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Holders of APEC Business Travel Cards (ABTC) can use the special service lanes at selected control points of participating economies for entry and exit clearance regardless of whether pre-clearance has been granted from June 1, 2008.
An Immigration Department spokesman said that the ABTC Scheme aimed to enhance the mobility of business travellers among the APEC economies, thus promoting business within the region.
Eighteen APEC economies are currently participating in the Scheme - Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam.
In Hong Kong, applications for an ABTC are open to people holding Hong Kong permanent identity cards and valid national passports. Applicants must be bona fide businesspeople, have no criminal record, and they must not have been refused entry to any of the participating economies. Applicants also need to travel frequently on short-term business visits to the APEC economies.
The ABTC is the size of a credit card. It is normally valid for three years. The card is good for multiple visits of two to three months to participating economies without the need for a visa if pre-clearance has been granted.
The spokesman said, "Currently, holders of an ABTC who have obtained pre-clearance from the participating economies may enjoy streamlined immigration clearance at the control points of these economies including using the special service lanes. With effect from June 1, 2008, cardholders can use the special service lanes at selected control points of participating economies (except Chinese Taipei and Japan which will announce the implementation at later dates) regardless of whether pre-clearance has been granted by that economy. For cardholders travelling to a participating economy where pre-clearance has not been granted, they are still subject to the usual immigration clearance process, such as presenting valid passports and where applicable, valid visas."
Ends/Friday, May 30, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:53
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