You don’t mention it here but I suspect you think you can extend your visa without flying out of Taiwan? As far as I know that is impossible. I live in Taiwan now for 5 years and keep flying in and out. Quick flights the same day up and down to HK or in case I need a new visitor visa (Multiple entry 6 months valid 30 or 60 days stay) than I fly to BKK, now for the shocking price of 10.800 NT, 4.500 just 5 years ago. :fume:
If they were only so smart as to say: OK, for half the ticket price you can do it in Taipei and we both earn money, now I pump all my flight money into the DUTCH economy, Taiwan doesn’t get a cent of it, a bit stupid if you ask me. Pure destruction of money while they could earn from me.
During all those flights in and out in the beginning I was also a bit nervous about “what will they think? That I work here illegal?”. Trust me, they don’t care less, never asked a thing and I never opened a suitcase once ever. Only one time a Customs Officer asked me in Chinese if I studied Chinese in Taiwan. Just follow their rules and you will be fine, but you must leave the country and after arriving in HK you take the same plane back leaving 1 hour later and upon landing they will give you a free 30 day Landing Visa.
Some airline companies won’t allow you to board the plane going to Taipei if you can’t show a ticket flying out. I had that with Dragon Air and Cathay when I wanted to switch in HK and fly back again. An expensive lesson because I never had that question ever before, it is purely policy of the airlines and also depends on where you board. I had to buy a full priced ticket at the counter at the airport. For single flight I paid more than I had paid for my return flight. Once in Taiwan I tried to give back that ticket but I still lost 25%. Another thing; if you have 1 overstay stamp in your passport (I had one because once my flight was canceled because of a Typhon) than you are in deep shit unless you can show a Customs paper with the reason for overstay. They will not let you board unless you can show that paper or they make you sign a paper that says you understand the risk of being denied in Taiwan. That overstay stamp has haunted me for as long as I had that passport. If you have plans to work in Taiwan you better don’t start with overstaying. Bad start and bad idea. Always once I have a visitor visa sticker in my pass than all I do is fill in that visitors form they give in the plane which they will stamp and staple in my passport.
In Bangkok they never ever ask me why I want to go back. They don’t care less as long as I have all papers and copies ready; pass photo’s, proof of filled bank account and proof I am married which recently they now want translated in English :aiyo: . They are also not a very friendly bunch, although by far that is the most flexible place to obtain a Visa for Taiwan, compared to other countries in Asia. In case you wonder: yes it is true, one country will say yes, another say no. They are all Taiwan Representative Offices but all have different rules. Bangkok is most flexible and the only one that will issue me 60 days Multiple Entry, all others just 30 days.
Why make up some story? Simple tell them why; because the women are hot, or there is lots to see, or you just love stinking awful tofu. Whatever, they don’t care. The visa people never ask to see any ticket but there is an easy trick to get out of being denied access back to Taiwan when you wish to board the plane that you already have a ticket for. Go to a travel and make a reservation for a ticket within your visa data flying out of TW, ask them to print that and simply never buy that ticket. You can show that print as your ticket, they always accept. Do remember that once you have an overstay stamp in your pass, you are always in for trouble getting back in, even if it wasn’t your fault.
ps to get a 60 day visa normally is only possible when applied for at your home country, in your case the USA, not possible in BKK or HK, they will sell you a 30 day visa, but silly to do, those are for free at arrival, the landing visa.
In your case I see no other option than to shop for a ticket up and down to HK, and beg there for a 60 day renewal, which I think is unlikely they will give. Fly back to Taiwan and get the free 30 days upon arrival and change your USA ticket fitting to that . 500 NT is a bargain anyway, I once paid KLM Taipei 5000 NT to change the date to leave a week earlier, while that same ticket, with non changeable dates, can be changed for 50 Bhat administration fee in Bangkok. A miracle!
This is what I keep doing but well, maybe I am blind and not aware there are other possibilities.
Wish you good luck
