Consultation on Procedures for Issuing New APEC Cards

for Vietnamese Entrepreneurs

Eligible Recipients of the APEC Card

The APEC Card is issued to entrepreneurs holding management positions in businesses and cooperatives that meet the specified conditions. The management positions eligible for the APEC Card include:

- Owner of a private enterprise.

- Chairman of the Board of Members, member of the Board of Members.

- Chairman of the Board of Directors, member of the Board of Directors.

- General Director or Company Director.

- Chief Accountant.

- Department Head.

- Branch Manager.

CẤP THẺ APEC

Benefits of the APEC Card

The APEC Card provides visa-free travel to 19 countries within the APEC economic cooperation forum, excluding Canada and the United States. The APEC Card allows entrepreneurs to stay without limitations on the number of entries during the card's validity, with specific stay durations in each country as follows:

Nation	Duration of stay with APEC card
Taipei	90 days
Korea	90 days
Japan	90 days
Australia	90 days
Thailand	90 days
New Zealand	90 days
Mexico	90 days
Chile	90 days
Brunei	90 days
Peru	90 days
Nga	14 - 90 days
China	60 days
Hong Kong	60 days
Singapore	60 days
Malaysia	60 days
Papua New Guinea	60 days
Indonesia	60 days
Vietnam	60 days
Philippines	59 days

Conditions for Issuing the APEC Card

To be eligible for the APEC Card, entrepreneurs and their companies must meet the following conditions:

- The company must engage in investment, business, trade, and service activities in cooperation with APEC partners and comply with the law.

- The company must have revenue or export turnover that meets the regulations of each locality.

- Entrepreneurs must participate in social insurance as required by law, except in cases where it is not mandatory.

- Entrepreneurs must frequently travel to APEC countries.

- The passport must be valid for at least 5 years.

- Entrepreneurs must hold the management positions specified above.

- The company must comply strictly with tax, customs, and social insurance regulations.

Steps for Applying for a New APEC Card for Vietnamese Entrepreneurs

Step 1: Request Approval from the Provincial People's Committee for the Use of the APEC Card

- Depending on the regulations of each province, the Provincial People's Committee or an agency designated by the Provincial People's Committee will receive the company's application.

- Based on the opinions of relevant authorities such as the Police, Tax Department, Customs Department, Department of Industry and Trade, etc., regarding the company’s compliance with the law, the Provincial People's Committee will issue a decision approving the entrepreneur's use of the APEC Card.

Documents to Prepare:

- A request letter for the use of the APEC Card.

- Business registration certificate.

- Foreign trade/service provision contract not older than 12 months, along with documents such as: payment documents, L/C, bill of lading, customs declaration, commercial invoice, etc.

Entrepreneur's passport.

- Appointment decision for the entrepreneur's position.

- Employment contract of the entrepreneur.

- Documents related to the entrepreneur's participation in social insurance.

- Authorization letter from the applicant.

Step 2: Seek Opinions from APEC Member Countries through the Immigration Management Department

After obtaining approval from the Provincial People's Committee, the enterprise submits the application to the Immigration Management Department to seek opinions from the 18 APEC member countries.

Documents to Prepare:

- Application form for the ABTC.

- Entrepreneur's passport.

- Appointment decision for the entrepreneur's position.

- Document permitting the use of the APEC Card from the Provincial People's Committee.

Company legal documents.

APEC Card and Related Issues

The APEC Card helps entrepreneurs save time on visa applications when traveling to partner countries within the bloc. However, the process of applying for the APEC Card may encounter several issues, such as:

- The time taken to process the APEC Card application can be prolonged.

- The application for the APEC Card may be extensive and complex, requiring thorough and challenging document verification.

- Entrepreneurs may fail to demonstrate the necessity of using the APEC Card.

- Entrepreneurs and companies may violate the law and fail to rectify issues in a timely manner.

To facilitate a smooth and quick application process for the APEC Card, businesses can contact Á Đông for consultation and assistance in applying for the APEC Card.

CẤP THẺ APEC