Taiwan Visa – Everything You Need to Know

by rcjeng

Taiwan Visa – Everything You Need to Know

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Now that you’ve made the wise decision to visit Taiwan, you may be asking yourself: Do I need a visa to visit Taiwan from XXXXX? A Taiwan visa isn’t necessary for many countries because the Taiwan government and tourism bureau have been promoting tourism aggressively with their “Heart of Asia” campaigns for years. So, you may be in luck.

Taiwan Visa Exempt

If your passport is issued from a country on these lists, then you are exempt from getting a visa! Congratulations are in order.

The following countries are Visa-exempt for 90 days: Andorra, Australia (Effective from January 1, 2015 for one year), Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., U.S.A. and Vatican City State.

The following countries are Visa-exempt for 30 days: Malaysia and Singapore.

Requirements for visa-exempt:

  1. A passport issued by one of the above countries with validity of at least 6 months.
    • Japanese passport holders with passports valid for more than 3 months are able to receive visa-exempt entry.
    • USA passport holders with passports valid for duration of stay are eligible for visa-exempt entry.
  2. A confirmed return-ticket or ticket and visa to another country within time frame (However, I have never been asked about this).
  3. Non-criminal record
  4. The address of your destination in Taiwan. The name of your hotel is fine.

If your country isn’t on the list, don’t worry. It is rather easy getting a Taiwan visa. Here are the other types of Visa:

Taiwan Visitor Visa (60 days – 180 days)

For those passport holders whose countries didn’t make the cut, this is a great alternative that offers more flexibility. This visa (also called the Taiwan Tourist Visa, is initially for 60 days, but can be extended twice for a maximum duration of 180 days.

The Taiwan Visitor Visa is perfect for those non visa-exempt adventurers that want to backpack all of Taiwan and see as much as possible. I personally felt like 1 month wasn’t even enough for me to see just Taipei because there’s just too much going on here.

For more information on how to get the Taiwan Visitors Visa, click here.

Taiwan Landing Visa (30 Days)

The 30-Day Taiwan Landing Visa is not for everyone. And, it’s not free. So who on earth would get one of these?

You are eligible for the Landing Visa is you have a passport with at least 6 months validity from:

    • Brunei
    • Turkey
    • Macedonia
  1. If you only have an emergency or temporary passport from any via-exempt countries (except the US), then you are also eligible for a Landing Visa.

Taiwan Landing Visa Requirements:
– A confirmed return flight ticket or ticket and visa to another country.

  • Two photos
  • Fill out the application
  • Visa fee of $1,600 NTD (This fee waived for Turkish citizens)
  • Handling fee of $800 NTD
  • No criminal record

For more information on getting the Landing Visa, click here.

Taiwan Working Holiday Visa

If you plan to work in Taiwan, you can apply for a working Visa that allows you to work to pay for expenses during your stay. The catch is – you can’t work for the same employer for more than 3 months (What?!).

However, if you’re from Korea, Japan, Canada, or the United Kingdom, you are exempt from this rule. And those from Australia should not work for more than 6 months.

The good news: this visa is valid for a period of 12 months. The initial stay will be 180 days, but can be extended up to a year.

For more information on the Taiwan Working Holiday Visa, click here.

So what happens if I overstay my visa in Taiwan?

 Do NOT overstay your visa. Even if you overstay for a few hours, you will be fined. And if you stay for more than a day, you could potentially have a much, much harder time getting back into Taiwan next time. For example, if you have a passport from a visa-exempt country, you may now need to get a visa to come in.

Expect to be fined:

  • 1 to 10 days – NT$1,000
  • 11 to 30 days – NT$3,000
  • 31 to 90 days – NT$5,000

* 91 days or more – NT$10,000

Just be careful and don’t do it. Taiwan is a great country to travel to and you don’t want to risk not being able to come back. I actually met someone that overstayed his trip for 6 years! He probably never left for 6 years because at some point he realized he might not be able to get back.

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