The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced that people whose passport is not lost and would expire in less than six months would be eligible to use its conditional online passport renewal service from July 1.
The service began its trial run in September last year and launched officially on Jan. 1.
Bureau of Consular Affairs Acting Director-General Chen Shang-yu (陳尚友) said at the ministry in Taipei that the eligibility of the service currently includes adults who have their household registration in Taiwan and have an expired passport with the information on the bio data page unchanged.
Photo: CNA
“The new expanded eligibility includes those whose passport is not lost and would expire in less than six months,” he said.
People who are eligible for the service must use their Citizen Digital Certificate to apply to renew their passport online, pay with a credit card and wait for about 10 working days for processing of their passport, Chen said.
They need to show up in person, and bring the payment receipt and their old passport to pick up the new passport, he said.
The bureau might further expand eligibility to make passport renewals more convenient and safer, he said.
Taiwan is entering into its typhoon season, and as typhoons could suspend work across the nation, people should make sure they have enough time to renew their passport before taking a trip, he said.
The bureau issued 1.2 million passports in the first five months of the year, he said, adding that eligible people could use the online service to save time, while first-time applicants should apply to its branch offices across the nation.
“People should stay safe while traveling and keep their belongings secured, which includes their passport, as it is the most important identity document they would be carrying,” he said.
People on social media discuss passport photo requirements, with some people asking whether mirror selfies taken with smartphones are allowed, Chen said, adding that such photos are not allowed, as passport photographs should follow the International Civil Aviation Organization’s standards.
“Taiwan’s passport currently ranks high in the world’s most powerful passports, offering visa-free, visa on arrival, or e-visa access to 174 countries,” he said.
However, the bureau has noticed some fraudulent applications and people allowing others to use their passport, and it reminds people that giving, loaning or selling one’s passport to someone else is illegal, and perpetrators face imprisonment for up to seven years, he said.
Before traveling overseas, people should also make sure they buy appropriate travel insurance, Chen said.
They are encouraged to download the bureau’s travel safety guidance (旅外安全指南) app, register their travel contact details with the bureau online or through its official Line account, so that the ministry’s representative office at their travel destination can notify them in case of an emergency, such as a natural disaster or a riot, he said
People who register their travel contact details with the bureau online this year are automatically eligible for a lottery each month, he added.
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