Hi all.
I apologize if this question was asked before, I’m coming up empty in my searches.
I stupidly overstayed my visa exempt status by four days. (illness caused me to change my flight, completely forgetting my leave date.) After paying my fine, I went ahead on my trip to Korea, where I began the visa application process.
I applied for a multiple entry visitor visa and was granted a 60 day one, however, the clerk said because of my overstay, I could not be granted an extendable one. I swore I heard of other overstays getting extendable visas, is this true?
I’d like to stay in Taiwan for longer, is my best bet getting a teaching job and switching to a work visa or is there anyone I can appeal to about switching to an extendable visa?
There may be different policies at different “embassies”. You can ask the Bureau of Consular Affairs whether or not they would give you an extension, but the people there don’t always agree with each other, let alone with the overseas people.
If you’re that desperate to stay in Taiwan, why not just fly out and in, getting a visa exemption when you come back? (Assuming you don’t need to work…)
Thanks for the response! Since I overstayed I don’t qualify for visa exemption until March of next year. There’s a big fat stamp in my passport saying visa required until 2018, just in case I forget.
I kinda assumed that about different policies, thanks for the tip about the Bureau. I’ll give it a shot.
how was it when you had to visit the taiwan embassy or whatever it was in korea? did you need to bring paperwork?
this almost happened to me, i over stayed by 1 day. which i found out later was not 100% my fault. the government website said(at the time anyway, not sure what it says now) the 90 days starts counting from the day after you arrive. well, that was not true and i ended up overstaying by one day. i was also headed to korea but i found out, while waiting for the flight that the place is closed over the weekend so i wouldn’t be able to get the visa anyway.
Your multiple entry visa probably states “60 days no extension.” Is that true? That means after 60 days, you can’t go to immigration and ask for another 60 days. But I’m guessing you should be able to fly in and out of the country to get 60 additional days. Then make sure you fly out one more time before the one year is expired (so that it lasts one year and 60 days), and hopefully by that time, you can get visa exemption again (for 90 days?)
As for MOFA, I found that one of the older ladies there is really excellent at knowing what she needs to know and helping you. I usually request to see her if it’s not too busy, inconvenient. She saved me from having to make a trip to Honk Kong once when everyone else, my employer, labor, immigration, accountants, friends, were telling me I had to go.
The younger ones, I don’t know if they’re just dumb and don’t know, or feel they have to be bureaucratic and don’t have to tell you unless you’re smart enough to bring it up, I really don’t care for their arrogance.
I almost missed a flight once at Taoyuan. It took a pile of immigration officers and their supervisor, and it was only when the latter was escorting me to the naughty people processing area that he realized for once it was the foreigner who was better at math and let me go.
It is 90 days starting after your arrival. Airports have computers that keep track of it automatically. Are you sure you counted it right? If the starting day is Monday, for example, then the last day should be Sunday. That’s usually the best way to keep track without counting up to 90 on the calendar several times to make sure.
There was an amnesty a few months ago. If you were illegal and turned yourself in, the fine was significantly cut down and depending how long you overstayed, either you got no re-entry ban or your re-entry ban was cut by a significant amount of time.
