The Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is extending its visa-free entry for Filipinos from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
MOFA said in a recent advisory that it is part of measures to promote the New Southbound Policy (NSP) on improving visa measures for nationals of partner countries wanting to visit their country. A meeting was conducted in April for this to review the visa-free entry program for three countries—Philippines, Thailand, and Brunei.
Taiwan’s foreign affairs ministry said it focused on reviewing and possibly making decisions or recommendations regarding these visa and entry measures aimed at facilitating travel and tourism between the involved countries.
“After evaluating the effectiveness of the above measures over the past years, participating agencies decided to extend the trial visa-free entry program for one year for nationals of Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines,” MOFA stated.
Taiwan granted Filipinos a 14-day visa-free entry to their nation in 2017. According to data from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the country, Taiwan received a total of 309,000 Filipino tourists from January to November 2023, which represented a 550% surge in comparison to the corresponding timeframe in 2022.
MOFA also announced the extension of the Project for Simplifying Visa Regulations for High-end Group Tourists from Southeast Asian Countries until December 31, 2025, and confirms the continuation of the conditional visa-free entry program through the Travel Authorization Certificate (TAC) scheme.
It is a program that permits citizens of specific nations to enter Taiwan without a visa under specified conditions. Applicants can obtain the TAC online, and it authorizes their admission into Taiwan for tourism or other purposes.
MOFA stated that it will persist in evaluating and adjusting visa procedures in order to enhance bilateral interactions and draw in a larger number of tourists, all while maintaining border and public security.
