The government today launched an online passport renewal application service for Taiwanese nationals.
Previously, passport holders had to personally visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) nationwide branch offices to apply for passport renewal.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Now they can apply online and collect their new passport 14 days later at a designated bureau office by showing their National Identity Card and online application receipt.
However, only Taiwanese nationals who possess household registration in Taiwan and whose personal records on their expired passport do not need to be changed are eligible to use the online application system.
Speaking at a launch ceremony in Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new service was the "result of year-long planning and preparation" involving MOFA, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
According to MOFA, Taiwanese who need to renew their already-expired passport can log in on the Web site and type their Natural Person Certificate number to begin their application.
The newly launched service is to run on a trial basis accepting a maximum of 500 applications daily.
MOFA anticipates the daily limit would be removed in late November or mid-December.
Once the service is fully up-and-running, MOFA estimated that it would benefit 200,000 to 300,000 passport renewal applicants each year.
The Web site for the online passport renewal application service can be found here.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS