How to Apply for the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC)

To apply for the APEC Business Travel Card as a U.S. citizen, submit your application online through the Trusted Traveler Programs portal at ttp.dhs.gov, the same site used for Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI. The fee is $70, the card is valid for up to five years, and it gives you access to fast-track immigration lanes at airports across 21 APEC economies.¹ One caveat worth knowing up front: because the United States is a transitional member of the program, a U.S.-issued card does not waive visa requirements the way it does for citizens of fully participating economies.²

Who Qualifies

Three conditions must all be true. You have to be a U.S. citizen, an active member of a CBP trusted traveler program (Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI), and a bona fide business person engaged in trade, services, or investment in the APEC region.³ U.S. government officials actively engaged in APEC business also qualify.⁴

“Bona fide business person” is defined broadly, covering anyone trading goods, providing services, or conducting investment in the region. It explicitly excludes professional athletes, news correspondents, entertainers, musicians, and artists when they travel in those capacities.² The card cannot be used for paid employment in a foreign economy, only short-term business visits.⁴

Your trusted traveler membership must stay active for the entire life of the card. If Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI lapses or is revoked, the ABTC goes with it.⁴

What to Have Ready

Before logging in, gather:

Your valid U.S. passport. The card’s expiration is tied to it, so a passport with only a year or two left produces a short-lived card.
Your nine-digit trusted traveler PASSID, found on the back of your Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI card or inside your TTP account.
Business documentation: your employer’s legal name, your role, and details showing you actively trade, provide services, or invest in the APEC region.

Confirm your name, address, and contact details match your trusted traveler profile and passport exactly. Mismatches are a common source of processing delays.

Submitting the Application

Everything is done through ttp.dhs.gov.⁵ The path splits based on whether you already have trusted traveler status:

If you already hold Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI, log in, open the Dashboard, find Program Memberships, and click “Apply for APEC Business Travel Card.” Fill out the application fields from there.³
If you’re new, you can apply for both a trusted traveler program and the ABTC at the same time. On the Program Selection step, check the box for the U.S. APEC Business Travel Card alongside your chosen trusted traveler program.³

The $70 fee is non-refundable whether or not you’re approved, and it’s charged on top of any fee for the underlying trusted traveler program.¹ Once payment clears, the portal generates a confirmation with a reference number for tracking.

What Happens After You Submit

The application goes through two layers of review. CBP first screens you against federal security databases. If you already have active Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI, much of that background check is already satisfied, but CBP still runs its own ABTC-specific review.⁴

Once CBP clears you, your application is forwarded to other APEC economies for pre-clearance. Each one screens you against its own databases and requirements independently. This is where timing becomes unpredictable. Some economies respond quickly, others take months, and total processing time ranges from several weeks to several months depending on how responsive foreign governments are.

After approval, you need to visit a CBP Trusted Traveler Enrollment Center in person for signature collection before the card can be issued.³ The physical card is then mailed to your registered address.

Tracking Your Application

Two places show progress. Your TTP account displays CBP status updates. For a more detailed view of which individual economies have granted pre-clearance, use the ABTC System status page at abtc-aps.org, where you can look up your case by application number or passport number.⁶

What the Card Actually Does for U.S. Holders

The transitional-member status matters, so it’s worth being clear about what a U.S.-issued card does and doesn’t do.⁷ For cardholders from fully participating economies like Australia, Japan, or Singapore, the ABTC functions like a multi-country business visa, allowing visa-free entry to listed economies for stays of up to 60 or 90 days.⁸ For U.S. holders, it does not replace visas. No economies are listed on the back of a U.S.-issued card, and you must still carry whatever passport, visa, or entry documents the destination requires.²

What the card does provide is access to dedicated fast-track immigration lanes at airports across APEC economies, and that benefit applies to every cardholder regardless of whether the issuing economy is fully participating or transitional.⁷ For frequent business travelers moving through busy airports in Tokyo, Sydney, or Singapore, the lane access alone can save real time. Show up without the visa or entry documents the destination requires, though, and you’ll be sent to a regular line or refused entry.²

How Long the Card Lasts

A U.S.-issued ABTC is valid for five years from issuance or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.¹ A passport with two years left will produce a two-year card. If yours is close to expiring, renew it before applying.

Denial, Revocation, and Reconsideration

CBP can suspend or revoke a card for several reasons:²

Providing false or inaccurate information in the application or during review.
Violating program terms, such as using the card for paid foreign employment rather than short-term business.
An arrest, conviction, or other change that makes you ineligible.
Loss of trusted traveler status. If Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI is revoked or lapses, the ABTC is automatically revoked with it.

If your application is denied, you can request reconsideration through the TTP website. The request goes to an Ombudsman and must include the date and reason for denial from your letter, a written explanation addressing the issue, and court disposition documents for any arrests or convictions, including expunged ones.²

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) for U.S. Citizens
2
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. APEC Travel Card Program FAQs
3
Trusted Traveler Programs. Trusted Traveler Programs – Frequently Asked Questions
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eCFR. 8 CFR 235.13 – U.S. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Card Program
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U.S. Customs and Master Protection. APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) for U.S. Citizens
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ABTC System. Check Status
7
APEC. Frequently Asked Questions for APEC Business Travel Card Clients
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APEC. APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC and Virtual ABTC)