Visa Waiver For Taiwanese Passport Holders As From 11

visa waiver for taiwanese passport holders as from 11 january 2011, taiwanese passport holders will no longer require visa to travel to the

Visa Waiver for Taiwanese passport holders
As from 11 January 2011, Taiwanese passport holders will no longer
require visa to travel to the EU for short period stays. However,
member state national visas are still required if you intend to stay
or study for longer than three months, or to work for any period of
time. For more information on national visas, you should contact the
member states offices in Taiwan.
FAQ on the Schengen visa exemption
1. Why Taiwan?
Reviews of the Council regulation 539/2001 governing entry into the
Schengen area are taking place on a regular basis to adapt the
Schengen visa policy to changing circumstances. The EU is an important
destination of Taiwanese citizens travelling overseas, be that for
visiting or business purposes. For instance, a total of 174 697
Schengen visas were issued and more than 310 000 Taiwanese visited
Europe last year. The EU being the 4th trading partner of Taiwan and
the 1st foreign direct investor in Taiwan has also an interest in
easing travel requirements for Taiwanese.
In addition, Taiwan has progressively eliminated the visa requirement
for nationals of EU member states and presents little risk of illegal
immigration
2. When will the visa waiver enter into force?
The visa waiver for Taiwanese passport holders will enter into force
on 11th of January 2011.
3. What does this mean in practice?
For short term visits of up to 90 days within a six months period, no
visa is needed by holders of Taiwanese passports. They can travel to
the Schengen area or the three Member States not yet fully applying
the "Schengen acquis" (Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus). For employment
even if it is less than 3 months, for visits of more than 3 months
such as for settlement, for family reunification or studies, Taiwanese
passport holders will still require a national visa issued by the
Member State concerned.
4. In which Member States will the visa waiver apply ?
The visa-free regime applies to travels to all countries of the EU and
three extra countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), since the UK
and Ireland have already waived the visa obligation in 2009.
5. Is there a difference between the Schengen-area and the other
EU-member states?
Yes. The countries of the Schengen-area apply common border control
regulations. There are no border controls when travelling between
these countries. When travelling to the other non- Schengen-member
states, border controls are still in place.
6. Will the exemption apply to all types of passports?
The visa exemption will apply to all ordinary Taiwanese passports
which contain the identity card number of the holder. For diplomatic
and service/official passports please confirm with Member States
offices in Taiwan before your trip to the Schengen area.
The exemption from the visa requirement does not apply to holders of
passports issued by Taiwan which do not include an identity card
number.
7. Will I need a visa to visit any Member State of the Schengen area
for business, such as attending meetings, training course, or
exhibition for short stay?
No
8. Will students staying for less than three months require a visa?
No.
Yet, if they want to extend, change their status or work in the
Schengen area during their studies, they will need to leave the
Schengen-area and should contact the relevant Member States office in
Taiwan (or in the country where you currently reside in) for their
visa.
9. If I want to visit one country in the Schengen area to get married
do I need a visa?
For the actual wedding celebration, no visa is required. However, if
you want to stay more than 90 days you need to apply for a visa.
10. Do I need a visa to work in the Schengen area for less than three
months?
Yes, most of the Member States require a visa and a work permit if you
intend to work even if it is for less than three months.
You should contact the relevant office in Taipei (or in the country
where you currently reside in) to inquire whether a visa is required.
11. How long can I stay in the Schengen area?
You may stay in the Schengen area for a maximum period of three months
during a six months period. There is no limitation for the number of
times you may enter the Schengen area if the total number of days you
stayed in the Schengen-area in the six month period does not exceed 90
days.
12. When does the 6 months period start?
The 6 months period starts the first day of the first entry into the
Schengen area.
Examples:
1.
Ms Lin enters the Schengen-area to visit her Spanish boyfriend on
February 20. How long can she stay?
Answer: Spain is a Schengen-member state. Ms Lin can stay up to 90
days after she enters the Schengen area on February 20. This means,
that she can stay until May 20. However, she would not be able to
enter into the Schengen area again before August 20, as she has
already used up the 90 day limit within six months.
She could then meet her boyfriend again on August 21 earliest, when a
new six month period starts.
2) Mr. Wang enters the Schengen-area in Germany on 15 January. After
visiting a trade fair in Germany, he spends his holidays in
Switzerland and Italy. He leaves Italy on February 15. He returns for
another visit to France on 1 March. How much longer may he stay?
Answer: All countries belong to the Schengen-area. Mr. Wang's six
months period starts on 15 January. Mr. Wang can stay up to 90 days in
the Schengen-area in a six-month period after this date. The six-month
period ends on 15 July.
He has used 32 days of his 90 days during his first stay from 15
January until 15 February.
Therefore, after Mr Wang's arrival on March 1, he can stay another 58
days (90-32) in the Schengen-area. If he does that, he would not be
able to enter into the Schengen area again before the six-month period
has ended on July 15.
3) Mrs Chen is entering the Schengen-area on February 1 for a business
trip. She then leaves and re-enters the Schengen-area numerous times
for visits to her clients in Europe. Her accumulated days of stay
reach 70 days when she again leaves on 15 May. On 21 July, she arrives
with her family in Italy for vacation. Can she stay in the
Schengen-area past 31 July (the 6 months limit) without leaving the
area, and start her 90 day quota afresh for the second six-month
period?
Answer: Ms Chen is only travelling in the Schengen-area. If Mrs Chen
re-enters the Schengen area on 21 July with 70 days of accumulated
stay, then she would be able to stay in the area past the 31 July,
without the need to leave the area, and start her second six-month
period of stay. However, since she has already spent 11 days of stay
prior, she would only have 79 days left in the second six-month
period. If she would leave the area on 31 July, and re-enters on 1
August, then she would still have her 90 day allocation intact for the
second six-month period.
Stays in Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, UK and Ireland will be counted
separately from stays in the Schengen area, since these countries are
either not members of the Schengen-area or only partially apply
Schengen-rules.
13. How long can I stay in the Schengen area if I already have a valid
visa prior the exemption has become effective?
For holders of national visas (typically for long stays in the
territory in one of the Member States): the previous stay only counts
as a national stay and therefore the holder is entitled to stay up to
90 days in the Schengen area after the entering into force of the visa
waiver program. For instance, if the national visa expires on February
3rd of 2011, the person will be able to stay in the Schengen area for
an extra 90 days maximum.
For holders of Schengen visa whose validity runs until 2011, the
previous stay will count as a Schengen stay. For instance, someone has
a Schengen visa valid and has stayed in the Schengen area from
December 2nd to February 2nd (63 days). If he returns on February 3rd
in the Schengen area, this person will only have 27 days left in that
particular 6 months (from 2 December to 1 June).
14. What are the entry conditions to the EU Member States?
The visa waiver does not give an unconditional right of entry and
short stay. The visa waiver does not affect the other conditions for
entry and short stay. There are a number of conditions that Member
States can check like: possession of a valid return ticket, evidence
of funding, etc…
For detailed information, please check Council regulation 562/2006 on
the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen
borders code):
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:105:0001:0032:EN:PDF

If entry is refused on the basis of the lack of fulfilment of the
entry conditions, the person should be issued a written decision
stating the reasons for the refusal and has the right to appeal that
decision. These appeals shall be conducted in accordance with the
national law of the Member States concerned and the relevant
information should be given to the person.
15. What documents do I need to show to the immigration officer at the
port of entry?
You need to show your valid passport. The passport validity should be
at least three months at the intended time of departure from the
Schengen Area.
In addition, you might be asked also to show: flight tickets for
further journeys and return tickets; evidence of sufficient means of
subsistence; reservation of accommodation, invitation letter in case
of visits, conferences; school enrolment certificate in case of study
etc.
Travellers to the Schengen area should also be aware that rules
concerning travel with minors are still in place. Therefore people
travelling with minors should bear proper evidence that demonstrates
their relationship to the minors and/or the relevant parental
authorization. All documents should be in English or translated into
the language of the country they are going to travel.
A detailed overview of documents you might be asked for can be found
here [23 KB]
ANNEX : supporting documents to verify the fulfilment of entry
conditions in the Schengen area [23 KB]
16.Do I need to have a valid travel medical insurance to travel to the
Schengen area ?
Travel Medical Insurance is not necessary to enter the Schengen area
after the visa waiver but it is highly recommended to have a medical
insurance when travelling abroad as a general good practice.
17. Will all the different authorities of the Members of the Schengen
area be informed of these changes?
Yes.
18. How many will benefit then?
Our statistics show that we received around 175 000 visa applications
last year for short stay visa and that on average 310 000 Taiwanese
are travelling to Europe every year. Looking at the example of the UK,
Ireland or New Zealand which have already waived the visa obligation,
the number of visitors has increased between 35 and 40%. We expect
that the number of travellers to the EU will follow a similar path
19. Can visas be re-imposed?
There are regular reviews of the regulation and in case the conditions
for the visa waiver would not be met any longer, third countries can
be transferred to the negative visa list.
However, the decision to lift the visa requirement now reflects our
confidence that Taiwan poses a very low risk.
20. My application was processed last week, can I get a refund ?
Basically, once an application has been accepted, there is no
possibility for a refund. For this matter, you can seek confirmation
with the relevant Member States office where you have applied.
Below are the contact details of the local member state offices:
Austrian Office Taipei
10F, 167 Dunhua N. Rd, Taipei
tel: 8175-3283
fax: 2514-9980
email: [email protected]
Belgian Office, Taipei
Room 601, 131 Minsheng E. Rd, Sec 3, Taipei
tel: 2715-1215
fax: 2712-6258
e-mail: [email protected]
British Trade and Cultural Office
26F, 9-11, Songgao Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City 110
tel: 8758 2088
fax: 8758 2050
e-mail: [email protected]
Czech Economic and Cultural Office Taipei
Suite B, 7F., No.200, Sec. 1, Keelung Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
110
tel: 2722-5100
fax: 2722-1270
e-mail: [email protected]
Trade Commission of Denmark, Taipei
Room 1207, 205 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei
tel: 2718-2101
fax: 2718-2141
e-mail: [email protected]
FinlandTrade Center, Taipei
Room 1505, 15F, 333 Keelung Rd, Sec 1, Taipei
tel: 2722-0764
fax: 2725-1517
e-mail: [email protected]
French Institute in Taipei
Room 1003, 10F, 205 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei
tel: 3518-5151
fax: 3518-5190
e-mail: [email protected]
German Institute
4F, 2 Minsheng E Rd, Sec 3, Taipei
tel: 2501-6188
fax: 2501-6139
e-mail: [email protected]
Hungarian Trade Office
3F., No.97, Jingye 1st Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei
tel: 8501-1200
fax: 8501-1161
e-mail: [email protected]
The Institute for Trade and Investment of Ireland
7f-12, No. 41, Nan-Jin West Road, Taipei
tel: 2552-6101
fax: 2550-7220
e-mail: [email protected]
Italian Economic, Trade & Cultural Promotion Office
Room 1808, 18F, 333 Keelung Rd, Sec 1, Taipei
tel: 2345-0320
fax: 2757-6260
e-mail: [email protected]
LuxembourgTrade and Investment Office
No.5, Chi-Yen Road, Lane 201, Alley 8, Beitou, 11242 Taipei
tel:2891-6647
fax: 2894-8314
NetherlandsTrade and Investment Office
Room B, 5F, 133 Minsheng E Rd, Sec 3, Taipei
tel: 2713-5760
fax: 2713-0194
e-mail: [email protected]
Slovak Economic and Cultural Office
Room 2410, 24F, 333 Keelung Rd, Sec 1, Taipei
tel: 8780-3231
fax: 2723-5096
e-mail: [email protected]
Spanish Chamber of Commerce
10F-B1, 49 Minsheng E. Rd, Sec. 3, Taipei
tel: 2518-4905
fax: 2518-4891
e-mail: [email protected]
Swedish Trade Council, Taipei Office
Room 1101, 11F, 333 Keelung Rd, Sec 1, Taipei
tel: 2757-6573
fax: 2757-6723
e-mail: [email protected]
Warsaw (Poland)Trade Office
TWTC/ITB Suites 1601-1602
No. 333, Sec. 1, Keelung Rd., Taipei
tel: 7718-3300
fax: 7718-3310
e-mail: [email protected]