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APEC Business Travel Card: China Extends Stay to 90 Days

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Nov 4, 2026
Bright arrivals hall at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport with a glowing welcome sign and polished floor

If you hold an APEC Business Travel Card cleared for China, your next trip just got longer. From 1 November 2026, China extends the maximum stay for cardholders from 60 days to 90 days (Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MFA], 2026b). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted the notice on 30 October, two days before it took effect. It is one sentence long. Short, yes — but for anyone who works a long autumn of trade fairs and factory visits, those thirty extra days change how a trip can be planned.

This post covers what the notice says, where the 90 days came from, who actually gains, and the questions the text leaves open. For the card itself and how APEC works, see our guide to APEC 2026 in Shenzhen.

What the APEC Business Travel Card Notice Says

The whole notice fits in a line. To keep business travel across the Asia-Pacific moving, China raises the maximum stay for cardholders from 60 to 90 days, starting 1 November 2026 (MFA, 2026b). That is the entire text. In short, here is what you can take from it:

  • Old limit: 60 days.
  • New limit: 90 days.
  • Effective date: 1 November 2026.
  • Issued by: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on 30 October 2026.
  • Who it names: holders of the card. Nothing else.

Notice what is missing. The text does not mention pre-clearance, entry ports, or how the days are counted. It does not say whether a stay that began before 1 November gets the longer limit. Those gaps matter, and we come back to them below.

Where the 90 Days Came From

The number was not a surprise. In late August, the APEC Business Mobility Group held its second meeting of the year in Dalian, on 23–24 August. Around 60 visa and immigration officials from 20 economies attended. There, five economies agreed to lift the maximum stay from 60 to 90 days: China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore (MFA, 2026a).

The catch was timing. Each economy would set its own start date. So the August statement was a promise, and the October notice is China keeping it.

Hong Kong moved on the same day. Its Immigration Department said that from 1 November, cardholders with Hong Kong pre-clearance can stay visa-free for 90 days. Other entry arrangements stay as they were (China Daily Hong Kong, 2026). Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore are a different story. At the time of writing, we have not seen their start dates confirmed. Until they announce one, assume the old limit still applies there.

Who Gains From a 90-Day APEC Business Travel Card Stay

Start with the condition, not the nationality. The card is not a single pass for the whole region. You apply once, to your home economy. Then every other economy decides separately whether to pre-clear you, and your card lists the ones that did (APEC, 2026). So the new limit only helps you if China appears on your card.

That said, the people who notice the difference will be a fairly specific group. Think of buyers who stay through a full trade-fair season. Or quality managers who sit in a supplier city for weeks. Or anyone who used to fly out at day 55 just to reset the clock. For them, 90 days is roughly a quarter of the year on one entry — assuming the limit works per visit, which reporting suggests but the notice itself does not spell out.

How does it compare with the other routes in? Briefly:

  • Unilateral visa-free entry: up to 30 days per entry for ordinary passports on the eligible list. See China’s unilateral visa-free policy. The scheme currently runs to 31 December 2026 (State Council, 2025).
  • M visa: the standard route for business visits. The permitted stay is set on the visa itself. Our China business visa guide covers the application.
  • ABTC with China pre-clearance: now up to 90 days, and no separate visa application for each trip.

In other words, the card has quietly become the longest visa-free business option we know of for the mainland. The trade-off is the slow application at the front end.

If Your APEC Business Travel Card Was Issued by China

This change is about entering China. A card issued by China, to a Chinese passport holder, is for travel to the other economies. How long you can stay in Singapore or Jakarta is set by those economies, not by this notice. So if that is your card, watch for their announcements instead.

What Doesn’t Change for APEC Business Travel Card Holders

The notice touches one number. Everything else in the scheme reads the same as before (APEC, 2026):

  • You still apply through your home economy, and China still runs its own pre-clearance.
  • The card still covers short-term business travel. It is not a work or residence permit.
  • Cards from fully participating economies are still valid for up to five years.
  • Fast-track lanes at major international airports still apply.
  • Canada and the United States remain transitional members, with fast-track lanes but no pre-cleared entry.

The second point deserves a pause. Ninety days in a factory town can start to look like a job, and that is exactly where trouble begins. If you will be employed in China, the card is the wrong document. The Z (work) visa process is the right one, slow as it is.

If You Don’t Hold an APEC Business Travel Card Yet

The longer stay may tempt you to apply. Fair enough — but do it for next year, not next month. The application goes to the economy that issued your passport. Hong Kong permanent residents apply to Hong Kong. Each destination then clears you on its own schedule, and no economy controls how fast another one works (APEC, 2026). Eligibility also has limits. You generally need a passport from a participating economy, regular business travel in the region and a clean criminal record. On top of that, your home economy may add its own criteria.

Questions the Notice Leaves Open

A one-sentence notice can only say so much. Three practical points are not covered, and we would rather flag them than guess:

  • Per entry or per period? Reports describe 90 days per visit. The notice itself only says “maximum period of stay.”
  • Already in China on 1 November? The text does not say whether an ongoing stay gets the extra 30 days.
  • Every port? The notice names no ports, so it does not limit them. Then again, it does not list them either.

If any of these decides your plans, ask before you rely on it. The immigration service hotline is 12367. The border officer at your entry point is the final word, so it also helps to ask on arrival how long your entry is good for.

Why It Lands Now

Timing tells part of the story. China hosts APEC in 2026, and the Leaders’ Meeting comes to Shenzhen on 18–19 November. Raising the limit a fortnight before is a fairly clear signal to the business community the summit is meant to court. Mobility has also been a running theme of China’s host year — the Dalian meeting was framed around the year’s theme of an Asia-Pacific community that prospers together (MFA, 2026a).

Does it matter beyond the summit? Probably, yes. Visa-free options for the mainland have widened steadily for two years. This change fits that pattern, but aims at a narrower, frequent-flying audience.

FAQ: The APEC Business Travel Card 90-Day Stay

When does the 90-day stay start?

On 1 November 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it on 30 October 2026 (MFA, 2026b).

Do I need a new card to get 90 days?

The notice does not mention reissuing cards. It applies to APEC Business Travel Card holders as a group. What you do need is China pre-clearance on your existing card.

Does the virtual card count?

The virtual card is part of the same scheme, and the notice does not separate the two (APEC, 2026). If your virtual card shows China pre-clearance, the same limit should apply. Confirm with 12367 if unsure.

Is Hong Kong also 90 days now?

Yes, for cardholders with Hong Kong pre-clearance, also from 1 November 2026. Hong Kong runs its own clearance, separate from the mainland’s (China Daily Hong Kong, 2026).

Before Your Next Trip

  • Check that China is listed as pre-cleared on your card.
  • Check your passport validity. The card does not replace it.
  • Plan for business activity only. Employment needs a work visa.
  • For Indonesia, the Philippines or Singapore, check each start date separately.
  • Note the exit date your entry allows, and keep a margin.

Sixty days became ninety. For most travellers it changes nothing. For the few who live out of a suitcase in Shenzhen, Yiwu or Suzhou, it may change quite a lot.

References

APEC. (2026). APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC and virtual ABTC). Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Retrieved from https://www.apec.org/what-we-do/committee-on-trade-and-investment/business-mobility-group/apec-business-travel-card-abtc-and-virtual-abtc

China Daily Hong Kong. (2026, October 31). HK extends visa-free stay for APEC card holders to 90 days. Retrieved from https://www.chinadailyhk.com/article/642053

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. (2026a, August 27). The Second Meeting of the APEC Business Mobility Group in 2026 was successfully held in Dalian. Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zzjg_663340/lss_665290/xgxw_665292/202608/t20260827_12011348.html

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. (2026b, October 30). Announcement on the extension of maximum period of stay for APEC Business Travel Card holders. Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zzjg_663340/lss_665290/xgxw_665292/202610/t20261030_12049846.html

State Council of the People’s Republic of China. (2025, November 4). China widens visa-free access in latest opening-up move. Retrieved from https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202511/04/content_WS69094ae0c6d00ca5f9a07472.html