As an alternative to obtaining a visa for certain countries, there is a special APEC business card that provides simplified entry to 21 economies. In particular, Thailand allows a stay of up to 90 days based on this card without the need to leave the country. Each time the border is crossed, this period starts again.
To obtain the card, the applicant must have no criminal record or ongoing criminal proceedings in the participating economies. To confirm this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of each country must approve the issuance of the card for each applicant. If some countries refuse approval, the applicant will still receive the card, but the list of countries printed on the back will exclude those that denied approval.
In addition to visa-free entry, cardholders are also granted access to a dedicated immigration lane, allowing them to pass passport control via a diplomatic corridor, bypassing regular queues.
The processing time for the card ranges from 2 to 8 months.
The APEC card is valid for 5 years, and accordingly, your passport must remain valid for the same period. If, at the time of application, the passport expires in less than 5 years, the card can still be issued, but it will only be valid until the passport expiry date.
APEC member economies and permitted stay duration:
| Economy | Stay duration |
|---|---|
| Australia | 90 days |
| Brunei | 90 days |
| Vietnam | 60 days |
| Hong Kong | 60 days |
| Indonesia | 60 days |
| Canada | As per issued visa |
| China | 60 days |
| Malaysia | 60 days |
| Mexico | 90 days |
| New Zealand | 90 days |
| Papua New Guinea | 60 days |
| Peru | 90 days |
| Singapore | 60 days |
| USA | As per issued visa |
| Taiwan | 90 days |
| Thailand | 90 days |
| Philippines | 59 days |
| Chile | 90 days |
| South Korea | 90 days |
| Japan | 60 days |