Hi, can anyone please help.
I am a UK national.
I want to visit Taiwan for between 2 - 3 months with a view to finding work teaching English.
The length of my stay would depend entirely on what work I have found. I realize that I would have to sort out a work/ARC card whilst I am there.
The problem is getting there in the first place. The most appropriate Visitor Visa seems to be a single entry visa which is valid for three months but can be extended.
However, it seems that the visa can only be issued against sight of a return/onward air ticket and a confirmed seat reservation for my departure.
This, as I see it, commits me to returning at a definite date - which is not what I want. I need the flexibility of being able to return as the work situation dictates.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as this is proving a real mine field.
If you applying for a visa in England, they should give you a two month visiting/tourist visa no questions asked. Then you buy yourself a one way ticket to Taiwan. That’s exactly what I did when I first came, and our situations are identical. Are the Taiwanese office in Britain telling you that you need a return ticket, because assuming you are a British citizen, that sounds very strange. Cheers Amos.
I’m not sure about the TECO office in the UK, but serveral of these offices, depending on where they are, have made it policy to show a return ticket as a condition for the two-month visitor visa. Hong Kong is included (and note that I think they only issue one-month visas there in most cases). It is a policy that discourages the visa-run of English teachers and non-accountable business professionals.
Here is what you do. You get a return ticket. Pay the extra few bucks for a ticket that can be cancelled or changed. That is, of course, if your TECO requires that you have an outbound ticket.
This, as I see it, commits me to returning at a definite date - which is not what I want. I need the flexibility of being able to return as the work situation dictates.
Get a so-called “open ticket” (6 or 12 month) which allows you to change departure and/or return date. This can be obtained against a small additional fee.
Make a reservation within the visa duration and later change the date as you wish.
You do not need to cancel the reservation, just don’t show up at the airport though it won’t hurt if you inform the airline later that you will not fly on that date and they can release the seat.
I had a return ticket but it was issued after the visa would have expired, so the immigration officer would not have me let in but was so kind to ask someone from the EVA Air office to change the date and give me a sticker, then issuing my (landing) visa and let me pass.
Many, many thanks for your comments. By the way, I know it’s the least of my worries but does anyone know any bar where I can watch the world cup in Taipei?
Saint and Sinners on An-Ho Rd. (“An-heh Lu”) I think does show sports.
Hello
I am mexican and have a 60 day , single entry visa. I want to go to HongKong for a weekend, does anybody know if I can get a new visa there? and for how many days? and more important… can I get it extended once I am here in Taipei again?
I know i can get my visa extended here if I start taking chinease lessons for up to 180 days without leaving the country, but I want to go to Hong Kong…
I hope somebody can help me…
Thanks
Marce
quote:
I am mexican and have a 60 day , single entry visa. I want to go to HongKong for a weekend, does anybody know if I can get a new visa there? and for how many days? and more important.. can I get it extended once I am here in Taipei again? I know i can get my visa extended here if I start taking chinease lessons for up to 180 days without leaving the country, but I want to go to Hong Kong...
Marcela, sure you can get a visa there, but it’ll be a travel visa that is in fact a student visa. In order to get this, you’ll need to apply to study at a Chinese school and pay for three months tuition up front. Also you’ll need an outgoing airline ticket and a taiwan bank account with a bit of cash.
I’m not sure if there’s another way. This 'student visa will be a 60 day extendable 4 times at 1 month a time (totalling 6 months) providing you rock up to class.
Whatever happened to those 60 day visitor visa extensions?
That is one legally enters Taiwan on a visitor visa for 60 days and then goes to local police headquarters near the end of that visa period and requests a simple extension of the visitor visa. In the past, it has been renewable twice with the need to leave only after six months. No Chinese classes or work situations needed as one is just a tourist. Of course, having a ticket, sufficient funds, and a local friend whom you are actually visiting helps facilitate that extended holiday in Taiwan.
I think that the Police are pretty strict on extensions now. They want to know why you are here.
Which raises the interesting question of why USA citizens (as a particular instance) can be restricted from living in an area (such as the self-governing dominion of Taiwan) which is still under the effective control of the USA?
Are the Taiwan police becoming more antagonistic towards US citizens residing in Taiwan?
I wouldn’t say they were more antagonistic. In my experience, at least, they are now FAR more polite and helpful than they ever were in the past (I’m talking about admin. cops here, haven’t had too much experience with the street variety). Of course, I, like a large number of other foreigners here, am not a US citizen but merely a lowly Brit. I don’t know if that makes a difference.
As far as I know, they actually had some kind of lessons a few years ago to learn how to be polite, but maybe that’s an urban legend.
However, they are definitely more strict and do things far more according to the book, which is good and bad – good in that you have less chance of being screwed over by a paper-pusher in a bad mood, bad in that you have less chance of being able to “talk your way” out of a tight spot.
Hartzell says:
quote[quote] Which raises the interesting question of why USA citizens (as a particular instance) can be restricted from living in an area (such as the self-governing dominion of Taiwan) which is still under the effective control of the USA? [/quote]Huh? I didn’t realize that Taiwan was a colony of the USA.
3 - 2 - 1, BLAAAAAAAAAAAART! RRRT! RT! RRRRT! POOT! That’s the noise of an outburst of verbal diahorreah from deep in the Nevada desert by someone who has written evidence that the U.S. does in fact own Taiwan.
You asked for it, Wolf – prepared to be bored stupid!
Being a British subject, perhaps you will recall the West Berlin Occupation, and that any British nationals were subject to Crown Courts, if in the British Zone?
There is significant amount of legal evidence of a self-governing dominion status that comes from the Taiwan Relations Act and the SFPT limbo cession. This even includes the Shanghai Communiques.
In a technical sense, it is a colonial status of the British self-governing dominions. US colonial law recognizes this very same legal status under treaties and Laws of Occupation.
Ignorance of the law only makes one stupid for not knowing their legal rights in Taiwan. Civis Britannicus Sum, eh Brute?
quote:
Originally posted by taiwanstatus: Whatever happened to those 60 day visitor visa extensions? That is one legally enters Taiwan on a visitor visa for 60 days and then goes to local police headquarters near the end of that visa period and requests a simple extension of the visitor visa.
Even 10 years ago, you needed proof of studying Chinese to get the extension. And you also had to file taxes or show proof of funds transfers from overseas to get the second (month 4) extension. As Richard mentioned, things are tightening up even more.