How long may I stay in Taiwan and what kind of visa will I need?

Question

I'd like to visit (not for work) Taiwan for a min. of 3 months, will I be able to do that? And if so what kind of visa will I need to obtain? I'm from the U.S.

Answer 1

Due to political pressure from the People's Republic of China, most countries (including the United States and Canada) do not have embassy-level relations with Taiwan, so visa applications are made through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. Minute particulars of the visa application process change frequently, but the basic procedures for the following two options are fairly standard.

To travel to Taiwan you will need a visitor visa. Two different types of visas are issued: two-week (nonextendable), and sixty-day (extendable or nonextendable). North Americans can obtain the two-week, nonextendable visa upon arrival in Taipei. All that's necessary is a passport good for at least six months beyond the length of your stay and a ticket that shows that you are planning to leave Taiwan within the two-week period. The sixty-day visas can be further categorized by whether they are "multiple entry" and by how long they are valid (from one to five years). You're not supposed to comprehend this—no one does. Your mission, however, is to get a sixty-day, extendable, five-year, multiple-entry visa.

When applying for a visa at one of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices in the Unites States or Canada we suggest saying that you are going to Taiwan to either visit or study. It is illegal to work without a permit, which you won't have yet, so if you say you are going to work, it gives the officer a chance to delay the visa. You might say you plan to stay with a friend (give a name and address) who is studying Chinese. You need to convince the officer that you have a legitimate reason for staying in Taiwan for at least two months. Even with a sixty-day visa, sometimes the officer will put a stamp in your passport saying "non-extendable" in Chinese. Be on the lookout for those. Extendable visas can be extended twice for a total of 180 days, given that you provide the authorities with a convincing story about why you want to stay in Taiwan. After two extentions, you will have to exit the country before the visa expires and then re-enter.

Visas & Passports:
Consular Services,
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
in New York
1 East 42nd Street,
4th Floor,
NY, NY 10017
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Answer 2

Without a visa, you can stay in Taiwan for one month. With a tourist visa you get 3 months. This can be extended (with a good reason) to 6 months.

For more information contact any of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices in the USA.

Answer 3

Additional information and details regarding visas for Taiwan may be obtained on the following website --

Visa and Residency Issues
http://forumosa.com/taiwan/viewforum.php?f=67

Answer 4

Look up the Taiwanese Embassy and call them with regard to this query. Or go to the Republic of China (Taiwan) official website: http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/2-visitor/index.htm