June 1, 2017
No.086
As part of the second wave of visa rule easing for nationals of New Southbound Policy target countries, the ROC government is introducing new measures on June 1 for nationals of Bhutan and Sri Lanka to boost tourism and business exchanges with these countries, as follows:
1. Tourist visas: Nationals of Bhutan and Sri Lanka are now eligible for ROC tourist visas, which they can apply for at a relevant ROC overseas mission.
2. Business visas: Nationals of Bhutan and Sri Lanka may submit ROC business visa applications to a relevant ROC overseas mission, without the need for a letter of guarantee for visa application from a company in Taiwan. ROC overseas missions are also authorized to issue, at their discretion, a one-year multiple-entry visa to businesspeople making frequent trips to Taiwan.
3. Meanwhile, for nationals of Bhutan and Sri Lanka, existing regulations will continue to apply for visas concerning official visits, participation in international conferences and other exchange activities, missionary work, family visits, short-term medical treatment, and commercial vessels’ crew members reporting for duty. And as before, visa applications for the purpose of studying Mandarin in Taiwan are not accepted.
Detailed information on visa regulations for nationals of Bhutan and Sri Lanka is available on the websites of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India (http://www.roc-taiwan.org/in/index.html) and Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Chennai (http://www.roc-taiwan.org/inmaa/index.html).
The newly announced measures were approved at an interministerial meeting hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in April this year. (E)