VisaChile opens free online applications for the APEC business travel card
The 30 October launch removes paper filing and office visits. Travellers still need destination pre-clearance and a matching passport before using the virtual card.
Official source date: 2026-10-30 · Change takes effect: 2026-10-30
Last verified against linked sources:
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The 30 October launch removes paper filing and attendance
Chilean business travellers can now apply directly online for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card, known as ABTC, using ClaveÚnica. Chile’s National Migration Service, SERMIG, announced the digital service on 30 October 2026 with the international economic-relations authority SUBREI. The announcement says the application is free, fully online and replaces paper and manually scanned submissions, without requiring an office visit.
The change concerns the application channel. It does not mean an unapproved applicant can travel immediately or that every APEC destination has already authorised them. The announcement targets Chilean businesspeople, executives and entrepreneurs making short commercial, investment and business trips. Applicants should use the digital portal linked in the announcement and confirm their business evidence before assuming that downloading an app is enough to obtain a card.
Direct accreditation is free, while a chamber certificate can cost extra
SERMIG’s international-agreements guidance requires Chilean nationality, a valid Chilean ordinary or official passport, qualifying business activity and the stated criminal and commercial-record conditions. Naturalised Chileans are included in its description. Foreign residence in Chile alone should not be confused with eligibility to apply as a Chilean national. Government applicants have a separate SUBREI accreditation step.
The same guidance distinguishes direct SERMIG assessment, supported by business and employment documents, from obtaining accreditation through a participating business chamber. It says the virtual card itself costs nothing, but a chamber may charge approximately 100 US dollars for its certificate. That is not a government card fee or a compulsory charge for every applicant. The page’s introductory association-based wording sits alongside later instructions allowing direct accreditation. Read the later alternatives together with the launch announcement rather than treating chamber membership or a paid chamber certificate as unavoidable.
Pre-clearance remains a decision by each destination
APEC explains that the home economy first assesses an application, after which other participating economies independently consider pre-clearance. Approval from Chile does not bind another economy, and no home authority controls another participant’s processing time. The card identifies destinations that have actually authorised the holder. Use APEC’s status tracker to distinguish a pending destination from an approved one before finalising a trip.
The general scheme provides a five-year card for short business stays of up to sixty or ninety days, depending on the destination. Canada and the United States are transitional members: they offer expedited immigration processing but not the reciprocal visa-free entry arrangements. Priority lanes do not replace entry permission. Check the destination’s own business-visit conditions and permitted duration; card validity is not continuous residence permission.
Present the live virtual card rather than a screenshot
APEC’s cardholder FAQ, dated November 2020, explains the virtual card’s operational safeguards. Approved users receive an application identifier and access link. Only authorised cardholders can sign in; a saved screenshot is not accepted in place of the app’s card. This is established technical guidance for the regional system, not the date Chile launched its new domestic application channel.
The FAQ says the app can retain information temporarily in device memory when there is no connection, but travellers should open and refresh it before travel to check current validity and pre-clearance. Officials can see the last-refresh time. Keep the device charged and resolve missing photograph, signature or other information with the home authority before departure. If a device is lost, contact the home economy for a link allowing use on another device. The document does not establish an unlimited offline period or make an old cached approval permanently reliable.
For an Australian trip, check the passport link and AUS approval
Australia’s Home Affairs guidance provides a concrete destination check for Chilean cardholders. A valid virtual card showing AUS means no separate business-visitor visa application is needed: the ABTC application is legally also an application for an Australian subclass 600 Business Visitor visa. Australia nevertheless requires a valid visa for entry. This explains why “no separate visa application” is more precise than assuming no immigration permission exists.
The passport number linked to the card must match the passport used for travel. If the passport changes, ask the home economy to update the record. Australia also warns that obtaining another visa for activities outside ABTC coverage may affect future card-based travel authority. Confirm that issue with its ABTC team where relevant. Before booking, check approval, the passport link and the live app. Neither the digital launch nor this destination example guarantees an approval date.
