Check Visa Requirements for Taiwanese Citizens

Visa Requirements for Taiwanese Citizens

Taiwanese visa requirements are administrative restrictions placed on Republic of China (ROC) passport holders to enter other countries.

Although the Republic of China only has a single type of nationality, Taiwan’s residency law falls into two categories: citizens with a home registration and therefore the right to reside and to obtain an ID card; and citizens without household registration without the right to reside in Taiwan.

Both categories have their own regulations to be able to enter other foreign countries: holders of Taiwanese passports that have an ID card number can travel to more territories without requiring a visa.

The Republic of China passport for Taiwanese citizens with right of abode is currently ranked number 32 among worldwide travel documents, according to the Henley Passport Index, as it permits visa-free access to around 120 territories across the globe.

To access these countries, Taiwanese residents are usually required to present a current ROC passport with a minimum validity of 6 months from entry to the destination.

However, even though a visa is not necessary for these destinations, prior registration is sometimes required for an electronic travel authorization, something that will also depend on whether or not the Taiwanese traveler has an ID card number printed in their passport.

Most visa-exempt countries permit Taiwanese citizens short stays of between 30 and 180 days, for purposes of tourism. If Taiwanese travelers want to travel to these destinations for longer periods of stay or for other purposes, they will need to apply for a visa from an embassy or consulate.

Around 20 countries offer the option of obtaining a visa on arrival to Taiwanese travelers, while almost 40 offer an eVisa application to expedite this process.

Additionally, there are currently over 95 countries worldwide that require a Taiwanese citizen to obtain a visa before traveling from a relevant government diplomatic office, no matter the duration or purpose of the stay.

Find below a detailed breakdown of the visa types available for Taiwanese residents.
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List of Visa Countries for Taiwan Passport Holders in 2020

Taiwanese travelers who wish to visit a country that requires a visa may obtain it through a nearby embassy or consulate of the destination, through an online application, or upon arrival, depending on the purpose of visit and period of stay.

According to worldwide visa requirements, there are up to 100 countries and territories that oblige Taiwanese citizens to obtain an embassy visa regardless of the length of the visit, or the reason for travel, whether for tourism, to work or study, for residency, or other motives.

Around 40 other countries permit Taiwanese passport holders to obtain an electronic travel document through an online application, eliminating the need to apply in person at an overseas diplomatic mission.

An approved electronic travel visa authorization for Taiwanese nationals usually permits short stays for either tourism, transit or business purpose and allows a stay of between 14 and 180 days, depending on the destination country.

Although a few select countries permit ROC citizens to obtain a visa on arrival, an electronic visa for travelers from Taiwan is often available for these same destinations. In these cases, it is more convenient to apply for an eVisa, as this option removes the necessity of waiting in long lines at a border control point.

Below you will find a full list of countries for which a visa is required for citizens of Taiwan.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorization

An electronic travel visa authorization program for Taiwanese citizens permits travelers to obtain either an online visa waiver (ETA) or an Visa visa for their destination country.

These electronic systems allow Taiwanese passport holders to obtain a travel authorization or visa through a simple online application, eliminating the need to make an appointment at an embassy or consulate or wait in lengthy immigration queues upon arrival.

There are currently roughly 40 countries across the globe that offer Taiwanese residents the option of acquiring an electronic visa authorization.

In order to obtain an online visa or travel authorization, nationals of Taiwan are required to pre-register an electronic application form with personal data, passport details, and travel information.

The majority of countries also require Taiwanese applicants to answer a few security-related questions and pay a processing fee before the application can be submitted.

Most electronic visa authorizations are electronically linked to the applicant’s passport once the approved visa is received. In some cases, the traveler also receives a copy sent by email that must be printed to present upon arrival at border control of the destination.

An electronic travel visa authorization for ROC passport holders may be issued as either a single or multiple entry eVisa or visa waiver, and permit a short stays of between 14 and 180 days, depending on the country of issue.

Generally, an approved eVisa or ETA for Taiwanese nationals allows travel for tourism, business or transit purposes, as well as medical treatment in some cases.

Find below a list of the main destinations that nationals of Taiwan can visit by applying for an Electronic Travel Visa Authorization.

Visa on Arrival

Visas on arrival are a type of travel document that Taiwanese citizens can obtain upon arrival at a border checkpoint of certain destination countries.

There are currently around 30 countries and territories across the world that offer the option of obtaining a visa on arrival for Taiwanese nationals.

The protocol that Taiwanese travelers must follow to get this travel document involves going directly to border control in the destination upon arrival, to wait in line to receive an application form from an immigration officer.

Once this form has been completed with personal, travel, and passport information, applicants from Taiwan may be required to furnish a variety of supporting documentation depending on the issuing country.

Sometimes, Twainaese travelers must pay a fee imposed by the destination before receiving an approved visa on arrival. In many cases, payment must be made in the local cash currency.

Visas on arrival for Republic of China passport holders can either be issued as single or multiple entry document that permits a short stay of between 14 and 120 days, depending on the destination.

Some countries that permit Taiwan citizens to obtain a visa on arrival also offer the possibility of obtaining an electronic visa through an online form in advance, which greatly expedites the processes of passing through border checkpoints.

Find below a full list of the visa on arrival countries for nationals of Taiwan.

Embassy Visa Required

Embassy visas offered to Taiwanese citizens are a type of travel document that must be requested in advance of visiting the destination country, by going in person to the nearest relevant government diplomatic office, either an embassy or consulate.

Currently, there are almost 100 countries and territories around the world that require Taiwan citizens to obtain an embassy visa, regardless of travel purpose or period of stay.

Most embassy visa requirements state that Taiwan applicants must hold a ROC passport with a validity of 6 months before the intended travel dates, containing between one to two blank pages.

Various types of visa for Taiwanese nationals can usually be obtained from an embassy or consulate, whether a tourist visa, business visa, work visa, transit visa, or student visa, among other visa options.

Consular visas for ROC residents may be issued as either a single or multiple entry travel document and permit varying period of permitted stay depending on the issuing embassy.

The protocol that Taiwanese citizens must follow to obtain an embassy visa requires them to first request an appointment at a government diplomatic office of the destination country, and supply a completed application form and varying supporting documents.

This should be arranged several weeks before the intended arrival date, as it may take up to 2 weeks or more for a consular visa to be processed and approved.

Below you can find a complete list of the main countries for which citizens of Taiwan can travel by first applying for an embassy visa.

Embassy Visa Required for China

As stated above, Taiwanese residents are divided into two categories: those with household registration who have right of abode in Taiwan(known as ‘NWHRs’) and those who do not have household registration who do not have right of abode in the Republic of China (“NWOHRs’).

NWOHRs are not entitled to a National Identification Card for Taiwan and do not have a National ID number stamped in their passport, which means they have visa-free access to fewer countries than NWHRs, including Mainland China.

ROC residents without right of abode in Twain must apply for a visa to visit mainland China or Hong Kong SAR, from a Chinese embassy or consulate in advance of travel.

In the event that ROC passport holders have citizenship or nationality of another country, they must apply for a visa for the People’s Republic of China or Hong Kong using a non- Taiwanese passport. This is because Chinese visas are issued to replace a Chinese passport.

Visa Not Required

The visa policy of numerous countries around the world states that Taiwanese citizens do not need a visa to cross their borders for varying purposes and lengths of allowed stay.

Currently, more than 75 countries have a visa-free policy for Republic of China passport holders and permit these travelers a visa-exempt stay of between 30 and 183 days, depending on the destination country

Travelers from Taiwan are usually granted visa exemption for purposes of tourism, business, or transit, and, in some cases, for medical treatment.

In order to gain visa-free access to these destinations, Taiwanese visitors are usually required to hold a ROC passport with a minimum validity of 6 months upon entry. However, it should be noted that some countries require Taiwanese citizens to have a national ID number in their passport in order to gain visa exemption.

Several African countries also require passengers arriving from Taiwan to present an International Certificate of Vaccination to gain visa-free entry.

Some visa-exempt destinations also require ROC nationals to pre-register for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) and receive approval before they can travel to the country, or obtain a special permit from an embassy in advance.

Additionally, these visa not required countries oblige Taiwan residents to apply for a visa from a government office if the traveler wishes to visit the destination for longer periods or other permitted purposes of stay.

Browse the list below to discover the main countries for which a visa is not required for citizens of Taiwan.

ETIAS Visa Waiver for Taiwanese Citizens

At the moment, citizens of Taiwan do not need to obtain a visa or travel authorization to visit any of the 26 Schengen Area countries. Visa-free travel is currently pèrmmited for short stays for tourism, business, medical treatment, or to transit to an onward destination.

But this will change by 2022 when the ETIAS online visa waiver for Taiwanese nationals is implemented in order to pre-screen visa-exempt travelers to the Schengen passport-free zone in Europe.

After this electronic system is introduced, all residents of Taiwan will be required to pre-register for an ETIAS for Europe to travel to Schengen countries, through a simple online form that will only take a few minutes to complete.

Once approved, the ETIAS authorization is digitally linked to the applicant’s Taiwanese passport, which can then be presented to board transportation bound for Europe and upon arrival at Schengen border control.

An approved ETIAS online visa waiver is a multiple entry travel authorization that permits the holder to enter Schengen countries multiple times, for a maximum stay of 90 days each time. Upon approval, it is valid for 3 years to travel to Europe or until the associated passport expires.