The number of Taiwanese nationals applying for electronic passports has grown by 25 percent this month from a year earlier, boosted by Taiwan’s inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official said on Sunday.
Bureau of Consular Affairs Director-General Thomas Chen (陳經銓) said the bureau issued 96,047 e-passports between Oct. 1 and last Wednesday, a 25.48 percent increase from the same period last year.
According to the bureau, the e-passports are machine-readable and feature an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-compliant chip. This is required to travel to the US under the visa-waiver program.
Approximately 5 million ICAO-compliant passports have been issued by the ministry since e-passports were introduced in Taiwan in 2008, accounting for 46.09 percent of all Taiwanese passports in use.
Under the program eligible passport holders will be granted visa-free stays of up to 90 days in the US.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle said Taiwanese nationals on a Seattle-bound EVA Airways flight on Friday will be greeted by a welcome banner at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Representatives of Taiwanese expatriate groups, political figures from the state of Washington and airport officials are set to welcome the flight’s passengers to celebrate the new visa-free policy.
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