Please help with the Bangkok TECO

I am very confused. I have done my homework and searched Forumosa and government sites about Visas and I keep getting mixed or conflicting answers.

[list]1.)Is the Bangkok TECO reasonably easy to deal with? Perhaps better than Hong Kong?
2.)Will my return ticket to the States be a problem? (Leaves October 17th, but I am applying in May for the visa to study

There aren’t answers. People have different experiences and the govt gives conflicting (or no) info. There’s no way we can say what is going to happen until it’s happened.

Most folks seem to find both difficult.
[quote] 2.)Will my return ticket to the States be a problem? (Leaves October 17th, but I am applying in May for the visa to study

The TECO visa officers have absolute discretion when it comes to whether or not they will issue a visa and as to what type of visa they will issue.

As such, almas john is spot on correct when he states that nobody can predict what they will do.

I was in Bangkok last week and applied for a visa at TECO there. The office is fairly busy, but there didn’t seem to be any major hassles in dealing with them. I just presented them with a a letter from my employer in Taiwan and a bank statement. I was given a 60 day non-extendable visitor’s visa.

So, if I am reading the cards right, it is highly probable that i will end up with a 60 day visitor visa - non extendable. Which means, even if I am in the middle of my classes, I will have to visa run in July. :frowning:

So whatever happened to being able to extend a visitor visa from within Taiwan when you re-enroll for classes? Can’t you just show your attendance record and enrollment forms at the police station? :idunno:

Don’t have answers about Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Along a different path though, it sounds like the visa that you’re concerned about is your initial one – the one that you use to get into Taiwan the first time you come.

If that is the case, why don’t you apply for that visa in Seattle? As you likely know, that is the TECO that covers Oregon, you can do it by mail, and whatever benefits come from applying to an office within the U.S. you can get from them (such as an extentable visitors visa).

A link to the Seattle TECO is listed on The Knowledge at Taiwanease.com
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LINK EDITED By Goose Egg (admin)
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[quote=“seeker4”]Don’t have answers about Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Along a different path though, it sounds like the visa that you’re concerned about is your initial one – the one that you use to get into Taiwan the first time you come.

If that is the case, why don’t you apply for that visa in Seattle? As you likely know, that is the TECO that covers Oregon, you can do it by mail, and whatever benefits come from applying to an office within the U.S. you can get from them (such as an extentable visitors visa).

teco-us.org/seattle.cfm[/quote]

Dont get me started on Seattle again… :raspberry:
Might want to check your information Seeker4, the Seattle office specificaly told me that they do not issue extendable visas for any reason to anyone. All visas (visitor) issued from their ofice are non-extendable.

Thanks for the idea though, bummer it wont work. Which leads me to my other question:

Can a non-extendable visitor visa for tourism be changed within Taiwan to a visitor visa for studying?

[quote=“derek1978”]Might want to check your information Seeker4, the Seattle office specificaly told me that they do not issue extendable visas for any reason to anyone. All visas (visitor) issued from their ofice are non-extendable.

Can a non-extendable visitor visa for tourism be changed within Taiwan to a visitor visa for studying?[/quote]
Actually I don’t have any information. Just a little experience. Didn’t get my V V in Seattle. Got it in SF about two years ago. At that time, TECO gave me one that had a length of stay of 60 days, but an expiration date of 5 years from issue, as I recall. I did get that one extended at least once within Taiwan at the foreign affairs police station.

I think it was Almas John who said it already that the real answer is, there is no answer. Every place seems to do it differently with each person and with each new day, all loosely surrounding official policy, which itself changes frequently. Phone and email inquiries to TECO never provided consistent info in my case. I got sick of the run-around and went to the TECO in person to get it straightened out. And BTW, I never asked for the 5-year visa. They just gave it to me.

As to your other question, not sure. Visitors visas can be changed into resident visas without leaving Taiwan. You would seem to be changing only the purpose of your visit, not the type of visa. My guess is that once you are inside the country, the purpose of your tourism/visit is of little concern until you reapply for the next visa, and so wouldn’t warrant reissuing the visa midstream.

The absolute answer to that is “yes”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei can issue whatever visa they want to anybody. For example, my wife was issued with a 180-day visitor visa after arriving on a 30-day landing visa. That is supposed to be impossible. The question is “do they want to?”

As Tigerman pointed out, each visa office is a little fiefdom unto itself. The best visa office is Hanoi, in my experience. You’d be better off writing a letter to the Washington Post or New York Times pointing out the difference between attempting to study Chinese in Taiwan and China. It is as plain as the nose on one’s face that there is a policy of discouraging people from coming to Taiwan to study Chinese, however, you may luck out and meet some nice visa office people, or people within the machine who don’t think much of this policy. They do exist. I have been to the level of involving law firms, my country’s representative office, and a high-ranking legislator to obtain visas for my wife, and can tell you as a matter of fact that the likelihood of getting a visa depends on pure luck and how high up the food chain you are prepared to go. It becomes a lot easier to do once you are in Taiwan, so I would ask them for an F3 visa, extendible or not, and get it extended here. Taiwan visa offices exist purely to vent Taiwan’s frustration at the rest of the world and the sooner you don’t have to deal with them the better. It is possible (just) to deal with MoFA in Taipei.

Here is a list of visa codes: boca.gov.tw/content.asp?CuItem=1259

IIRC, F3 is “prospective student”, but it does not appear to be on this list. Ho hum.

If I recall correctly, you have a Taiwanese fiancee. Just get her to write a letter stating you plan to be married in four or five months (true or not), and that you are coming to experience life in Taiwan with her and her family. Include copies of her and her parents ID cards, and bank statements proving they can support you if need be. This should get you an extendable visitor visa, and probably some smiles and congratulations from the visa office women. As long as you don’t simply show up empty handed and asking for a visa, they are usually quite friendly. I’ve filled up passports with visitor visa stamps and extensions, and never had a problem in either Hong Kong or Bangkok.

Don’t worry, one way or another it will work out for you.

I went to the bangkok teco for a student visa about 6 months ago. I had all the papers to show i would be studying etc and they would only give me a 60 day non-extendable student visa.

When that was about to run out I went to the ministry of foriegn affairs with my attendence record and the papers to show that i would be continuing to study and they granted me a 60 day extension.

I got that extended again for another 60 days later on. This put me up tp 180 days and i couldn’t extend the visa any further.

I think once your’re actually in the country it’s a lot easier to sort problems like this out though still very frustrating.

spunkymonkey,

Were you studying at one of the government approved Chinese schools?

Can you have your non-extendable visa extended if you are studying at a private school such as TLI or Pioneer?

[quote=“rbrt_jon”]spunkymonkey,

Were you studying at one of the government approved Chinese schools?

Can you have your non-extendable visa extended if you are studying at a private school such as TLI or Pioneer?[/quote]

My fiancee called the Bankok TECO for me. She says that they will only issue 60 day non-extendable visa’s for language study schools that are approved. She also said that she called the local police station in Muzha and they said that they will extend a non-extendable visa for an approved language school as long as you can show proof of enrollment for the next 3 months and good attendance.

Seems a bit odd that they are extending non-extendable visa’s…but hey, i wont argue about that! Works in our favor! :wink:

I would highly reccomend getting on board with a university school as it will limit the amount headache you will have. You will also be able to qualify for some pretty decent scholarships and a Resident Visa and ARC after your first semester. Sounds bette rthan sweating out this gosh darn friggin approved status for language centers such as TLI and Pioneer.

Good luck!

Hi Derek,

Instead of a language school, what about coming as a student in an actual university program? Uni tuition here is dirt is cheap, and there are a lot of English degree programs here. You could surely get an approved student visa that way, loads of people do it.

I think that a lot of foeigners like to study Chinese at the university in Tainan, which is relatively close to Kaohsiung.

Just a thought…

I was studying at CLI. I signed up before all the approved schools thing started and so i was able to get a visa through them, however i don’t know if they can still get you a visa.

I wouldn’t reccomend them for studying as their teaching is terrible but previously you could sign up, not bother going to class and still get the visa.

Derek1978, this seems a bit weird to me. Why would the Muzha police be doing anything to do with extending visas for foreigners? I’d check this up, and/or ask for it in writing.