Ok, the archives would seem to suggest that I can leave and come back on the visa I just obtained…but I’m lookin for a bit more reassurance…so, if someone can reassure me, I’d be much obliged.
I’m an american citizen who just recieved a 60-day, multiple-entry visitor visa that says " NO EXTENSION" on it, and it’s valid for 5 years…also in the “remarks” section, it has a “P” (don’t know if that matters)…so, what I want to know is, can I go to Taiwan for 60 days, leave (say, go to Hong Kong for a day) and come back for another 60 days without filling out any more paper work or visiting a Taiwan embassy?
Thanks,
Brian
I think it means 60 days from when you first use it. EG. if you stay in Taiwan 40 days, then go to Hong Kong and back, you can only stay 20 more days, minus any days you spend in Hong Kong. Does it have an expiration date on it ?
that’s discouraging. It expires Nov. 6th 2008. In typical human fashion, though, I guess I will believe that which I want to believe, i.e. the archives.
I think that you will find that your Visa allows you to stay for upto 60 days at a time for 5 years. Hence, ‘multiple-entry’. I previously had a 60 day multi-entry visa but valid for only six months. All I had to do a ‘visa run’ to Hong Kong every 60 days or so. Friends of mine are here on similar Visas, valid for between 1 and 3 years.
So, you can come and go as much as you please as long as you don’t stay for longer than 60 days at a time.
The ‘NO EXTENSION’ seems to be normal. It means that you cannot extend your Visa after 5 years. Your Visa is valid until they stamp ‘USED’ on it.
What I have heard is that they are great visas to have. No problems for 5 years, as long as you get off the island every 60 days. I would be happy to have one, nearly as good as a visiting family visa/w arc.
The no extension means you can’t go into the FAP and get your visa extended another 60 days to extend any one stay here. E.g:
Non-extendable: You can stay up to the time allotted on the visa but can’t get an extension. (In practice you may be able to get a few days extension for a good enough reason.) Landing visas are always non-extendable, visas you apply for can be either.
Extendable: At the end of the time allotted on the visa you can go to the FAP, fill out a form and get it extended another 60 or 90 days. You can do this multiple time up to a total of 6 months per stay max. If you’ve received a non-landing visa that is not stamped “no extension” then it is extendable.
In addition there’s multiple vs. single entry:
Multiple Entry: you can stay up to the time allotted in the visa each time you arrive. When your time is up you can leave the country and come back to start over again. You can do this as many times as you wish until the visa expires.
Single Entry: you can enter and leave the country once on the visa. After you use it is is stamped cancelled and you’d need a separate visa next time.
Before I was on JFRV ARC, I had a five year multiple entry extendable visa. In theory I could have stayed up to six months at a time, but in practice I always had to go somewhere every 60 days anyways.
So for the OP, he can stay up to 60 days at a time for as many times as he wants until the visa expires, but he can’t extend any one stay past 60 days.
Students will usually receive an extendable single-entry visa, and get extensions up to six months and then have to do a visa run to get a new one.
As for rooftop’s qusetion, if she is coming on a landing visa, she can come and go staying up to 30 days at a time with no other documentation other than an outgoing ticket.
When you leave the country do you have to do any paperwork, talk to anybody, or anything bureaucratic? Or do you just get off the plane, go through customs, look around, get on the plane go back through customs in Taiwan.
When buying a plane ticket does it have to be a 3 way ticket: i.e. to Japan, to Taiwan, then to somewhere else?
You do not have to do anything special, just fill out the normal immigration card when you arrive and put your visa number in the box provided. And to be pedantic, this is done at immigration. Immigration is where you are permitted to enter or leave the country. Customs is where your stuff is permitted to enter the country.
Except for resident visas/re-entry permits, you are required to have an outbound ticket to enter Taiwan on a visa. However, I was never asked to show my outbound ticketby immigration. That doesn’t get you off the hook though; your airline may not permit you to board unless you have an outbound ticket, and I was usually asked to show that. The airline is responsible for taking you back if you are refused entry to Taiwan, so they have a really good incentive to make sure you have an outbound ticket.