Starting on Wednesday next week, travelers to Taiwan must fill out their Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) online before arriving, streamlining the immigration process and eliminating the need for paper arrival cards.
Travelers can fill out the TWAC for free on its official Web site, https://twac.immigration.gov.tw, within three days before arriving in Taiwan, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday, in a reminder of the policy change that was first announced in June.
The online system would send a confirmation e-mail to the traveler and automatically retrieve their TWAC data when an immigration officer scans their passport, so they do not need to present any information to the officer, the NIA said.
Photo courtesy of the National Immigration Agency
Those who do not need to fill out an arrival card, such as Taiwan ID or residency card holders, would not be affected by these changes.
The TWAC Web site’s interface is intuitive and user-friendly and the procedure is simple, the agency said, adding that people could fill out the form in English or Chinese.
Each section is explained in Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian, making the form easier for travelers to understand and complete, the NIA said.
When filling out the form, travelers can upload a photo of their passport’s information page instead of entering the details manually, it said.
For families and groups, one person could help up to 16 people fill out the online TWAC and the information could be edited at any time, simplifying the application process, it added.
Travelers must complete the online TWAC before arriving in Taiwan, otherwise they would be unable to clear immigration, the NIA said.
Those required to submit the online TWAC are foreign nationals entering Taiwan with a visitor visa or under the visa-exemption program, Hong Kong and Macao residents holding a multiple-entry permit, Chinese nationals holding a multiple-entry permit for tourism, and Taiwanese citizens without a household registration or who do not hold a residence certificate, it said.
QR codes linked to the TWAC Web site are to be displayed during flights and at the port of origin of travelers who need to fill out an arrival card, the NIA said, adding that travelers could also visit the Web site three days before their visit and fill out the information.
Devices are being installed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where the paper landing cards remain for now, so that people without mobile phones can fill out the form electronically before passing through immigration counters, it said.
A paper landing card would still be available after Wednesday next week, but only in exceptional situations, it added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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