Stay in Taipei illegaly ? good choice?

Travel Taiwan Travel
1

Hi all,

these days I have a little with my problem with my visa : I have been in Taiwan for 2 months in internship for my study, and now I have to extent my Visa. Nevertheless, because of some internal problems in my university, it seems that it is impossible. I had initialy planned to stay here until the 15th of august (already booked my plane tickets etc…), and then fly to Vietnam to see some relatives. So I have some questions:

1/ do you think that it is really dangerous to stay here illegally during 15days ? I mean, the worst would be that I get caught by the police, and then they will make me fly back to france… isn’t it ?
2/ I still do not have my vietnamese Visa and my taiwanese visa expires tomorrow. Is it possible to obtain a vietnamese visa if my taiwanese visa is already expired ?
3/ if my Visa to vietnam is OK, will I have some problem at the airport to fly to Vietnam from taipei??

2

The easiest thing would be to go to HK and come back on a new visa. You can probably even just do it on a landing visa.

3

They make you pay a 3k fine if your over 10 days but under 30 days… I went to HK when I missed my extension date for visa… if you have a multi-entry visa you can just leave the country and come back the next day or whenever and should be able to get another visa time.

4

I would go straight to the FAP and explain your situation. Maybe they’ll extend it for you. Seems logical, but who knows? If you overstay, you’ll have to go in to the FAP anyways. If you haven’t overstayed yet, I’d head straight for their office.

5

alekk,
Are u applying for the vietnamese visa here? If so, u would not be able to get it if u do not have a valid Taiwan visa.

6

[quote=“asianmom”]Legal problems

It is your responsibility to understand local laws and obey them. Some foreigners have encountered serious legal problems with the Taiwanese immigration authorities because:

they accepted employment as English teachers while in Taiwan on a visitor visa; or they agreed to teach part-time or teach private classes for an employer other than the one who sponsored them.

Under the Taiwanese system, a foreigner can be detained for up to 60 days without being formally charged while the authorities investigate the allegations. Under certain conditions, a Canadian who has been detained can be released on bail to an individual who qualifies as a guarantor. The Canadian will not be allowed to leave Taiwan until the case is resolved through the legal system, a process that can take months.[/quote]

I have just read that on a website ! :astonished:
So I really think it is not that a good idea to stay here illegally. So if I go to HK, how many days do I have to stay there to obtain a new VISA ? And what is the FAP ?

7

[quote=“alekk”][quote=“asianmom”]Legal problems

It is your responsibility to understand local laws and obey them. Some foreigners have encountered serious legal problems with the Taiwanese immigration authorities because:

they accepted employment as English teachers while in Taiwan on a visitor visa; or they agreed to teach part-time or teach private classes for an employer other than the one who sponsored them.

Under the Taiwanese system, a foreigner can be detained for up to 60 days without being formally charged while the authorities investigate the allegations. Under certain conditions, a Canadian who has been detained can be released on bail to an individual who qualifies as a guarantor. The Canadian will not be allowed to leave Taiwan until the case is resolved through the legal system, a process that can take months.[/quote]

I have just read that on a website ! :astonished:
So I really think it is not that a good idea to stay here illegally. So if I go to HK, how many days do I have to stay there to obtain a new VISA ? And what is the FAP ?[/quote]

FAP is the Foreign Affairs Police (I think that’s it). Anyway, it’s where you go to get your visa extensions and whatnot.

I wouldn’t worry too much about overstaying, but maybe they’re on a warpath these days. I don’t know. Doubt it though. I overstayed a year and a half once and only paid a 10,000 NT fine. :smiley: If you do overstay, you have to report to the FAP in Taipei before going to the airport.

I’d just go in and ask them. If you’re not overstaying at the moment, why not? No one knows better than them about extending visas. There just may be some way you can extend it. If they say that you’re shit out of luck, just thank them and overstay. Go back when you’re leaving and pay the measly 3000 NT fine. Not the best advice, I guess. Maybe it is.

You definitely don’t want to fly out of the country, back, and then a couple of weeks later fly out again. That’s just too expensive (and retarded).

I don’t know much about whether it’s important or not if you are overstaying while applying for a visa to another country. I don’t see what difference it would make.

8

It’s not the FAP anymore, you have to go to the National Immigration Agency.

9

thank you very much for your advices. I have phoned this morning to the FAP, and they told me that I will have to pay a NT$3000 fine, and that it will be written on my pasport that I have overstayed. It is also highly probable that I can come back in Taiwan without any problem, but I will need a visa, even for a very short trip in taiwan. So finally, I think that it is a good option to stay here illegally…

10

but can’t an overstay stamp affect visits to other countries? the words “illegally” and “good choice” shouldn’t be in the same sentence… think about it…

11

right ! I did not think about that …
I know that I do not need any visa to go for a few days in several countries in Asia (Thailand, Hong Kong, etc…) because I am french. The price to go to HongKong is cheaper than many other countries, but not so much cheaper, and the life there is surely much more expensive than in thailand for example. So why should I go in HK ? Is it faster to get a Visa to taiwan ?

12

Nah. Mine just reads “Requested to leave” or something. Only Taiwan will notice that. Don’t think any other countries will care.

13

[quote=“alekk”]right ! I did not think about that …
I know that I do not need any visa to go for a few days in several countries in Asia (Thailand, Hong Kong, etc…) because I am french. The price to go to HongKong is cheaper than many other countries, but not so much cheaper, and the life there is surely much more expensive than in thailand for example. So why should I go in HK ? Is it faster to get a Visa to Taiwan ?[/quote]

You’re making the right choice. They didn’t even blink at the FAP (I guess they’re name has changed, but whatever) when you asked them about this. It’s not like you’re going to overstay for a long period. And it’s not like you’ve been here for so long for them to suspect you of teaching illegally. They probably know that you’re a student.

As far as your passport saying things like “illegal”, etc? That’s pure bullshit. Nowhere will it say such things.

I wouldn’t even think twice about overstaying. It’s what’s best for you. Coming in an out of the country multiple times just because of a couple of weeks is just purely retarded.

14

Nah. Mine just reads “Requested to leave” or something. Only Taiwan will notice that. Don’t think any other countries will care.[/quote]

in fact I am still hesitating, and I have to take my decision tomorrow. Anyone with a similar experience ?

15

Nah. Mine just reads “Requested to leave” or something. Only Taiwan will notice that. Don’t think any other countries will care.[/quote]

in fact I am still hesitating, and I have to take my decision tomorrow. Anyone with a similar experience ?[/quote]

So what are you going to do? Fly to Hong Kong and back? For a couple of weeks in Taiwan? Who cares? Just pay 3000 NT at the FAP on your way out.

16

not that simple because I have to obtain a vietnamese Visa here in Taiwan. And to do that, I think that I need a clean Visa, but I am not sure … And secondly, I have already a plane ticket from Taiwan to France in 1 month and a half. This means that I will go in Vietnam during one month to see relatives, and then fly back to Taiwan, and then fly to France. So I am a little afraid that if there is something written on my passport, I may have some difficulties to fly from Vietnam to Taiwan. (I know, it seems complicated but it is a long story …)

17

Avoid overstaying, its a better idea in the long run. Dont try to out smart the system. In Taiwan all your entries and exits are recorded and available on computer. Could affect you negatively in the future.

I had trouble getting into HK one time because of an over stay stamp in my passport. The HK immigration needed to be convinced I wasnt planning on overstaying in HK too.

Luckily my many HK stamps of entry and exit convinced him that I have never overstayed in HK.

If you have already overstayed , then just make sure to leave by the date allowed. Its too late to change that stamp in your passport

Edit: IN your case, since you hold a FRench passport yes? Then you should be able to just arrive at a Taiwan airport on a landing visa, good for 30 days. I would suggest going to the proper authorities and explaining your situation and asking them for advice. They are pretty understanding usually.

they are smarter then they look !

18

Yea I had some trouble in HK with my overstay stamp because it says I’ve been notified to leave ROC and that I may not get a new visa for 1 year. The HK immigration people had me sit in the office for a little bit while they probably ran my passport through some checks systems and stuff but in the end I just showed them my return flight back to Taiwan and they were like meh whatevers.

The Visa thing says. No Visa exception will be granted to this passport for entry into ROC for 1 year from the day the stamp is on. So it is probably best to avoid the overstay since you probably wont be able to get a new visa to go to taiwan for a year. This does not effect your current visa though if it is a multi entry visa. When I came back the immigration guy didn’t even flip to the overstay stamps and didn’t even notice it.

If you can avoid an overstay it is probably for the best. Is it hard to get a visa for vietnam for the french?

19

thank you for all your advices. Finally I spent one day in HK, and tonight I am back in Taiwan. I don’t regret this choice: my Visa is now OK, I am sure that I will not have any trouble to obtain another Visa, and HK is not that bad :slight_smile:

thanks again !

20

You made the right decision.