Markus Castro
Taiwan seen to extend visa-free access for Filipino Travelers
Manila, Philippines — The Taiwan government will likely to extend the visa-free program for passport holders from the Philippines, Brunei, Thailand, and Russia. Taiwan started the visa-free travel program for tourists from the Philippines, Thailand, and Brunei in 2016 in an effort to attract more tourists from the region.
The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the extension of the visa-free privilege for Filipino Passport Holders is still up for a decision.
An assessment of the program was made to measure its effectiveness and the report was submitted to the executive branch of the Taiwanese government.
“The conclusions and recommendations from the said meetings have been submitted to the Executive Yuan for deliberation, and the final decision will be announced by the Executive Yuan in due time,” it said.
According to statistics from the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, nationals from 18 New Southbound Policy partner countries was up by 27.65 percent in 2017 compared to the data gathered for 2016 before the program was first launched.
Tourist arrivals from the Philippines was up 12.46 percent during the same period, Tourism Bureau figures showed.
Visa-free treatment for the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, and Russia is now set to expire on July 31.
Citizens of the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, and Russia are eligible for visa-free entry on the condition the applicants can provide the following:
- Standard passport is valid for at least six months.
- Confirmed return plane or boat ticket, or a confirmed plane or boat ticket, along with a valid visa, for an onward destination.
- Hotel reservation or accommodation address, contact information and proof of adequate finances.
- A clean criminal record, as verified at immigration on arrival at an airport or seaport in Taiwan.
Apart from Taiwan, Philippine Passport holders also enjoy visa-free entry to countries like Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Mozambique, Palau, Peru, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Zambia to name a few.
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