Traveling to Taiwan

Hi all,

Most of the posts on this forum seem to be about traveling FROM Taiwan but I have a question about getting TO Taiwan. Specifically, I’m wondering if most people who booked through travel agencies received assistance in completing their visa forms from their agents. I ask because I’m deliberating between two agencies. The fares they offer are similar but one offers a free review of your visa form. The other agent, who I have booked with for several other trips, seemed to think it was unnecessary for her to review my (visitor) visa info. The visa form DOES seem pretty dead-ahead but I have a slight fear that I will mess something up and delay the process. Can anyone offer any insight on this?

Afterthought: the agent who suggested that it was unnecessary for her to review my visa application also seemed to think there was no problem in stating on my visa application that I would be staying in Taiwan for 10 months. Is this an indication that she knows absolutely nothing about the market? I can’t imagine that it’s a good idea to apply for a visa that will be valid for 60 days at the most and tell the authorities that you will be staying for 10 months!

(I am Canadian, by the way.)

What type of visa are you getting? I don’t know if it’s possible to get a tourist visa for 10 months. All things considered, I’d pick one the that had the free review of the application. However, my perspective is that I have absolutely no loyalty to travel agents because I don’t believe that they’re out to get me the best deal. I believe that they’re going to book you on whatever gives them the best profit.

If you come on a sixty days visa, DO NOT SAY YOU ARE HERE FOR 10 MONTHS.
The way to go about it is to get your 60 days extended twice which you can do without having to leave the country. Then after 6 month you take a trip to HK and renew your visa and you are good for another 6 months. That gives you a year.

Travel agents usually don’t take care of these things. It’s up to you to know the immigration law and abide by them.

Or if you come on Student visa, your school should take care of that for you.

Good luck!

If you’re Canadian, then like most citizens of Western countries, you probably don’t have a lot of experience of applying for visas. Because of that the experience can seem a bit daunting. You may also be worried about revealing too much. Foreign citizens going into Western countries often have this problem because the visa issuing officer may want to be satisfied that you have a genuine intention of leaving at the end of your visit.

Coming to Taiwan from Canada you really don’t have to worry so much. They care about what you can prove about what you intend to do. So they are maybe looking for reservations out of the countryand perhaps evidence that you have money to support yourself.

It is if they see something written down on the form that can’t be supported with paperwork that you run into trouble.

The visa system is in chaos at the moment - as you can tell from other threads - but the implications of this are inconvenience and expense rather than anything Machiavellian.

The only thing I always advise is never get a health check inside Taiwan for any purpose (school or visa) without being 100 percent sure what all the results will be. Do it anonymously in Taiwan or do it outside first.

If you’ve already got a school registration letter then you’ve passed that hurdle.

Fill in the form, don’t stress about it. No need to second-guess the visa officer when all you want is a visitor visa. You’re not planning anything illegal.

The issue, as you will see, is whether the Taiwan visa office will give you a Resident Visa or a Visitor one. You have no influence over that. But in terms of getting here anyway it makes no difference at all.

Tell them what you have firm and verifiable plans to do and how long you have firm and verifiable plans to do it and leave the rest to the visa office. I can’t promise that you’ll never suffer inconvenience or incur expense but you will get a visa that will get you here.