Taiwanese travelers heading to certan airports in Japan could from Thursday access a border preclearance service at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to facilitate entry into Japan, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) announced on Friday.
The measure, which is made possible through the partnership between the airport operator and Japan’s Immigration Services Agency, applies to Taiwanese tourists flying to Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima, Komatsu, Morioka Hanamaki, Sendai, Takamatsu or Niigata airports from Thursday to Feb. 29.
Those who enter Japan for tourism purposes, family visits, short-term business travel or would stay in Japan for no more than 90 days would be able to access the service, which would close 30 minutes before takeoff.
Photo courtesy of Taoyuan International Airport Corp
Travelers choosing to access the border preclearance service at Taoyuan airport only need to confirm their arrival information at the boarding gates, the TIAC said.
Japanese border control officers would inspect passengers’ passports, take pictures of their faces and collect their fingerprints at the pre-clearance service, it said, adding that passengers could enter Japan soon after the immigration officers there check their passports and complete all entry procedures.
It is to be implemented next month, as the Lunar New Year holiday is the peak time of travel to Japan, TIAC said, adding that more than 6,000 Taiwanese tourists could benefit from the short-term measure.
Prior to this year, Japan’s border preclearance service was available at Taoyuan airport from 2005 to 2009 and was resumed last year with a two-week trial, TIAC said.
This year, the service would extend to one month and apply to flights to the 10 Japanese airports serviced by China Airlines, Starlux Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan, TIAC said.
“As the winter break and Lunar New Year holiday are peak times for outbound travel, we want to remind travelers to arrive at Taoyuan airport 2.5 to 3 hours before the departure of their flights,” the company said. “They should first take out laptops, tablet devices and mobile power banks from their carry-on luggage when they arrive at the security lines,” the comapany said.
“They should also remove water from containers as well as their jackets, hats and waist belts to facilitate the security check process” it added.
The Japan Tourism Agency on Jan. 17 published the results of a survey among international tourists, showing that Taiwan was ranked first in terms off money spent by international tourists in Japan last year.
Taiwanese tourists spent about NT$165.1 billion (US$5.27 billion) in Japan last year, exceeding spending by South Korean and Chinese tourists, the results showed.
Taiwan has signed reciprocal agreements with the US, South Korea, Australia, Italy, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK to facilitate the entry of Taiwanese tourists.
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