Taiwan Visa Application for Filipinos

Gus and I were supposed to go to Taiwan for a 6-day vacation. Unlike the more famous tourist destinations Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, a visa is required if you want to enter the beautiful land of F4. :)

We planned our vacation for three months. We bought plane tickets as early as January of 2013. We made reservations in this quaint little hostel in Taipei City. Our itinerary was fixed, packed with various tourist destinations that included traveling from the north of Taiwan (Yilan County) to the south (Kaohsiung). Everything was well-planned, including where we would have our first dinner, our first street food, our first night market visit. All we needed was the visa.

Unfortunately, we didn't get one. We had to cancel all the reservations me made, our plane tickets wasted. Why? Because contrary to most of the blog posts I've read about getting a Taiwanese visa, it is actually very difficult to get one. Especially if you're a fresh graduate or on your first job.

Because of our very unfortunate experience, I decided to blog about the process of attaining a Taiwanese visa, to at least prepare/warn those who really want to visit this beautiful country. The process is actually easy. The requirements are the difficult part.

So how do I apply for a Taiwan visa?

1. Visit this website and fill up the application form. Yes, the link works. It really is not a trusted website. Don't think that the link is just a joke. I also had doubts when I first accessed the site because my laptop gave me a warning about it being an untrusted website. Just click yes, or approve, or add to exception (depending on what browser you are using) and it will direct you to the application form site.

After clicking yes or approved or go anyway, the link will direct you to this site.

Don't panic! Click the first box on the left, and this will take you to the Visitor Application Form. :)

You have to fill up four pages, and make sure to INCLUDE YOUR MIDDLE NAME in the GIVEN NAME BOX. The form is a bit unclear, so am posting some of our errors here to help you out. Make sure everything is filled up. Don't use FIlipino letters such as (enye) and other symbols like (.) or (-) if your name has it. 

For example: N i (enye) o should be spelled as N I N O, not with an (enye). Jr. should be spelled WITHOUT the (.) as in Jr ONLY.

If you are Chinese or if you are a Filipino with a Chinese name, TYPE IT! It doesn't matter if you are not Chinese by blood, if you were given a Chinese name for taking Chinese classes, type it in the box. This will help you with the application, said a reliable source we met in the embassy. Unfortunately, I did not type mine. :(

After filling up the form, don't forget to DOUBLE CHECK, and then print it out. If you do not have access to a printer at the moment, take note of the APPLICANT NUMBER. You need this to access the page again when you print it. You must print the form and submit it within 15 days, otherwise you'd have to fill up the form again.

2. Once the application form has been filled up, saved, and printed, work on your requirements. According to the Taiwan Embassy website, the requirements for the visa application are as follows:

• 2 Passport-size photo taken within the last three months (1.5"x2") with WHITE background.
• Passport valid for SIX MONTHS with previous travel stamps, if ever.
• NSO issued birth certificate (bring the ORIGINAL copy just to be sure. We brought our original copy and photocopy, and they took the original copy.)
• Marriage contract issued by NSO, if applicable.

  

The first four requirements are a MUST. You cannot bring just 2 or 3 out of the 4. You must submit all four requirements together with your application form. The next requirement, however, is tricky. The Taiwan Embassy website states the next requirement as:

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE PURPOSE OF VISIT such as:

• CONFIRMED ROUNDTRIP airplane tickets
• Certificate of Employment
• Letter of Permission to Leave from your employer 
• Financial statements such as ITR (Income Tax Return), Bank Book or Bank Statements

Even if you have thousands of money ON HAND, do not apply for a Taiwan visa unless you have ALL supporting documents along with the first four requirements. This means you should have a photocopy or printed copy of your plane ticket, your COE, a letter from your boss permitting you to leave, and either one of the two financial statements. Include your hotel reservations if possible. If you don't have an ITR, you MUST have a BANK BOOK or STATEMENT. Your chances of getting a visa will go down to 1% if you don't have ANY financial documents to show them.

What about my payslips?

I thought about my payslips. They are proof that I AM earning, right? Unfortunately, payslips won't work. I provided them with almost a year's worth of payslips, but it was of no importance to them. Don't get me wrong. I earn a reasonable amount, and I am single. I don't spend for anything but me. Unfortunately, the lack of an ITR or bank statement will not get you a visa. This trip was half shouldered by my mom, who gave us 50% of our pocket money, not to mention the money that we already had in our ATM. I'll be straightforward. We had roughly PhP35K in cash, but it does not matter. FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS ARE A MUST.

Bottom line is, no matter how prepared you are with all the other requirements pertaining to your visit, it will be very difficult to get a visa if you do not have any financial statements to show them. Gus and I even provided our 6-day itinerary down to the very last minute, along with e-mails from the travel agency in Taiwan who will be providing us with train tickets to go around the country and the manager of the hostel who reserved a room for us. We would've opened a personal bank account but we only had a week before our flight. Taiwan Visas are only valid for a month (1 month) and tourists can only stay for a maximum of 14 days upon arrival in Taiwan. So if you want to maximize your 14-day stay, you should apply for a visa a week or two before your flight.

If you have all the requirements, you can proceed to the embassy for the application. The embassy is located on the 41st Floor of the RCBC Building. The Taiwan Embassy Office opens at 8:45 AM, but I suggest you go earlier at around 8 AM, because a representative from the embassy hands out que numbers at 8:45 AM and the number you get depends on how early you arrive.

When you arrive at the building, proceed to the reception area on the ground floor. The reception area is near the Buendia entrance of the building. The receptionist will ask you to sign your name and wait for the representative. Your number depends on the list the receptionist will give to the representative.

The representative starts handing out numbers at 8:45. If she calls your name and you are not there, your number will be given to the next name in the list. Once you get your number, take the elevator to the 41st floor. The embassy is on the left. Just sit down and wait for your number to be called. Once your number is called, give your documents and wait for the next window to call your name. Note: They will keep your passport because they will print the visa here. The second window is for payments. Prepare PhP2,100 and pay the visa fee. The person will give you a claim stub after. Claim your passport after three days and see if you got the visa or not!

• Bring a GOVERNMENT-ISSUED ID. You need to surrender this at the reception to get a visitor's pass. You can use a company ID but they will ask you for a security fee of PhP1,000, which you will get back after you return the visitor's pass.
• Visa application is from 8:45 AM to 11:45 AM, Mondays - Fridays.
• Claiming is from 1:45 PM to 4:45 PM, Monday - Fridays.

If you don't want to be denied, make sure you have ALL the documents. I cannot reiterate this enough.

Good luck!