Extending a Visitor Visa after the 'Enter Before' date

Legal Visa & Residency
1

I will go to Taiwan as an exchange student from 2nd September 2009 to 24th January 2010.

My exchange university (Ming Chuan University in Taipei) told me to get a Visitor Visa (valid for 60 days) and simply extend it twice while I’m in Taiwan.

Given the fact that I want to travel around Asia a bit before my exchange studies start, I decided to get my visa now already, which might have been a bad decision, because I wasn’t aware that the Visitor Visa is valid for 6 month from the date of issue instead of from the date of entry.

Anyway, my visa has a ‘Enter before’ date of 5th December 2009 and as I said I’ll enter Taiwan on the 2nd September. That means that I have to extend it for the first time at the end of October, which should be no problem seeing as I have all the necessary documents from my university and it is well before the ‘Enter before’ date. However, I have to extend it again for a second time at the end of December, which will be after the Enter before date.

I have heard from someone that this might be a problem and that my extension could be denied, because while I have entered the country before that date, it would also serve as a ‘valid until’ date after which no extension would be possible anymore.

Understandably I’m quite worried now. Does anyone know whether this is true or not? And if yes, is it possible to go to the embassy again in say 5 weeks and tell them of my mistake and ask them to cancel my old visa and give me a new one, which would have a ‘Enter before’ date somewhere in mid-January so that I wouldn’t have to worry whether or not I can get this second extension.

Thank you in advance for your help.

2

I don’t think you will have any problem at all, but if you are worried you can go to the Republic of China embassy or Taiwan representative office and ask.

3

[quote=“JHertweck”]I
I have heard from someone that this might be a problem and that my extension could be denied, because while I have entered the country before that date, it would also serve as a ‘valid until’ date after which no extension would be possible anymore.
[/quote]

The “Enter Before Date” is not your “Valid Until Date” for the simple reason that it doesn’t make sense. There is a reason why an important date such as “Valid Until Date” is not specified in the VISA.

When you enter Taiwan, the Immigration will stamp on your passport “Entry Date” and at the same time provide a “Valid Until Date”. That is on your passport, not on your VISA. They are likely to stamp on your VISA “USED”, meaning after your 1st entry into Taiwan your VISA is used and obsolete.

When you go for your 1st extension at end October 2009, the Immigration Agency will stamp on your passport a ‘Valid Until Date’, which is another 60 days from the date that your 1st Entry is due to expire as indicated in your passport when you 1st entered Taiwan.

4

As long as you enter on or before 4 Dec you can extend the visa twice up to a maximum of 6 months stay in Taiwan. The six months runs from the date of entry, not issue.