APEC Business Travel Card - Express Immigration Clearance

[wozza62]

You don't need an APEC card to get the E channel barcode for Hong Kong airport.
You can do it 2 other ways that I know of. If you travel to Hong Kong 3 or more times a year you can apply online for a free Hong Kong Frequent Visitors card, and then get the E channel barcode after that. Also the E channel applications do accept some Airline frequent flyer cards as well as a substitute for APEC or HKFV.
Also I can confirm that Hong Kong does still have an APEC lane, just look for the Immigration booths with the green coloured lettering on the sign above.

 

[infoworks]

The barcode is good and usually no one in line. One downside is that it is stuck in a corner on the back of the passport cover. I have had to have it replaced (means visiting the booth and they reissue, and with simple paperwar) because it was peeling off, a consequence of over-use of my passport and an immigration officer peeling it off and resticking it one one time when they thought it hadn't been put on squarely and was having problems with the scanners!

 

[Danger]

Speaking in the House of Representatives yesterday, Hon Julie Bishop said:

"I welcome the tabling of the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade's inquiry into Australia’s trade and investment relations with Asia, the Pacific and Latin America . . .

I support recommendation 1 which states that we should: Work towards the admission of India to membership of APEC as soon as possible.

. . .

I note recommendation 6: That Australia should strongly encourage the complete acceptance of the APEC Business Travel Card by the remaining members of APEC; and also explore the possibility of establishing a similar arrangement with other trading partners, e.g. non-APEC economies in Latin America, the EU and India.

Recent changes to the eligibility requirements for the APEC business card have adversely affected hundreds if not thousands of smaller businesses in Australia. The government has dallied on this matter. I understand that the relevant minister has been sitting for weeks on a departmental report designed to ease the red tape burdens.

​

(http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr120911.pdf)

 

[infoworks]

I have also heard along the way that the tightened requirements reflect 1. some "roting" of the system with application info that were not really genuine jobs and 2. that other APEC members complaained that 60% of cards issued were by Australia.

Including India would be very helpful as would a consistent inclusion across the Americas, but I can't see that happening.

 

[dajop]

Including India would be very helpful as would a consistent inclusion across the Americas, but I can't see that happening.

India would be nice. But hard to see the Indian government giving up the $400 visa fee!

 

[cssaus]

Well it was good while it lasted

I might have been able to crack a card through the fact that I own my company but now unlikely to meet the $$$$ requirements (if only!).

Hopefully things might change.

 

[HW]

Speaking in the House of Representatives yesterday, Hon Julie Bishop said:

"I welcome the tabling of the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade's inquiry into Australia’s trade and investment relations with Asia, the Pacific and Latin America . . .

I support recommendation 1 which states that we should: Work towards the admission of India to membership of APEC as soon as possible.

. . .

I note recommendation 6: That Australia should strongly encourage the complete acceptance of the APEC Business Travel Card by the remaining members of APEC; and also explore the possibility of establishing a similar arrangement with other trading partners, e.g. non-APEC economies in Latin America, the EU and India.

Recent changes to the eligibility requirements for the APEC business card have adversely affected hundreds if not thousands of smaller businesses in Australia. The government has dallied on this matter. I understand that the relevant minister has been sitting for weeks on a departmental report designed to ease the red tape burdens.

​

(http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr120911.pdf)

They could allow applicants to select which countries to pre-clear, rather than get them all pre-cleared.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Well it was good while it lasted

I might have been able to crack a card through the fact that I own my company but now unlikely to meet the $$$$ requirements (if only!).

Hopefully things might change.

Things have changed - the 5Mil req has basically been removed - was recently re-approved with T/O well below that figure.