APEC

Procedures for Non PNG Citizens Seeking APEC Business Entry Permit

This information is for passport holders of economies participating in the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme.

Current participants in the APEC Business Travel Card scheme are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand.

Entry procedures for processing APEC Business Travel Card foreign passport holders:

• The applicant is not a PNG citizen and is the holder of a foreign valid passport issued by a participating economy and a valid APEC Business Travel Card.
• Foreign APEC business travel card holders can enter and exit PNG only through the international entry port at Jackson’s International Airport and Tokua.
• The holder must present the valid foreign passport and valid APEC business travel card at the designated immigration processing line at above mentioned designated ports of entry.
• An officer after examining the passport and APEC Business travel Card and being satisfied that they are valid documents will then orally advise the applicant that an APEC Business entry permit for business purposes has been granted and is valid for 60 days from the date of entry. The officer then will use the normal wet stamp to stamp the entry date in the passport and record the entry in the movement database.

Dependents

Dependents of APEC Business Travel Card holders can apply for tourist entry permits online (if eligible) at PNG Diplomatic missions or upon arrival in PNG.

Validity

The APEC Business card holder entry permit is valid while the holder’s passport and Business card remain valid and is good for multiple entries for a stay of up to 60 days.

Holders of APEC Business Travel Cards issued by their Governments who reside in PNG under another entry permit must comply with normal stay requirements under the respective Acts of PNG.

Extension of Stay

No extensions of stay are permitted. Foreign Business persons who overstay will be reported to their respective Government and banned from returning to PNG.

Where to Apply

Foreign nationals from APEC participating economies must apply in their country of residence for an APEC Business Travel Card.

An application for entry into PNG using the APEC Business Travel Card issued by the respective participating economy will be electronically transmitted by the participating economy through the APEC dedicated network to ICA and will be deemed to be an application for an entry permit.

A decision on whether the application has been approved or denied will be transmitted back to the applicant’s participating economy. The participating economy will advise the foreign national of the decision.

It is to be noted that the applicant would have undergone various security and character checks and their application vetted by an approved authority in their respective economies, therefore are bonafide business persons.

Migration Service Fees

There is NIL fee to be paid to ICA by Foreign Business Persons, APEC has decided that only participating economies will be permitted to charge fees on their applicants.