The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) acts like a visa, allowing cardholders, along with their passports, to travel to participating APEC member countries for short-term business trips without needing a separate visa. This initiative, spearheaded by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), aims to facilitate business travel among APEC member economies.

The card saves time and costs associated with visa applications and immigration procedures. Currently, 19 APEC economies participate: Australia, Brunei, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Mexico, and Russia. More APEC members are expected to join in the future. The United States has joined the ABTC as a temporary member; therefore, Thailand and the US do not yet offer pre-clearance to each other's business travelers. If a Thai ABTC cardholder wishes to travel to the United States, they must first obtain a US visa. However, they can use the ABTC lane at US international airports to facilitate immigration by presenting their ABTC card to immigration officers. It's important to note that using the ABTC card for US entry is only a facilitation service, not a visa exemption.

Regarding Canada, since January 1, 2008, Canada has allowed ABTC cardholders to enter the country using special counters at eight international airports: Vancouver International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport (Terminal 1 and 2), Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport, Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport, Calgary International Airport, Winning James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, and Edmonton International Airport.

Furthermore, the facilitation of entry into Canada for ABTC cardholders who meet the visa requirements while Canada is joining the ABTC program will be implemented in phase two to provide Canadian business travelers within the APEC region with convenient access. While airport entry and exit procedures are expedited, ABTC cardholders still need to apply for a visa from the Canadian embassy before traveling to Canada.