Taiwan exempts RP from visa requirements

MANILA, Philippines – Taiwan has added the Philippines to its list of countries eligible for visa exemption.

Effective March 1, 2009, Philippine passport holders are exempted from visa requirements and can stay in Taiwan for 30 days, provided that they have never worked in Taiwan as blue-collar workers.

Aside from the Philippines, the visa exemption also applies to passport holders of India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia who also possess a valid visa or permanent residence certificate issued by the US, Canada, Japan, U.K., Schengen Convention countries, Australia or New Zealand.

Citizens of the eligible countries who have never been employed in Taiwan as blue-collar workers have to first register their documents and personal data with the “Advance Online Registration System for the Visitors of Nationals from Five Southeast Asian Countries to Taiwan” at https://nas.immigration. gov.tw/nase/.

A confirmation sheet should be printed to validate the travelers’ status for online boarding and immigration check. Travelers who fail to produce the confirmation or a valid visa or permanent residence certificate issued by eligible countries will not be admitted into Taiwan. – Pia Lee Brago, Philippine Star