Visas?

I will be leaving for Taiwan very soon, and I am a bit worried about the visa situation. As I was booking my ticket from Vancouver to Taiwan (Another Canadian), the travel agent warned me about possible problems that may arise with my one year open ticket. She suggested I contact the Taiwanese embassy and arrange a visa. After reading many posts I assumed it would be smooth sailing if I flash a Lonely Planet Book and detail my travel plans for the next year. Help???

Thanks

Don’t know where you would have got that idea from.

Get a Visa. If you are planning on spending any time in Taiwan at all you don’t want to arrive on a landing Visa.
Have a bank statement showing you have lots of money (3000 Canadian, ideally) and bring your plane ticket and bank statement to the Taiwan Visa office and get a two month extendable Visa.

Upon entering the country it may be necesary to show that you are booked on a flight out of Taiwan two months after your entry date (this may be what your travel agent is referring to with your open-ended ticket). Get your travel agent to book you on a flight and give you one of those reservation stickers and then get have it cancelled right away. Customs officer says; “oh look, they have a sticker,” and away you go.

Hi guy
I want to knowthat what’s landing visa?

It is definetly a good idea to get a visa before you arrive, otherwise you severley limit the time you have in Taiwan before you are forced to go on a visa run.

I am coming in early february and just got my passport back from the Taiwanese office in Toronto. They require:

  1. Two pictures (one was later sent back).
  2. An itinerary - get the travel agent to print you up an itinerary that states that you will be coming back within 60 days of your arrival (even though this will be untrue).
  3. $123 Canadian for a 60 day multiple entry visa and return postage.
    Make sure you send enough for postage or they will not return your passport, just send you a letter demanding more money (for $13 you would expect them to hand deliver your passport in a ferrari).

Once you have the multiple entry visa, I think it should be smooth sailing.

My ticket states that I am not returning until November, in stark contrast to my 60 day visa; hopefully this will not arouse too much suspicion.

The best way to come over here is to get a 60-day visa. Usually a single entry visa is enough but if that makes you nervous, get a multiple entry and pay the extra. You must have a return ticket that brings you back prior to the expiry date of your visa. After all, you state to the authorities you are coming over here as a visitor by evidence of your 60-day visa. How can you justify booking a flight for after your 60 day visa has expired? Nope. Not a good idea AT ALL. Once here, you can extend your return flight to one year from when you come over. Make sure it is the day prior to when you arrived, one year later. That’s a good way to do it. You might be able to find a travel agent who will provide you with
a “dummy” itinerary as mentioned by a poster above but that’s easier said than done.

Sunflower, don’t be flippant about getting into the country. You cannot flash a Lonely Planet guide book at the authorities and ream off a list of places to visit. You can use your Lonely Planet guide to enhance your stay here. You might have the names of a few places to visit that you have gleaned from your Lonely Planet guide just in case you need them, but I doubt if you’ll be asked. Do things properly. It will make your life much easier.

Here’s a question:

I’m coming in on Feb 1 with a 60 day multiple-entry visa, but my ticket out says November 15th.

Will this present much of a problem to the authorities?

Can I claim I am going on vacation in Taiwan for 50 days, then going round south-east asia for the next five months before returning to Taiwan for my final departure (thus not requiring a return-visa at the end)?

Thanks.

[quote=“selfimposedexile”]Here’s a question:

I’m coming in on Feb 1 with a 60 day multiple-entry visa, but my ticket out says November 15th.

Will this present much of a problem to the authorities?

can I claim I am going on vacation in Taiwan for 50 days, then going round south-east Asia for the next five months before returning to Taiwan for my final departure (thus not requiring a return-visa at the end)?

Thanks.[/quote]

It will present a problem to the authorities. Please carefully read my post above yours and then change your flight to show a return within the time frame of your 60-day visa.

I assume you are planning to work here legally and obtain a work permit and alien resident certificate (ARC). Once you have those documents (within the 60 day time period), change your flight once again to show a return to your home country within 364 days of your arrival;ie, one day prior to your year here. There is no better way to do it unless you can get your travel agent to write up a fake return itinerary. that way, you’d only have to pay for your flight here and not make a trip home next year. But, by then, you’ll probably be ready to leave this Island and see friends and family again.

I’d be leery of claiming you are going on vacation in Taiwan for 50 days etc. The authorities weren’t born yesterday and you might find you have some hassles that are so easy to avoid by doing what I suggest.