About getting a American visa IN TAIWAN (I'm not Taiwanese)

Legal Visa & Residency
1

Hi guys!
I don’t want to repeat questions but I have been looking around the forum and I didn’t find a similar thread so I wanna make a new one to ask you something.

I wish somebody in this forum knows about this :pray:

Well, I’m Colombian and I have been in Taiwan for one and a half year. I’m going back to Colombia on september because I couldn’t find a job to renew my visa and stay longer in Taiwan, but well, that’s not the point. My question is:

I need to cross the states in my flight back to Colombia, (because it’s far, the flight usually has stops in Los Angeles or in some other random airport on the states). SO, for that reason I need to get The C-1 Transit Visa. C-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows foreign nationals to enter the United States while transiting to another foreign country. The C-1 Transit Visa can be used to travel in and out of the United States when your final destination is another country.


Does anybody knows if I can renew that kind of visa in TAIWAN? (because mine expired on february)

2

If you are asking because you are Colombian, well, the US office here helps all, not just Taiwanese. They are very quick and efficient.

If the question is regarding the specific C-1, well, I know people who have done it in the past, and furthermore, they have unified most procedures, but if you want to drop by or call to confirm if any additional paperwork is needed:

[quote]Non-Immigrant Visa Unit (NIV)

Address
First Floor, Consular Section
No 7, Lane 134, Xin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei 106
(The closest MRT station is Da An on the Muzha (Brown) Line)
Information Window

  • In-person inquiries
  • Applications for applicants over age 80
  • Service hours: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm, except for Taiwan/US holidays and the first working day of each month.
    NIV Unit Contact Information:
  • If you have a question related to emergency appointments or the status of a pending application, send your inquiry by e-mail at visaniv-ait@state.gov or fax 886-2-2162-2211.
  • Alternatively, call 886-2-2162-2400 between 9:00 – 12:00 and 13:00 - 15:00, except for Taiwan, U.S. holidays, and the first working day of each month. [/quote]

p.s.
don’t forget that the photo has to be of a certain specific size

3

just wondering…Shouldn’t the Travel Agent take care of this need?

Or at least be able to give current & correct info about this matter?

Buen viaje!

4

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]just wondering…Shouldn’t the Travel Agent take care of this need?

Or at least be able to give current & correct info about this matter?

Buen viaje![/quote]

For a fee, maybe. But some agents get all tangled up when it is not a Taiwanese passport. As a matter of fact, the agency now in charge of making th appointments may take a bit longer if you are not a local -they get few of those and havee to search on procedures and stuff. So, for brevety’s sake, it is better if he/she finds out on his/her own. Unless she finds a knowledgeable, experienced agent.

5

I almost had to have my Thai wife come to the AIT to apply for her US visa because of the recent unpleasantness backing up the US embassy in Bangkok - thankfully it got sorted out and she’s back on track. But when it was still a possibility, the service desk (via telephone) at the AIT was actually fairly helpful, she said she couldn’t guarantee that the process would be the same, and usually the state department asks that the applicant apply in their country of citizenship, but the AIT is very willing to do the processing if there is a reasonable reason for applying in Taiwan, she said they consider themselves to be very accommodating.

6

Yep, the staff at AIT Taiwan went the extra mile for me after my passport was stolen -here in Taipei- and I hd to apply to renew the visa to go home in a rush. They were helpful and processed the request without delay.

7

OK. first of all, this is awesome.
You’re faster than I expected!!

Thank you so much for your help! Now I feel less worried.
Yeah, I was worry about it because I’m not Taiwanese, so I though maybe, the American institute only helps Taiwanese or Americans.

And because there’s not Colombian embassy here I was like…OMG I have to to Hongkong… nooooo ;__;!. Ok lol, I like Hongkong, but I don’t want to waste money going there just for a visa.

Thank you so much, I’ll try to call :slight_smile:

By the way… Do you know if I need an appointment? or I just can go there at 8 am and they will help me?

8

[quote=“helsic”]OK. first of all, this is awesome.
You’re faster than I expected!!

Thank you so much for your help! Now I feel less worried.
Yeah, I was worry about it because I’m not Taiwanese, so I though maybe, the American institute only helps Taiwanese or Americans.

And because there’s not Colombian embassy here I was like…OMG I have to to Hongkong… nooooo ;__;!. Ok lol, I like Hongkong, but I don’t want to waste money going there just for a visa.

Thank you so much, I’ll try to call :slight_smile:

By the way… Do you know if I need an appointment? or I just can go there at 8 am and they will help me?[/quote]

You can go without an appointment to ask questions, but they cannot process your visa without an appointment -because of teh interview process.

ONE IMPORTANT THING: Right now, it is a very BAD time to ask for an appointment, as they are overworked and overstreched due to summer travel. Do be prepared to be very flexible.

En cristiano:

O sea, si tiene alguna duda, puede darse una vueltita y hacer alguna pregunta en la ventanilla, pero para que le pongan el sello y le reciban sus documentos, tiene que hacer la cita, ya sea por Internet o por telefono, con una agencia que la embajada tiene encargada -arriba esta el numero.

Una ultima cosita: estan hasta el cuello de gente por las vacaciones de verano, asi que espere que le den la cita para el anno de la pera…

9

[quote=“Icon”][quote=“helsic”]OK. first of all, this is awesome.
You’re faster than I expected!!

Thank you so much for your help! Now I feel less worried.
Yeah, I was worry about it because I’m not Taiwanese, so I though maybe, the American institute only helps Taiwanese or Americans.

And because there’s not Colombian embassy here I was like…OMG I have to to Hongkong… nooooo ;__;!. Ok lol, I like Hongkong, but I don’t want to waste money going there just for a visa.

Thank you so much, I’ll try to call :slight_smile:

By the way… Do you know if I need an appointment? or I just can go there at 8 am and they will help me?[/quote]

You can go without an appointment to ask questions, but they cannot process your visa without an appointment -because of teh interview process.

ONE IMPORTANT THING: Right now, it is a very BAD time to ask for an appointment, as they are overworked and overstreched due to summer travel. Do be prepared to be very flexible.

En cristiano:

O sea, si tiene alguna duda, puede darse una vueltita y hacer alguna pregunta en la ventanilla, pero para que le pongan el sello y le reciban sus documentos, tiene que hacer la cita, ya sea por Internet o por telefono, con una agencia que la embajada tiene encargada -arriba esta el numero.

Una ultima cosita: estan hasta el cuello de gente por las vacaciones de verano, asi que espere que le den la cita para el anno de la pera…[/quote]

Ohhh you can speak spanish! so cool! :smiley:
thanks again for the information.

Oh… se que debería ir pronto, la verdad es que si me preocupa que estén saturados por las vacaciones de verano, tengo que sacar un tiempo para hacer todo este proceso. Además que no se cuanto tiempo se demore en salir la visa…

Bueno, intentaré hacerlo esta semana!

Muchas gracias de nuevo!