It’s official.
It was first reported in this Taiwanese news website that Filipinos are able to enter Taiwan visa-free from the 1st of June 2017 onwards.
This report has since been verified by other news agencies with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila. In a gist:
- Visa-free travel to Taiwan for Philippine passport holders will start on a one-year trial basis (up to 31st July 2018), starting 1st June 2017
- Visa-free stay can be up to 30 days
The way I see it, Taiwan is trying to beef up its tourist arrivals from other countries after arrivals from China have been falling since 2016. As a whole, Taiwan is still getting year-on-year growth in tourists, thanks to other markets in Southeast Asia including its nearest neighbor – Philippines. In 2016, the said country was the 10th largest source of tourist arrivals in Taiwan.
If you are a Philippine passport holder, does this visa-free entry to Taiwan make you more likely to travel there?
Maria says
Hi Bino. Thanks for sharing your above information. This is great since we plan to bring our kids for a holiday in Taiwan this coming Dec 2017. My husband and I have no problem securing the ROC but our kids are not eligible yet; thus, it entails some time and preparation to secure their visa.