Is it possible to enter Taiwan as a visa-exempt entry while having a valid, but not yet used, visa in your passport?
Following up Visa for 3-6 month business trip, then become resident with a related question. My partner and I are planning to move to Taiwan in a couple of months and he will be studying Mandarin. He will apply for a visitor’s visa, which I believe will allow for a 90 day stay. We want to go a bit earlier, and I think it makes sense not to start the 90 day visitor visa clock ticking until just before classes start. Let’s say we plan to go there three weeks before classes start. We’ll have had to apply for the visitor’s visa and have it stuck in his passport by the time we enter for the three week period. When we arrive at the airport, can he say “please don’t use the visa in the passport yet and let me enter visa-exempt”, or will they force him to use the visa that’s available in the passport? (If this works he’ll obviously need to pop out and in of the country again just before classes to start to enter with the visa.)
I assume if you have a visa, they will use it first. I would suspect that they have the visa in the system, so they will be notified when they scan your passport at immigration.
It has been done, and there’s no reason for it not to be allowed afaik. Don’t write the visa number on the entry card and do ask for a visa exemption when you show your passport to the IO.
FAIK. Everything gets logged and recorded and your passport stamped so even if you got away with it on entry I doubt they will be fooled. And that stamp in your passport will indicate your entry
FAIK when you enter they examine your passport and look for any visa
If not they will see if you qualify for a visa free entry
And if you have neither you will be denied entry
Or in some cases you may be allowed to apply for a visa right then on the spot
Which will not be free of charge
It doesn’t make any sense that they will not activate your visa if you have one and instead use a Visa free entry
[quote=“tommy525”]FAIK. Everything gets logged and recorded and your passport stamped so even if you got away with it on entry I doubt they will be fooled. And that stamp in your passport will indicate your entry
FAIK when you enter they examine your passport and look for any visa
If not they will see if you qualify for a visa free entry
And if you have neither you will be denied entry
Or in some cases you may be allowed to apply for a visa right then on the spot
Which will not be free of charge
It doesn’t make any sense that they will not activate your visa if you have one and instead use a Visa free entry
Your entry into Taiwan will count as an entry
And it will be recorded as such
Immigration are not easily fooled[/quote]
In the case I know of, there was no fooling involved. The arriving passenger pointed out the visa to the IO and asked if it was okay to activate it later, and the IO said yes. There were no issues later.
Of course it’s conceivable that if your IO doesn’t like you or doesn’t like the idea of activating a visa later, the request will be denied.
Also, check the stamp you get. It should say “visa-exempted” and the number of days, or just “admitted” when using a visa.
Seems odd, because that’s just immigration. Do you know that all the info is logged? I knew this lady who worked as a clerk at Immigration and that is what she does all day long. Logging people into the system. So that each person’s entry and exit is recorded, passport number, etc.
We are talking non Taiwan citizens. I am not sure if Taiwan citizens are logged so carefully.
But you can bet your butt if you are foreign your ass is recorded coming in and going out.