APEC Business Travel Card

[Beano]

I used to have an ABTC and it expired. I am sure the application criteria became more severe so didn't apply. Thinking about it again but one of the conditions in NZ is that it is not applicable if you are doing paid work. Is that the case in Australia?

 

[aaa99]

I went through the process at the end of last year. I applied for NZ version and there was no such condition saying it is not applicable for paid work. I just had to have quite bit of supporting documentation (from employer, flight tickets and passport stamps) to show that my work involves frequent travel to the APAC countries

 

[Beano]

I went through the process at the end of last year. I applied for NZ version and there was no such condition saying it is not applicable for paid work. I just had to have quite bit of supporting documentation (from employer, flight tickets and passport stamps) to show that my work involves frequent travel to the APAC countries

From Immigration NZ web site.

 

[aaa99]

I was not questioned on that.
It maybe refers to doing paid work in the country of visit?

 

[Beano]

Depends on how you define "Paid work". As an NZ citizen I can do paid work in Australia and if i go to Australia, Hong Kong or Singapore I could be working for a client who will pay my company. Is that not paid work where a portion of it is carried out in those countries?

 

[RealtimeY]

I think it's more akin to someone taking up employment overseas as opposed to fulfilling the duties of their regular job whilst overseas temporarily.

Frequently Asked Questions for APEC Business Travel Card Clients | APEC

www.apec.org

Question 15 – Can I use the ABTC for non-business purposes, such as tourism?

The ABTC is not designed for tourism purposes, but some economies may facilitate entry for cardholders depending on their circumstances. Please refer to the relevant economy for individual entry arrangements for cardholders and tourist visits (link).

In addition, the card cannot be used for travel by:

• Students;
• A business person’s spouse and children;
• Persons who wish to engage in paid employment or a working holiday; or,
• Professional athletes, news correspondents, entertainers, musicians, artists or persons engaged in similar occupations.

 

[Beano]

I think it's more akin to someone taking up employment overseas as opposed to fulfilling the duties of their regular job whilst overseas temporarily.

Frequently Asked Questions for APEC Business Travel Card Clients | APEC

www.apec.org

OK, I will try. Though I have been asked to pay Australian tax on work in Australia because the client thought we were "carrying on an enterprise" in Australia, i.e. paid work. It mean they took 30% of their fee off to pay the tax. We got our full fee by other means and never worked with them again. We now do fee up front before any of that kind of work is carried out in case this happens again. It was a small Strata Management company. I work for large International companies in Australia and never had that trouble.

 

[mandja]

Yes, that's what i was told when i finally did hear back. issue for me is that when i log in to my immi account I am not given the option to "

• click on the 'New Application' menu"

thus, i can't see the "APEC menu" etc.

I finally worked out for myself that the reason that i could not see the reapplication is that i was not a\"authorised" to do so. I applied for and within the hour received the ok to apply, which i have bnow done. Mind you the application asked me to attach a certified passport copy which i did PLUS a copy of the front and back of the old APEC card. Problem there cos i only have a digital card, so i attached 2 copies of that !.!!!

Lets see if/when it is processed.

 

[Darryl_Sydney]

This is the thread with the most current posts on VABTC, even through it has been running for years.

When I got my first ABTC in 2008, the Interim Card was processed in 7 days, and then a long wait for all the other countries until the final card was issued. That was fine, because I really only need it to fast-track immigration, which the Interim Card was sufficient for.

I would have thought the process would have been at least as fast with the move to virtual cards, but after 4 weeks there doesn't appear to be any movement, and I have travel to three countries early next month with notoriously long immigration waits. Of course Immi won't provide any updates or guidance on processing or wait times or whether anyone has even started on it yet.

To complicate matters, I have also had to update my passport since applying, and the ability to update that online seems to have been taken away. I took the opportunity to advise Immi that I am happy to proceed without any nominated 'priority countries' if it would speed up the application.

Does anyone have recent experience with NEW VABTC applications and expected wait times?

 

[mandja]

This is the thread with the most current posts on VABTC, even through it has been running for years.

When I got my first ABTC in 2008, the Interim Card was processed in 7 days, and then a long wait for all the other countries until the final card was issued. That was fine, because I really only need it to fast-track immigration, which the Interim Card was sufficient for.

I would have thought the process would have been at least as fast with the move to virtual cards, but after 4 weeks there doesn't appear to be any movement, and I have travel to three countries early next month with notoriously long immigration waits. Of course Immi won't provide any updates or guidance on processing or wait times or whether anyone has even started on it yet.

To complicate matters, I have also had to update my passport since applying, and the ability to update that online seems to have been taken away. I took the opportunity to advise Immi that I am happy to proceed without any nominated 'priority countries' if it would speed up the application.

Does anyone have recent experience with NEW VABTC applications and expected wait times?

You said "I have also had to update my passport since applying,"
Make sure that the application reflects the NEW passport as it will have a different number. In my case, i showed immi in Indonesia the card with old (expired) passport and it was still accepted

 

[Darryl_Sydney]

You said "I have also had to update my passport since applying,"
Make sure that the application reflects the NEW passport as it will have a different number. In my case, i showed immi in Indonesia the card with old (expired) passport and it was still accepted

Last time l looked at my application, there was an option to update it, but when I logged in today that option was gone.

I emailed homeaffairs and they asked me to send a photo of the bio-data page of the new passport, which I did,

Wouldn't answer any questions about how much longer tho. I advised I am travelling in early May and they just said to buy Visas, no more info provided.