Posted by
HkScot
17 yrs ago
Just been to renew my 3 Year China Visa - got it done no problem, no complaints. Well....actually....No I won't complain it was thankfully back to the normal inefficiency which we have all got used to.
However, I've only just realised that (it seems that) getting an APEC is both cheap and straightforward - as long as you "do business", have a HK PR, and HKD$427.
So maybe getting an APEC is slightly less straightforward than a simple one off visa, however it last for 3 years, gets you into most countries around us and you can stay upwards of 30 days. And it's $427 - a third of the price I paid for my 3-year China alone!
Is there any reason why I shouldn't be going down this route, or am I an idiot for not thinking about this earlier?
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Ed
17 yrs ago
APEC Card is more valuable than gold!!!
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Mr Smith (and Ed) - Thanks for your responses
Do you mind expanding on what you mean by "China has started to approve APEC card applications". It could mean a number of things, essentially the only thing I want/need it to mean is: "If you apply for an APEC in HK as a HK resident, China is one of the countries where you can use the fast-track/VIP queue." Is that the same as what you meant?
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I thought you had to be an APEC country passport holder to get an APEC card? My husband has one as he has NZ passport but I can't get one as mine is British. It took about a year for him to get all the countries to approve it and was held up mainly by China and the US which took the longest.
If you can get one though its a real plus saves a fortune on visas if you travel regularly.
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Ed
17 yrs ago
Passport holder or permanent resident of a member country.
Of all the destinations China took the longest for approval - what you can do is issue your card with the initial destinations then check online for the china approval and re-issue the card.
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kellieja you may have been wrongly advised. British passport holders can indeed have an APEC card as long as you are a HK perm resident.
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Thanks again for all advice - so while I wait for the paranoid US and China to accept me, the APEC will be active for all the other countries - right?
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Ed
17 yrs ago
The card lists the countries that you are approved for on the back... so you can visit those countries visa free. As you are approved for new countries you simply ask for a new card (takes two weeks)
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I have one and it is fantastic. By the way, the China approval came through after only 2.5 months. Some of the other countries took up to 4 months.
As an Australian passport holder, I lodged my application via post (from Germany) through Australia.
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Decision made - I'll get onto this as a priority in the New Year - thanks for advice everyone, Merry Christmas.
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lace
17 yrs ago
Alex you were lucky, due to the Olympics the China approval took me 8 months. It just came through two weeks ago. Still pretty handy as my visa expires in late January.
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China did halt APEC approvals during the Olympic period, but they are now processing again no problems. I got mine a few months ago, and surprisingly, Taiwan is still not approved (you can get an interim card in the meantime if most countries have approved). The US though does not grant full access - you still need to get a normal visa for the US, but you can use the express/flight crew lane there, that is the only benefit.
They are great. Best thing I've done in a while - has anyone renewed/lengthened their stay in a country though having stayed there 60 days? Just wondering what the procedure is, or whether you have to leave the country. Im at my 60 day limit in China now, but can't be arsed flying to HK or Shenzhen just to walk through the border and back again 10 minutes later just to get more time...
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Ed
17 yrs ago
You can stay 3 months in PRC with the card. China however took by far the longest for approval, I think 6 months.
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Recently applied for this card and noticed that I have approvals for all countries listed except:
The strange thing though, my application was DECLINED China
Has anyone applying for the APEC been declined by PRC?
How can I find out why they declined me?
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