http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/06/26/2003673331
Isn’t that lovely! Foreigners will need to pay 3000 NT for the privilege of using the automated immigration clearance system (“eGate”). And in case you’ve wondered - no, there is no exception for APRC or JFRV holders.
“Welcome” to Taiwan.
PS: this draft regulation was submitted by a DPP-led ministry. So foreign DPP fanboys might as well shut it for the next 100 years with their talk about KMT being racist and all that.
How can we fight this?
Eligible foreigners from nations that do not charge Taiwanese for its equivalent service would be exempt from the charge under the principle of reciprocity, according to the draft regulations.
Petition your home country to exempt Taiwanese from the charge, I suppose (if your home country has egates for foreigners).
And what’s next? No more eGate for citizens of countries that do not provide automated immigration clearance to foreigners? What about countries that do not provide automated clearance to foreigners and locals alike? I really wonder what Tai-ke country bumpkin came up with this.
I haven’t seen an e-gate in the US. And the current US administration is the most xenophobic in living memory.
I despise the concept of reciprocity, since it punishes the powerless citizens of countries instead of putting pressure on the governments that institute restrictions.
They do have something similar, it’s not called egate though. Global Entry | U.S. Customs and Border Protection
It’s not for sure yet from what I understand, they’re just drafting. Seems like it’s mostly for other airports outside of Taoyuan international like Kaohsiung to build E gates.
The irony: you have spent 5 years in this country, earned at least twice the minimum salary, paid your taxes, paid 10,000 NT$ for your APRC and now call Taiwan your home. Only to be put in the same bucket with FOBs to pay another 3,000 NT$ or wait in line with tourists.
I’ll just wait in line lol
I have an ARC and use the Citizen line.
As Andrew mentioned, the US does have this system, called US Global Entry. I saw it when I was at the San Francisco airport last year:
• There is a $100 application fee.
• US Citizens and legal permanent residents (“green card holders”) are eligible to apply (as well as citizens from a small list of countries, but not Taiwan).
Taiwan’s “reciprocal” program follows the same above points.
However, the big difference is that in the US system everyone must pay the fee to use this service, whether citizen or permanent resident.
The way Taiwan’s draft is worded–at least according to the news I’ve read–is that only non-Taiwanese citizens will pay. Since the casual tourist cannot use the e-gate service, that means only ARC/APRC holders (and China/HK/Macau residents with permanent exit-entry rights) would pay.
How “reciprocal” is that?
I would like them to define “equivalent service”. I cannot think of many places that have egates and charge for the privilege? US? Japan? Canada?
I wonder if they are nervous about not having a written registry of us coming in and out … like they want to go back to th eol days of a seal in our passport.
And 3000 ntd is only for 5 years? If you are a PERMANENT resident, that does not make a lick of sense. Keep paying and paying? That ain’t right.
Given the crowds at immigration to EXIT Taiwan, the egate is a blessing. It really expedites the process.
Or is it they are afraid of the next Zain Dean? He did not use the egate.
Regardless of manual inspection or eGate, the NIA maintains a record of all entries and exits. This policy is a clear sign that Taiwan does not care about APRC holders and foreign family members of local Taiwanese on JFRV.
Taiwan wants to stay competitive and comes up with this sort of petty and unreasonable regulation. Taiwan’s attempts at internationalization are laughable considering that Hong Kong even offers eGate clearance to non-residents. Free of charge that is!
Surely this is only a small issue, but a good indicator of the way Taiwan operates.
Yes, I know, but my piouint is the same as yours: what illogical kind of thinking may lead to such unreasonable regulation?
I mean they really want to take this privilege away from foreigners, evern permanent residents? Why? It is not a small issue, it may mean a shift in policies. And that is big trouble ahead.
surely a country only officially recognized by a handful of other country’s (small and shit ones) should not be basing these things off of ‘reciprocity’…
Recently they got butthurt about Panama and Nigeria. Poor Nigerians got their office shoved out of Taipei now.
At least they have an office, we don’t even have a trade office here anymore!
There’s another trend of charging foreigners and non reaidwnts (county) more for everything…we have to fight hard against this.
Remember folks there is huge discrimination against native Taiwanese aswell according to where their hukou is based…
Well, what can you say… another example of the inept, backwater TW government trying to impose their clueless will. Actually, this will be better for the foreigners (and locals) fleeing TW - the free, regular lines are now faster due to the ‘huge’ decrease in TW tourism flow - whoops!
I’ll gladly pay the fee for the E-gate if they reciprocate for citizenship! The US allows Taiwanese to have dual citizenship. You don’t even have to be Mother Teresa to get a US passport.
Don’t they know that this anti-foreigner crap is not going to help their isolation problem? If anything, they need more friends.
So if you’re already registered, do you have to pay as a non ROC citizen and registere again? Or can non ROC citizens just quickly go register now and avoid the fees.
That’s what I want to know. I sure hope that’s the case. Even more than that, I hope this idiotic amendment never passes.