Taiwanese passport holders must obtain a UK-issued electronic travel authorization (ETA) document to visit or transit through the UK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Taiwanese travelers who have enjoyed visa-free visits to the UK since March 2009 need to have the new digitally issued travel document to enter the UK starting from yesterday, the ministry said.
The British government Web site Gov.UK shows that the travel requirement is being introduced in phases, and by April, all visitors who do not need a visa would need an ETA.
Photo: Fang Wei-li, Taipei Times
Taiwanese, along with those from several visa-exempt countries, including the US, have been able to apply for an ETA since Nov. 27 last year for trips of up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study.
Travelers can apply for an ETA through the official “UK ETA” app for Android and iOS devices, or through Gov.UK.
The application costs ￡10 (US$12.35), and usually takes three working days to be processed, but could take longer, the site says.
A person who must depart before their application is approved, can travel to the UK while waiting for a decision, it says.
An ETA is valid for two years, but it does not guarantee entry to the UK, as immigration officers at the border have the final say, it says.
Similar travel requirements have been introduced for Taiwanese travelers to Australia, which requires an Electronic Travel Authority document, and the US, which has the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
Meanwhile, no date has been announced for the rollout of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for the Schengen Area or Cyprus for a short stay, due to delays in the installation of equipment at some airports in the area, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Taiwanese travelers eligible for visa-free visits to the area can still do so, until the ETIAS is officially introduced, it said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS