Hi,
(sorry… there are no recent posts describing precisely what I’ll need)
firstly- i want to get a 60 day visitor visa from HK. Do i need to state a reason for needing this visa? I’ve read other posts where people describe “visitor visa for chinese studies” for example. I intend to take a job when i return to Taiwan but i don’t want to go through the rigmarole of acquiring work permits from future employers etc. and potentially complicating the whole proccess (we all know that visitor visas can be transferred after all) Is it possible to just get a 60-day visitor visa for the purposes of visiting Taiwan- (perhaps in conjunction with a letter of invitation from a Taiwanese citizen? or something like that?)
secondly- can someone please provide me with an accurate and up-to-date list of all the things i will require in order to apply for the visitor visa? i’ve read other posts which deal with “what u need for visitor visa if ur wife is taiwanese” or “what u need if you already have a job to go to” or “…chinese studies” etc… but i just want info regarding the bog-standard visitor visa if that’s possible??
thirdly- i’ve been led to believe that i might be overstaying very slightly (it’s a grey area…long story…but…) can someone confirm that if i overstay by 1 day or 30 days the fine is exactly the same and- equally- the potential trouble that i might face is- again- exactly the same??
finally- this website is extremely useful and i am grateful for any guidance that any of you can provide- BUT- i would feel much more confident if i could get the relevant information ‘from the horse’s mouth’ so to speak. Is there an official ‘Taiwan Consulate in HK’ website that can provide me with the kind of answers i’m looking for? Surely there must be… mustn’t there??
Many thanks in advance to anyone patient enough to help me out here
all the best
S
Well if you overstay you may not get a visa to come back here. 
There is an official website, which you’ll be referred to if you call the Hong Kong office, but I found it truly confusing and vague. The address is <www.boca.gov.tw> If you want a visitor’s visa, you will need to have:
- A passport won’t expire for more than six months
- Two passport-sized photos
- Proof of residence in your home country, such as a driver’s license, utilities bill, phone bill, or bank statement in your name that’s been mailed to your home back home.
- Proof of financial solvency- that is, a financial statement that shows you have enough money saved to support yourself for as long as you plan to travel- as long as the visa you expect will be for. I don’t know what this is supposed to be in dollar amounts. My boyfriend had about NT$120,000 in his foreign account and was fine.
- Plenty of cash- you have to pay the visa fee in Hong Kong dolars, cash only. American citizens can expect to pay more than NT$3,000, and citizens of any other country will pay significantly less, though it’s never cheap.
I don’t recommend overstaying your visa for more than 24 hours. Something like 12 hours most likely won’t be a problem but a full week or 30 days definitely will.
Maybe someone can answer this question- If your visitor’s visa is stamped with “60 days only- no extension will be granted,” then do you have to leave Taiwan to obtain a new visa after 60 days or is it possible to obtain a different, extendable visa from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs without leaving Taiwan during those 60 days?
Sorry- you also need a ticket out of Taiwan, though I wasn’t asked to show this; I simply had to put the date and flight number on my visa application form. Of course, you should always travel with this in case someone asks to see it in the airport. Cathy Pacific staff has been asking leading questions at check in starting with “Are you on your way somewhere else after Taipei?” or “Do you have a connecting flight?” You may be able to avoid the hassle of breaking out your return tickets by just saying “Of course, I’m on my way to _” and naming a city. Cathy is making an issue out of it because they make people buy tickets and return them at profit to them, but it is the actual law and if a customs official asked for your ticket out of Taiwan and you didn’t have it, you would be in trouble.