This is the mobile format of the APEC Business Travel Card. (Ministry of Justice)

By Gil Kyuyoung

The APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Business Travel Card, which allows business travelers from APEC member states to enter 19 economies in the group including Korea quickly and easily without a visa, will soon get a mobile version.

The Ministry of Justice and the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) on April 18 said they will issue the mobile card from April 21.

Launched in 1997 to facilitate human exchanges among APEC businesspeople, the card allows a holder to enter 19 of APEC's 21 member economies without a visa: Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Peru, Chile, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico and Russia.

Card holders can also use the fast-track immigration lane at airports. When entering the U.S. and Canada, both transitional members of this program, only fast-track processing is available.

Eligible for the card are staff from companies with annual exports or imports of USD 100,000 or more or those with foreign direct investment of at least USD 100,000; personnel from companies with overseas construction contracts; and staff of the Federation of Korean Industries.

A holder can use the mobile card via smartphone app instead of the physical one. The card is valid for five years.

The ministry said, "The mobile card is expected to enhance user convenience by reducing issuance time from six months for the physical card to just two for the mobile one."

More information on the card is available on KITA's website (http://abtc.kita.net).

gilkyuyoung@korea.kr