For the second successive year, Taiwan has extended its visa-free privilege for Filipinos for another year, or until July 31, 2020.
The Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s official name, said “the visa-free privilege for Philippines nationals “will continue for another year from August 1, 2019, through July 31, 2020.”
“This privilege is a display of Taiwan’s amity with the Philippines as the country continues to boost the travel convenience for Filipinos to visit Taiwan for leisure, business or other short-term purposes,” the Taiwan Economic Cooperation Office (Teco) said in a news statement issued on Wednesday.
It added that the visa-free privilege “also aims to deepen Taiwan’s multifaceted relations with the Philippines, particularly in the fields of tourism, trade, investment, education, agriculture, fisheries and health care, and many more.”
Taiwan said, the Philippines is not only their closest neighbor but also a priority partner for Taiwan’s “new southbound policy.”
The self-ruled island had adopted the new southbound policy two years ago “to build stronger bilateral relations and closer people-to-people connectivity with its neighboring countries in the region.”
Teco said the visa-free treatment, first introduced on November 1, 2017, has resulted in a rapid increase of Filipinos visiting Taiwan.
In 2018, visitors from the Philippines reached 419,000, a 44- percent increase compared to the previous year.
Since then, the regional airlines of both countries have launched more direct flights and opened new routes to the major cities between the two countries.
Today, Filipinos could fly out of Manila, Puerto Princesa, Clark, Cebu City and Kalibo for Taiwan.
This enables Philippine travelers to save more time and money, Teco said.
Teco also encourages more Filipinos to maximize the visa-free status and to visit Taiwan as often as possible “to enjoy its beautiful attractions, the wide variety of shopping and dining options and the warm hospitality of its people.”
At the same time, Teco urged the Philippine government to return the favor and grant visa-free treatment to ROC nationals “on the basis of reciprocity.”
Teco maintains that if visa-free privileges are extended to Taiwanese, there would be a surge of tourists, businessmen, and investors from Taiwan who would visit the Philippines, and “will surely strengthen the bilateral ties and mutually benefit our two countries.”
Philippine travelers may enter Taiwan and stay for up to 14 days without having to apply for a visa should they comply with the conditions listed by Teco.
Travelers entering Taiwan must have an ordinary, or regular passport, with at least six months validity from the date of entry; they must hold a confirmed return plane or boat ticket, or a confirmed plane or boat ticket, along with a valid visa, for an onward destination.
Also the traveler must have a confirmed booking, or an address and contact details, for their stay in Taiwan, as well as a financial statement.
Not the least is a clean criminal record “as verified by immigration upon arrival at an airport or seaport in Taiwan,” Teco said.
The duration of the 14-day visa-free stay is not extendable and begins on the following day of arrival in Taiwan.