Does anyone know if you can you skip immigration when getting into at Naha airport and go straight back into departing international flights? If not, is 90 minutes too tight of a schedule to get through immigration and back? I’m not sure if there’s extra delay from health screening right now.
I’m trying to do a visa run asap before all travel is locked down. Also, what do I say to Taiwan immigration if asked why I was in Japan for an hour? Is it kosher to say it’s a visa run? I’m on visa-free from USA btw, and I’ve only been here for 2 months (no visa run yet).
I’m in the same boat. Probably will get flights with a few hours in between, just to keep the whole cockup from going totally pear-shaped. The three times I’ve done visa runs here, no one said anything at immigration, with the most recent trip lasting only a few hours out of the country.
I even asked the lady at immigration if there would be any problem if I did this perpetually, and she said just don’t overstay and you’ll be fine. I knew those were the rules, but hearing it from her was reassuring. Seems to be a different setup compared to say Thailand, where if dude is in a crummy mood, he can deny you entry just because.
Thanks, that’s good to hear. Did you go to OKA for any of your runs? Do you remember if the immigration process was straightforward? Do you know if there was a “connecting flights” lane to skip immigration?
It’s not clear if there’s a path from arrivals (bottom right) to departures. It looks like there’s an escalator to the third floor to get to departures, but it goes through immigration first.
I couldn’t find any other flights this week that could let me stay a few extra hours; 1.5 is the longest. Hopefully that will be enough!
i’ve done a few visa runs to okinawa. first couple i did my arriving and departing flights were both within a separate, somewhat temporary looking terminal a little way away from the rest of the airport. could maybe have just managed a 1.5 hour changeover but i wouldn’t risk it. if your incoming flight was to that terminal and outgoing flight leaving from the main terminal i wouldn’t fancy your chances.
i’m in the same boat anyway - got a flight booked to OKA for early april but thinking about getting another one sooner. have you spoken to the national immigration agency? i’m wondering if under the current circumstances they might be a bit quicker to give visa extensions than usual
OKA has changed international terminal since you last visited. Big new building but no chance for skipping immigration because there are no International connections here. AFAIK.
The old cargo shed used by LCC like Peach and Vanilla is no more.
But it’s still not a huge airport and if you have no luggage you’ll be fine at 90 minutes. Some counters have self check in machines so quite fast.
Guys have you tried begging for mercy for an extension without leaving? I mean, policy is NOT to go out. The prime minister, the Health minister, everyone says it.
I’m really curious about this. I’d think the extension rules would be loosened considering these extraordinary circumstances. I hope anyone with first-hand experience will post on the forum to help others.
Would like to know too… I’m due for a visa run in mid-April, but I’ll try applying for an extension in early April. I’m Canadian and entered Taiwan in mid-January visa-exempted. Under normal circumstance, I can apply for an extension before my 90-day stay is up. The problem is, I already applied and got one extension in December before I left Taiwan in January. I don’t know if they’ll grant me another extension so soon after the last one. I’ll let you guys know in early April.
I’ve been told that Taiwan is implementing a policy where foreigners entering Taiwan must be tested for the virus out-of-pocket. Friend heard on the news and told me, so someone with better Mandarin should help confirm the details. I assume this is for non-ARC holders, but being Taiwan, you never know. Just a heads up.
I came here once on visa-exempt entry. When I changed it over to an ARC, it cost me a bajillion dollars (like maybe NT$10,000, so not horrible, but a lot more than I was expecting since that’s 10x an ARC), but it was doable. Is there any way you could snag a cram school job or something and get yourself an ARC? NT$10,000 is something you could easily make back in the two weeks you would have been in quarantine.
if I get a job at cram school to get the ARC, do I have to continue working at that specific school? Or am I free to quit and work anywhere I want during the duration of the ARC?
You would need to continue working somewhere that gives you an ARC to keep your ARC. Your employer is required by law to inform NIA when you leave your job. They’re also paying for some of it, so they’re not going to pay for it while you don’t work for them.
You could try to get an ARC from a cram school and then quit the next day and try to get a 6 month “looking for work” extension, but you might want to let NIA know what your plan is, cuz there might be a minimum amount of time that you need to work in TW before they’ll let you get a “looking for work” extension.
Out of curiosity, where are you getting the money to live if you’re not working a legal job?
I just bought tickets to OKA and back tomorrow. Now just hoping for no new policies regarding Japan in the next 24 hours. Also hoping I won’t have to touch those disgusting bins at security nor have to touch any fingerprint cruds.