I’m currently in the US & will be applying for a visitor’s visa in the near future. Is it possible to do this by mail, or must one go to the “embassy” (Taipei Economic & Cultural Office) in person?
And do they have “same-day service” or something similar?
[quote=“Indiana Jones”]I’m currently in the US & will be applying for a visitor’s visa in the near future. Is it possible to do this by mail, or must one go to the “embassy” (Taipei Economic & Cultural Office) in person?
And do they have “same-day service” or something similar?[/quote]
Yes, you can send your passport, visa application, and money order to the nearest TECO and they will process your visa. I believe you must also include a postage paid pre-addressed envelope with your application. I did this last summer and the total processing time was just a few days. I believe I paid extra for rushed service. Take a look at their website for more information.
In addition to what Erhu said:
If you use USPS Next Day/UPS/FedEx as your pre-addressed envelope so you can get it even faster and track the package online(some important documents in there). Several years ago I sent my application-along with extra fee for the rush job-from Minnesota to the TECO office in Chicago and got everything back on Friday of that week. 
I don’t know if that time frame is normal or lightning speed, but it was worth the extra cost.
The turnaround on my visa was super fast, too Mugua. I used Express mail. The Chicago branch is great. Not only did they work fast, they also gave me a five year multi-entry. 
Make sure you check the box for multi-entry Indiana Jones. They are the by far the best visas to get.
Erhu,
You wrote that you were given a 5 year multi-entry visa.
What did you say your purpose was for going to Taiwan?
Also, did they ask for your flight itinerary on the visa app?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
James in Seattle
[quote=“Bahcevan”]Erhu,
You wrote that you were given a 5 year multi-entry visa.
What did you say your purpose was for going to Taiwan?
Also, did they ask for your flight itinerary on the visa app?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
James in Seattle[/quote]
I don’t know about Erhu but I got a 5-yr multiple-entr visa from the SF TECO office. My purpose, I was visiting relatives. No flight itinerary was asked on my visa application. Forked over the US$100 and voila, got it mailed back to me within 5 business days (return receipt requested).
[quote=“Bahcevan”]Erhu,
You wrote that you were given a 5 year multi-entry visa.
What did you say your purpose was for going to Taiwan?
Also, did they ask for your flight itinerary on the visa app?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
James in Seattle[/quote]
I think I just checked the tourism box. The first time that I got a Taiwan Visa they gave me a one year multi-entry, but last summer when I applied they gave me the five year.
No matter what you state for purpose of your visa, just be sure you check the multi-entry box. The least you’ll get is a one year. The application asked for a flight itinerary. I got an itinerary from a travel website without actually buying tickets. Some places (like flychina.com) allow you to reserve a flight for 24 hours before purchasing. I printed of the intinerary and sent it in with my application. I don’t know if the itinerary was actually necessary, but I sent it anyway just in case. Anyway, good luck. I’m sure you’ll have no problems. Getting a Taiwanese visa in the U.S. is easy.
I checked on the BOCA web site (www.boca.gov.tw/english/) & it stated that the Visitor’s Visa is only good for up to 6 months. But, if I understand you guys correctly, if I check the “multiple-entry” box, my visa will be good for at least a year. So I won’t encounter any problems if the round-trip flight itinerary (I send to TECO) covers a period of longer than 6 months. (In other words, BOCA’s statement that the Visitor’s Visa is only good for up to 6 months is either only applicable to the single-entry visa or is meaningless.) Is this correct?
You’ve misunderstood. Visitor’s Visa’s can be good up to 6 months usage. They are extendable and typically multiple-entry. They are usually issued at 60-days increments extendable although some are given with 180-days non-extendable. Anything more than 6 months stay in Taiwan, you’re looking at getting another Visitor’s Visa (visa jump to favorite TECO office) or getting a Resident Visa.
Our firm can provide pre-flight China visas and will soon provide “visa jump packages” for those who need to renew but also want to take some time off in between. Our preferred visa jump destination is Malaysia and our packages would include eco-tours, diving lessons or city tours. We can also provide packages to Thailand, Singapore and Japan through our partner travel agents. HK is no longer preferred in that 1) it’s very expensive due to Disneyland opening up soon and 2) TECO office “difficulties”.
So the Visitor’s Visa is only good for up to 6 months… (My future employer will “upgrade” my visa anyway, so that’s really not a concern for me.) But it’s OK if I apply for the Visitor’s Visa but provide them (the folks at TECO) with a flight itinerary covering a period exceeding 6 months… right?
With a multi-entry you can stay for 2 months at a time. You can extend for up to 6 months if you have a valid reason for doing so, for example studying at a government approved language school. If you’re going to give them flight itinerary, you should show a flight out of Taiwan within the initial 60-day period. But as I said, you don’t actually have to purchase any tickets. A lot of websites allow you to reserve a flight for up to 24 hours and they’ll email you the flight itinerary. If you don’t actually want to book the tickets, you do nothing. Then just print out the itinerary and send it in with your visa application.
If you get a multi entry visa that is valid for one year, you can use it for one year. You just have to leave the country every 60 days (or up to 6 months if you get it extended). Then you can come right back on the same visa and stay for another 60 days. Hope this is clear!