So I’m gonna have a flight from Hanoi to Amsterdam, transit in Taipei for 7 hours.
I booked Economy Lite, Class R ticket of China Airlines.
I already have a e-visa for Taiwan so I want to enter Taipei for a short visit during this 7 hour layover.
However, a representative from China Airlines told me that I can’t because I book a Class R ticket so I’m not allowed to leave the airport and have to wait to transit inside even though I have a visa for Taiwan. I need to upgrade for another higher class and pay for 100usd stopover fee for customs at Taoyuan airport.
That sounds ridiculous to me. Is there anyone who has ever been to a similar situation before?
Is it true that if I book a certain class ticket, I can’t enter Taiwan during a long transit at Taoyuan even though I have visa already?
Yes, just make sure that you have your onward Boarding Pass (and Passport of course).
Once you get off the Aircraft in Taoyuan, you have two choices, follow the signs to Immigration/Customs (which is the one for you), or to Transit. There is no ticket check inbound to force you to go one way or the other.
When you have had your visit, bypass the Checkin counters and head straight to Outward Security/Immigration.
I’m not sure just having the boarding pass is enough in all cases. This may be an instance where certain fees aren’t collected due to the transit nature of your ticketing. When they scan your boarding pass at security, they may send you back to the ticket counter to get that sorted. I would tend to trust the airline reps (they have no reason to make up a story to keep you in the airport). I’d at least call back and see if you get the same explanation from another rep.