Melo Villareal
Philippines is Granted Another Year of Visa-Free Travel to Taiwan Together with Brunei and Thailand
(Manila, Philippines) – Filipinos are guaranteed yet another year of visa-free travel to Taiwan. The visa-free extension includes Brunei and Thailand as announced by Chang Ching-sen, a minister without portfolio through Central News Agency. This visa-free travel period is extended until July 31, 2019. The visa-free visit of the 3 countries can ensure entry to Taiwan for up to 14 days.
Taiwan Temple
It will be remembered that the visa-free status of Philippines for Taiwan is on a trial period which began on November 1, 2017. Based on the tourism statistics, the visitors coming from the Philippines to Taiwan is much higher with 290,784 in 2017 compared to 172,475 in 2016. This is a significant result thanks to the efforts of the Taiwanese government.
The program is meant to ignite stronger ties with the countries under the “New Southbound Policy” which include 10 Southeast Asian countries, 6 South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand. The numbers of the visitors from these countries has increased dramatically like Thailand with 292,000 visitors in their latest survey compared to 195,000 from the previous year.
Other members of the New Southbound Policy like Malaysia and Singapore can stay up to 30 days in Taiwan while visitors from New Zealand and Australia can go on a visa-free tour for up to 90 days. Validity period for Australians is until December 21 of this year.
The policy is meant to compensate the decrease of tourists from mainland China.
Filipinos can take the 14-days opportunity to immerse in the culture of Taiwan without having to go through visa application processes. Visitors can go to their National Museum where a rare dinosaur fossil can be found and Shilin Night Market where visitors can have a taste of stinky tofu and bubble tea. The 14-days stay in Taiwan is enough to see their important sights and heritage places plus some nature tripping.
For further ROC (Taiwan) visa information, you may visit the website of TECO Philippines at http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ph.
Also Read:
- The Ultimate Taipei Travel Guide
- Complete List of 66 Countries Where Filipinos Can Travel Visa-Free this 2018
- Tours in Taipei: Exploring the Northeast Coast of Taiwan
- Eight Things I Love About Taiwan
