time I have checked in a while but I am now cleared for all economies, including PRC!

Expecting my new card in the mail sometime soon.

Cheers,

tb

 

[cssaus]

I would have to agree.

I applied late July 2006, and my application response letter from the ABTC office was dated 01 August 2006.

First time I have checked in a while but I am now cleared for all economies, including PRC!

Expecting my new card in the mail sometime soon.

Cheers,

tb

My application was confirmed in November 2005.....still no China

 

[moa999]

Very happy.
PRC just came through - right on 4 months since application.

Now to get my 2nd interim card.

 

[infoworks]

Congrats!

My concern will be in June when I will renew my passport (as it's filled up after only 4 years) and my card expires in July...how long will the renewals take. I use the card almost weekly! I'm hoping that renewals will be faster.

I notice now though that a lot more immigration officers are checking the back of the card to ensure clearance (their country code) is listed, not something they did too often in the early days!

Also an article in the SMH recently:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/elite-apec-card-saves-time-for-travellers/2007/01/26/1169594471426.html

 

[sully]

My concern will be in June when I will renew my passport (as it's filled up after only 4 years) and my card expires in July...how long will the renewals take. I use the card almost weekly! I'm hoping that renewals will be faster.

I was concerned last year that I had only a few pages left in my passport but still 2 years to go on the card. I asked for thier advice at the time and was told the system was undergoing some changes but it would be sorted before the end of the year.

The following is the relevant part of the response from the APEC people. Some is not now relevant but it gives a good understanding of what they can do for us. In a nutshell it doesn't look to be too difficult.

Rather than force applicants to go through the hassle of a new application, economies in the scheme have agreed that applicants who change passports may continue to travel using the same card, if they carry both the new and the old passport. They then need to re-apply with their new passport details when the card expires.

In October/November this year we will be releasing a new system to process the ABTC applications. This will include many changes that will make processing quicker and easier, one in particular being the ability to change passport details for an application and issue a new card. The new card issued would have an expiry date equal to either the application expiry date (three years from when the first card was issued) or the passport expiry date - whichever was the lesser. If you can travel with both the new and the old passport until October I can then issue you a new card with the rest of the three year validity without any fuss or hassles.

If you renew your passport before the new system comes on-line we will keep your new passport details on file, and change them as soon as the new system is active. We will then send you the updated card. Otherwise simply email us your new passport details when you receive them and we can update the card for the remainder of the three years.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to have the new application now then we can do this for you, but the time it generally takes to get all the clearances issued again would mean at this stage that you would probably not receive the new card until after October anyway.

 

[sully]

I like the tone of the SMH article. Hopefully it deters a large number of would be applicants. Get back in line indeed

 

[gaia]

Congrats!

My concern will be in June when I will renew my passport (as it's filled up after only 4 years) and my card expires in July...how long will the renewals take. I use the card almost weekly! I'm hoping that renewals will be faster.

Minimise delay by:

1. Get a new passport now
2. Get the passport number on your current card changed & carry both passports until replacement card received
3. Apply for new card when you have new passport and only ask for it when your current card expires

 

[jasonja3]

PRC just came through, after 10 weeks. Their new processing proceedures must be working well!!

 

[infoworks]

Thanks Sully & Gaia

I had heard your advice quite some time back, I realise now (hindsight being such good vision) but appreciate the details, now etched! The consequence is that I will probably apply for my new passport a bit earlier, rather than allow just a month until the apec card expires in July. June was good as it's (at the moment) the only time I have no overseas travel booked!

 

[simongr]

I like the tone of the SMH article. Hopefully it deters a large number of would be applicants. Get back in line indeed

Still another 14 months minimum wait for me - but its getting closer

 

[AnonymousCoward]

PRC just came through, after 10 weeks. Their new processing proceedures must be working well!!

On my card, I only have clearances for Aus, China PRC and Taiwan (after about 4 weeks), so it seems things are changing.

 

[tallboy]

I would have to agree.

I applied late July 2006, and my application response letter from the ABTC office was dated 01 August 2006.

First time I have checked in a while but I am now cleared for all economies, including PRC!

Expecting my new card in the mail sometime soon.

Cheers,

tb

Even though the ABTC site was showing me cleared for all economies one month ago, my final card has not been forwarded (as stated it will be on the site), so now making a manual request. Take note if you are in a hurry.

Cheers,

tb

 

[gaia]

Arrived LAX yesterday & went to the crew lane.

Immigration officer asked if he could help me in an ominous tone.

I said certainly, & produced APEC card. He said, ok.

Thru in less than a minute.

Looked back and there was at least 200 in the non-US queue.

Saved me at least 40 minutes.

 

[cssaus]

I went thru the international arrivals at LAX for United Airlines and I was all ready to flash my APEC card at the officer at the air crew line but as I got to the immigration hall I realised I was the first non US citizen to get there and no-one was in the visitors line. I thought it was pointless wandering up to the other end of the hall just to use the APEC card and went straight thru to the visitors counter and was the first one processed.

Oh well next trip.

 

[infoworks]

There is nothing more satisfying (immigration-wise) than being first in and no one ahead of you!

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

There is nothing more satisfying (immigration-wise) than being first in and no one ahead of you!

Not always. I have had some bad experiences arriving at immigration first to no queues.

 

[infoworks]

Not always. I have had some bad experiences arriving at immigration first to no queues.

I look forward to sharing some tales with you at some stage! I hate when the smartgate at Sydney isn't programmed (as it wasn't earlier this week) and I was first there by a mile or everyone is off dozing somewhere, but I've not had any "we're not letting you in" experiences! I am a "no one in front is good" rather than a "blend into the crowd" person.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

To be fair it wouldn't have made any difference whether I was first or not (on the specific occasions I refer to), since they were waiting for me :shock: