Enjoy Visa Free to Taiwan for Philippine Passport Holders till 2021

Enjoy Visa Free to Taiwan for Philippine Passport Holders

UPDATE FROM TECO AUGUST 1, 2020

To further promote the New Southbound Policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a meeting with other related government agencies on May 29 concerning visa measures for nationals from New Southbound Policy partner countries and Russia. Topics of discussion were whether to extend trial visa-free entry for nationals from Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, and Russia and whether to adjust the Project for Simplifying Visa Regulations for High-end Group Tourists from Southeast Asian Countries and the Online Application for R.O.C. (Taiwan) Travel Authorization Certificate for nationals from Southeast Asian countries (the latter also referred to as conditional visa-free entry).

The agencies participating in the meeting, having evaluated the status and outcomes of the measures so far, jointly made the following decisions:

1.From August 1, 2020, trial visa-free entry for nationals from Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, and Russia will be extended for one year until July 31, 2021.

2.The Project for Simplifying Visa Regulations for High-end Group Tourists from Southeast Asian Countries will continue for another year, lasting until December 31, 2021.

3.From August 1, 2020, those applying for conditional visa-free entry who hold visas for Japan or South Korea must present a record of entry into one of these countries.
 https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-220-5749-dfab1-2.html

UPDATE
 Official Statement from Teco

Starting from November 1, 2017 Philippine nationals who intend to visit the ROC (Taiwan) for the purpose of tourism, business, visiting relatives, attending functions or events can enjoy visa-free entry to Taiwan, ROC, for a duration of stay up to 14 days. This visa-free initiative shall undergo a 9-month trial period until July 31, 2018 as part of Taiwan’s goodwill and efforts of the “New Southbound Policy” to build closer people-to-people exchange of visits and an economic community between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Before the implementation of above visa-free policy, qualified Philippine passport holders who wish to visit Taiwan for tourism or a short visit, are advised to apply for free Travel Authorization Certification (TAC), and are kindly requested to carefully read the following information before preceding the process. ** Please be informed that passengers who enter Taiwan before Nov. 1 with valid TACs may continue to stay for up to 30 days. But for passengers who do not enter Taiwan before Nov. 1, their TACs will be no longer valid even within its validity.
Basic requirements: to be eligible for an ROC Travel Authorization Certificate, the following three conditions must be met:

1. The applicant’s passport must have remaining validity of at least six months starting from the date of arrival in Taiwan.
2. The applicant must possess an onward/return air or ferry ticket.
3. The applicant has never been employed as a blue-collar worker in Taiwan.

 Visiting Taiwan is fast gaining popularity as a tourist destination due to its incredible scenery, numerous national parks and food. Well of course before you can enjoy Taiwan , Filipinos still need to apply for a visa or a travel certificate which you can apply either online or TECO in Manila. Last October 2016, Taiwan relaxed visa requirements for Filipinos, offering visa-free entry to Filipinos who have been issued visas to enter Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, any of the Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, or the United States. If you've been to one of the countries stated above then you are eligible for a Travel Authorization Certificate which I'll explain later in the post. To draw more tourist and travelers from Southeast Asia, MOFA has granted an exemption for Philippine travelers to be implemented starting June this year on trial basis but later rescheduled in September. Despite the postponement, Taiwan finally open its doors to Filipinos who wish to travel to Taiwan. The visa free program will be rolling out early October or November 2017 according to Taipei Times. You can read the full article by Taipei times here or Inquirer here.  The visa free program is not yet implemented for now but .you can still enjoy free to Taiwan using a Japan visa like what we did. Below is a sample  of our  Travel Authorization Certificate to Taiwan.

What is a ROC Travel Authorization Certificate?
For Taiwan, this is an entry permit that allows you to enter the country without requesting for a tourist visa at the Consulate. It is basically just a printout with your personal details such as Name, birth date, passport number, authorization number, expiry date and entry type to Taiwan, duration of your stay, and other important remarks vital to the traveler and to the Immigration officers.
You are authorized to use the certificate for 90 days and permitted to stay in Taiwan for as long as 30 days. Multiple entries is also allowed within the validity period of 90 days. You can apply using this link https://niaspeedy.immigration.gov.tw/nia_southeast/.

Travel Authorization Requirements
To be approved and also be acknowledged by Immigration, you need to meet all of these requirements:
1. Your passport must be valid at least six months from the date of your arrival
2. You must show roundtrip plane/ferry tickets
3. You must not be employed in Taiwan as a blue-collar employee
4. You must also possess a valid permanent resident card, valid entry visa (printed or electronic), and PR card or visa that has already expired 10 years prior to your arrival from these countries:
Australia
Canada
Japan
Korea
New Zealand
any of the Schengen countries
The United Kingdom
The United States

If you have travel plans to Taiwan and before October , Requirements and steps can be downloaded in doc format by clicking this link.