Foreigners or Taiwanese nationals without household registration who overstay their visa in Taiwan can now reduce their fine for overstaying by half if they turn themselves in before being apprehended by the authorities, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday in a statement.
The new regulations came into effect yesterday after Article 3 of the Regulations Governing the Recognition and Reduction Standards of Special Reasons in Article 74-1 of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法) was amended.
Under the new “Turn Yourself in, Fine Reduced by Half: Give Yourself a Chance — Return Home Sooner” initiative, the National Immigration Agency would reduce fines of between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000 by half, to NT$5,000 to NT$25,000.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of the Interior
Penalties also include a re-entry ban of at least one year and up to seven years.
Overstayers must complete the self-reporting process and pay the reduced fine before preparing travel documents, and must depart voluntarily within the required timeframe, the ministry said.
Failure to comply would result in the full fine, it added.
Meanwhile, national security authorities would step up investigations in the hope that combining enforcement with leniency would improve border management efficiency, the ministry said.
The ministry said that measures to manage the foreign national population in Taiwan need to keep pace with the times by balancing human rights protection and safety, as well as taking into account population mobility trends.
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