The nation is to tighten its visa restrictions starting next month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that from Feb. 1, citizens from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Somalia and Syria will be required to have a Taiwanese citizen or organization sponsor them when applying for a visa to enter Taiwan.
People from these countries can apply for a visa at Taiwan's representative offices abroad. The office will pass on the applicants' visa application numbers to their Taiwanese sponsors, who will then need to visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs and submit their sponsorship documents.
Wang Kuo-ran (王國然), deputy director of the ministry's Bureau of Consular Affairs, said yesterday that issuing visas was an act of sovereignty and that the 12th article of the Statute on Foreign Passports and Visas (外國護照簽證條例) states that the government does not need to explain its visa requirements.
Also from Feb. 1, citizens from 10 other countries -- Bangladesh, Burma, Ghana, Nigeria, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Cameroon, Senegal and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- who desire to visit Taiwan will have to apply for their visas at representative offices designated by the Taiwanese government.
For example, citizens from Bangladesh and Burma will have to apply for their visas at Taiwan's representative office in Thailand. Citizens from Ghana and Cameroon, meanwhile, will have to contact Taiwan's representative office in Nigeria.
Applicants from these countries will also be required to arrange a Taiwanese sponsor.
Travelers should visit the Web site at www.boca.gov.tw for more information.
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