I’m having major problems renewing my visa here. I’ve had a 1 year multiple entry resident visa but it will expire on Sept 5th. I’ve been working on an AIESEC traineeship for the past 12 months and plan to stay at least another 4 months with the same company before returning home but the government have refused to extend it, saying that the original duration was only for a year and so they will not extend it.
As a last resort, I’ll need to go to Hong Kong for a visa run, coming back to Taiwan on a tourist visa to buy some time while I try to get a new working visa.
I’d be grateful if you could give me some feedback about your own experiences. Have you had to do a visa run to HK and if so, can you explain the procedure, how long it takes on average, etc?
The consulate is located on one of the highest floors of the Lippo towers. There, all you’ll need to do is fill out a visa application and give a legitimate reason for going back to Taiwan. Perhaps you can get a letter from your company stating the intent to acquire another work permit. You are, technically of course, not supposed to be working on a visitor visa. Therefore they will have to believe that you are not going to be working while only on the visitor visa. I can’t imagine it would be a big problem getting a 60-day visitor visa. It is possible you’d end of with only a 30-day visa, however. It’s a relatively painless operation, though, and you should be able to get it done in a day and a half to two days (maximum). Good luck!
If you get there in the morning, say before 10h00, you can already have it at 16h00 on the same day, and come back by the latest plane.
I have done it 2x already.
Also thanks to a multiple entry visa, I have visited Hong Kong twice, Okinawa once and had to go back to France to make a new (better visa) cause the old one could ??!!not be changed here.
[This message has been edited by george67tw (edited 21 September 2000).]
Here in Taiwan, there are many types of “visa restrictions” which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quotes when dealing with foreigners. However, a lot of these are not specifically stated in the relevant laws.
If the MOFA has stated that you have to go back to your home country to renew your visa, and that it cannot be done here in Taiwan, have you verified that that is a strict legal requirement?