Company affidavit / certificate of incorporation
Issued by the Department of Business Development. Overseas counterparts and authorities usually want a recent extract with the objectives, directors and authorised signatories translated in full.
APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC): how it works and what must be translated
Short answer
The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a card used together with an ordinary passport for short-term business travel to participating APEC economies, without applying for a separate visa each time. Card holders may use APEC Lanes at participating airports. The card is valid for five years, and only the economies that have completed pre-clearance for that applicant are printed on the back. In Thailand, eligible applicants lodge through the Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our part of the process is translating and certifying the supporting corporate and personal documents.
Key facts
| Format | Credit-card sized, showing a photograph, signature, full name, date of birth, passport number and the list of pre-cleared economies. |
|---|---|
| Validity | Five years, and only valid with the passport used in the application. |
| Entries | Multiple entry within the card's validity; the permitted stay per entry is set by each economy (commonly around 60–90 days). |
| Permitted purpose | Short-term business travel only. Travelling for another purpose may lead the border officer at destination to refuse use of the card on that trip. |
| Receiving authority in Thailand | Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
| What the card is not | It is not a work permit, not a student visa, and it does not replace legalisation or certified translation of documents. |
Participating economies
Nineteen economies participate fully in the ABTC scheme: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Viet Nam, Mexico and Russia. The United States and Canada take part as transitional members, which gives card holders access to fast-track immigration lanes but does not waive the visa requirement. Participation and conditions can change, so check the Department of Consular Affairs and APEC before every trip.
Step by step
1. Check eligibility before preparing documents
Applicants are generally business people or executives who travel regularly on business within APEC economies, with a clean travel history, no criminal conviction and no record of being refused entry by a participating economy. The exact criteria and evidence required are those published by the Department of Consular Affairs at the time of lodgement.
2. Collect corporate and personal documents
A typical set includes an ordinary passport with sufficient validity remaining, a company affidavit (certificate of incorporation), the shareholder list (Bor Or Jor 5), a letter confirming employment or directorship, and evidence of business need such as contracts or invitation letters from overseas counterparts.
3. Translate every Thai-language document in full
Corporate records and certificates issued in Thai should be translated into English in full: body text, seals, signatures and marginal notes. Spell personal and company names exactly as they appear in the passport and in the registration records, consistently across the whole set.
4. Lodge with the Department of Consular Affairs and await pre-clearance
Applicant details are sent to each participating economy for separate pre-clearance, so approvals return at different times. Only approved economies are printed on the back of the card. Processing times belong to each economy and vary through the year.
5. Check the card and use it within its conditions
On receipt, check the name, passport number and the economies listed on the back. Use the card only with the passport it was issued against, and only for short-term business travel.
Documents we translate for this process
Shareholder list (Bor Or Jor 5)
Used to show the applicant's standing in the company. Translate the header, the columns and every endorsement, and keep name spellings identical to the affidavit.
Employment or directorship letter
Confirms position, start date and business travel need. Should be signed by an authorised signatory and carry the company seal where the company uses one.
Business evidence
Contracts, purchase orders or invitation letters from counterparts in the destination economy. Translate the parties, dates and signature blocks; do not summarise.
Documents for use in Australia
Where a Thai document is submitted to an Australian authority, that authority commonly expects a translation by a NAATI-certified translator. Check the requirement published by the receiving authority before ordering.
Common mistakes
- • Assuming the card allows work: it covers short-term business travel only, never employment.
- • Renewing the passport after applying — the card is tied to the passport used in the application.
- • Name spellings that differ between the passport, the affidavit and the translations.
- • Submitting partial translations that omit seal text, endorsements or the reverse side.
- • Expecting all economies to appear on the card at once; pre-clearance results arrive separately.
- • Assuming the ABTC replaces legalisation or a NAATI certified translation — they are different systems.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ABTC replace a visa for Australia?
For participating economies the card is used in place of a separate business visitor visa within its conditions. Australia participates in the scheme, but entry conditions and permitted activities are those published by the Department of Home Affairs; confirm them before travelling.
Can I work in the destination economy with an ABTC?
No. The card covers short-term business activity such as meetings, negotiations and site visits. Paid employment requires the appropriate work authorisation in that economy.
What happens if I change my passport?
The card is issued against a specific passport. If the passport changes, follow the Department of Consular Affairs procedure for updating or reissuing the card before relying on it at the border.
Why are some economies missing from the back of my card?
Each participating economy runs its own pre-clearance. Only those that have approved you are printed. Approvals can be added later as they come through.
What are the fees and processing times?
Government fees and pre-clearance times are set by the Department of Consular Affairs and by each economy, and they change. Check the department's website directly. Our translation and certification charges depend on page count and language pair — ask our staff by phone, LINE or email.
Do you lodge the ABTC application for me?
Lodgement is done by the applicant with the Department of Consular Affairs under that department's rules. We handle the translation and certification of supporting documents such as the company affidavit, Bor Or Jor 5, employment letters and business documents intended for use abroad.
Official sources
Content reviewed August 2026. General information on document preparation, not legal or migration advice. Eligibility, fees and processing times are those published by the relevant authority at the time of lodgement.
Official sources you can verify
The information on this page is based on the official sources below. Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — always confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.
- APEC Business Travel Card — apec.orgScheme rules for the APEC Business Travel Card.
- Thai Immigration BureauExtensions of stay and immigration procedures in Thailand.
APEC Business Travel Card questions
Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.
What is the APEC Business Travel Card used for?
It gives pre-cleared short-stay business entry to participating APEC economies. Eligibility, fees and processing are decided by the issuing economy's authority, and each participating economy approves entry separately.
Source: APEC Business Travel Card
Which documents typically need translating for an ABTC application?
Company registration extracts, evidence of the applicant's position, and supporting financial or trade documents where they are not in the language the issuing authority accepts.
Does approval by one economy mean approval by all?
No. Each participating economy clears applicants independently, and a card can be issued with some economies still pending or refused.
Source: APEC Business Travel Card
Can the card be used for work in another economy?
It is for short business visits, not employment. Working in another economy requires the relevant work authorisation from that economy.
How long does an application take?
Processing spans the issuing authority plus every economy that must clear the applicant, so timing varies widely. Check the issuing authority's current guidance rather than relying on anecdotes.
Source: APEC Business Travel Card
Who is eligible for an APEC Business Travel Card?
Eligibility is set by the applicant's home economy and generally covers business people engaged in trade or investment across APEC economies, subject to character requirements. Each participating economy then approves or declines pre-clearance separately.
Source: APEC Business Travel Card
Which documents typically support an ABTC application?
Passport, evidence of the business and your role in it, company registration documents and, where required, a police certificate. Documents not in the required language are usually submitted with a certified translation.
Source: APEC Business Travel Card
Does an ABTC replace a visa?
It provides pre-cleared entry to the economies that approved you, within the card's validity and conditions. Economies that did not approve you are not covered, so check the card's back before travelling.
Source: APEC Business Travel Card
How this usually plays out
Illustrative scenarios used to explain how the process works. They are not individual customer cases and are not a guarantee of any authority's decision.
Supporting documents for a business travel card
Client: Thai company employee · Location: Bangkok, Thailand
- Services involved
- Checklist review · Certified translation
- Documents
- Company registration extract · Employment letter
- What we handled
- • Worked from the issuing authority's published document list
- • Translated the company documents that were not already in English
- Where it usually goes wrong
- Using a company extract older than the authority accepts
- Process outcome
- A current document set matching the published list
Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.