Taiwan Extends Visa-Free Entry For Filipinos

Filipinos may enjoy another year of visiting Taiwan without a visa, after the self-ruled territory extended its visa-free entry policy for the Philippines, according to the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

In a release posted on its website, MOFA said Taiwan has extended its trial visa-free travel for the nationals of Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines from Aug. 1 to July 31 next year.

The decision was made after the MOFA convened a meeting on April 25 with government agencies about the visa measures for foreign nationals traveling to Taiwan.

The extension was granted “after evaluating the effectiveness of the above convenience measures over the past years and considering the need to revive mutual bilateral exchanges and tourism in the post-pandemic era,” MOFA said.

“MOFA will continue to review and fine-tune visa policies, with a view to strengthen bilateral exchanges and attract more visitors while ensuring border and public security,” it added.

Taipei will also communicate with the visiting countries to return the favor and also “enhance visa treatment for Taiwan nationals and make their overseas travel more convenient,” the ministry added.

The visa-free entry was extended as Taiwan targets 320,000 Filipino tourists this year, according to Wallace M.G. Chow, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

In an earlier The STAR report, Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu expressed hope the extension of the visa-free entry for Filipinos can also mean visa exemption status for Taiwanese travelers to the Philippines.

Filipino travelers are allowed to stay in Taiwan for up to 14 days without a visa under the program, except for individuals with diplomatic, official or service passports.