People applying for passports must wait six days instead of four to receive their documents starting from Tuesday next week due to a surge of applications triggered by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The number of passport applications has dramatically increased since the government on Oct. 13 waived quarantine requirements for inbound travelers, Bureau of Consular Affairs deputy head Chen Shang-yu (陳尚友) told a news conference in Taipei.
As of yesterday, about 110,000 passport applications had been received since the beginning of the month, compared with 200,000 applications between January and August, Chen said.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
To ease congestion at the consular office in Taipei, the bureau plans to increase the number of service counters to review and accept applications, and add 3,000 chairs and several portable toilets to better serve applicants, he said.
“We need to extend the passport processing time from four days to six days, mainly because consular employees are so overwhelmed by the dramatic increase in workload that they must now work two to three hours of overtime daily,” he said, adding that extending the processing time is necessary to avoid contravening labor regulations.
Despite the longer wait, Taiwan remains one of the fastest nations in processing passport applications, and other countries have also extended their processing times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
The US extended its passport processing time from four to six weeks to six to nine weeks, Chen said.
In South Korea, people wait an average of seven to 10 days to receive passports, while the waiting time in Japan is six to seven days, he said.
People can pay an additional fee to have the processing of their applications expedited, Chen said.
Those who are not traveling overseas in the short term are advised to postpone applying for a passport or ask travel agencies to apply on their behalf, he said.
First-time applicants can also apply at household registration offices nationwide to avoid congestion at consular offices, he said.
Separately, the ministry has updated a travel alert for Peru to “red,” meaning that travelers are advised to not visit the South American country unless necessary.
Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Director-General Florencia Hsie (謝妙宏) said that protests have erupted across the country since Peruvian president Pedro Castillo was deposed on Dec. 7.
On Dec. 14, the new Peruvian government declared a 30-day national state of emergency and has since dispatched the military to suppress protests.
Taiwanese living in Peru are safe, she said.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Peru earlier this month offered assistance to 11 Taiwanese tourists whose trips to the South American country were disrupted by the closing of airports there, Hsie said.
Nine had left Peru, while two chose to stay and continue their trips, she said.
“We advise people to avoid traveling in Peru in the short term. Those currently traveling in Peru should heed their own safety and keep in close contact with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Peru,” she said.
For emergency assistance, travelers can call the office’s emergency hotline in Peru at 999-740-703, while their relatives in Taiwan can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 0800-085-095.
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