Taiwan OKs Visa-Free Entry For Filipinos

Filipino passport holders can now include Taiwan to its list of countries that they can visit without paying for an entry visa. The Taiwanese government paved the way for this arrangement when Premier Lai Ching-te approved the plan recently.

According to a Reuters report, the self-ruled island is implementing the policy in the hopes that the Philippines will come up with a reciprocal visa policy. The Philippines and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic relations as the former abides by the One China policy.

Visa-Free, Not Visa-Exempt

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to release the guidelines for the new policy, according to an Inquirer report. The report also said that these new guidelines will take effect in October or November.

Filipinos who have valid passports will no longer be required to pay for an entry visa before they come to Taiwan. However, they are still required to apply for entry visas through an electronic visa system. This means, Filipinos no longer need to go to consular offices for visa applications.

Aside from the Philippines, Taiwan will also be relaxing its visa regulations for other members of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) under its New Southbound Policy. This policy hopes to improve its foreign relations with its neighbors in the Asian region.

Taiwan Hopes For Reciprocal Measures

Speaking at a news conference, the spokesman of Taiwan’s cabinet Hsu Kong-yung said that they also “hope they (the other countries) will make visa-free arrangements with Taiwan.”

Currently, Taiwan has similar arrangements with Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore, and is working out a pilot with Brunei and Thailand since last year.

Earlier this year, in June, Taiwan announced that they were planning to give visa-free status to the Philippines, but its implementation did not push through because it required so much preparation from their end.