A trial run of a program offering Philippine nationals visa-free entry for up to 14 days is to begin next month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
“The trial is being held to attract Philippine visitors to Taiwan for tourism and business, as well as to increase people-to-people exchanges between the two nations,” the ministry said in a statement.
Starting on Nov. 1, Philippine citizens without a criminal record who hold a passport that is valid for at least six months and a return plane or boat ticket can enter the nation visa-free, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
They will also be required to give immigration officials an arrival card with proof of hotel reservation or an address and contact details for their accommodation, the ministry said.
The trial is to run until July 31 next year, after which it will be reviewed to see if the program should be extended, it added.
The government has been criticized for giving Philippine citizens visa-free entry while failing to secure the same privileges for Taiwanese traveling to the Philippines.
However, the ministry said it has urged Manila to reciprocate with visa-free treatment for Taiwanese.
The measure, which corresponds with the government’s New Southbound Policy, was agreed to on Sept. 15 during an interministerial meeting for representatives from agencies that handle national security, the police, investigations, immigration, tourism and economics and trade.
Philippine travelers made 161,303 visits to Taiwan between January and July, an increase of 73.51 percent from the 92,967 visits made during the same period last year, National Immigration Agency statistics showed.
The nation has adopted a range of visa-relaxation measures targeting the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
On Oct. 7 last year, the Philippines was incorporated into the e-visa program, and on June 1, the online Travel Authorization Certificate scheme was expanded to allow people from Southeast Asia with a clean criminal record in Taiwan and who have been issued a visa or resident certificate within the past 10 years to apply for a multiple-entry visa free of charge.
Online applications for e-visas were also made available to members of group tours organized by designated travel agencies.
However, these visa-relaxation measures will no longer apply to Philippine travelers once the trial is launched on Nov. 1.
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