SINGAPORE, 7 September 2022: Effective 12 September, Taiwan will reinstate visa-exempt entry for nationals of the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, countries in Europe, and what it describes as “diplomatic allies”.
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center issued the new visa ruling on 5 September, saying it was in line with “international trends that balance the needs of disease prevention and the promotion of economic and social activities.”
Unlike most Asian countries, Taiwan maintained entry restrictions, but it cut quarantine for arriving travellers from seven to three days in June.
On Tuesday, the Central Epidemic Command Center announced 36,707 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Taiwan. Of the 36,707 new cases, 36,393 were domestic and 314 imported. CECC confirmed 21 deaths. Taiwan has reported more than 5.3 million domestic cases since the beginning of the year, mostly the Omicron variant.
Command centre chief Victor Wang told reporters the three days of quarantine and need for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival would remain for the time being, as well as the current cap on 50,000 arrivals a week. Since 15 August, Taiwan has not required inbound passengers to provide Covid-19 PCR test results within two days of flight schedule time.
Visitors from more than 50 of these countries can stay in Taiwan for up to 90 days, while nationals from ASEAN countries can stay for up to 30 days (currently on the Bureau of Consular Affairs suspended list (see below).
Bureau of Consular Affairs list for visa-exempt entry
| Type | Visa-Exempt Entry |
| Applicable foreign nationals starting from 12 September, 2022 | Nationals of the following countries are eligible for the visa exemption program, with a duration of stay of up to 90 days: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Eswatini*, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras*, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Island*, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia*(effective till 31 March, 2025), Norway, Palau, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tuvalu*, the United Kingdom, the United States of America*,and Vatican City State. Nationals of the following countries are eligible for the visa exemption program, with a duration of stay of up to 30 days: Belize*, Nauru, St. Kitts and Nevis*, Saint Lucia*, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. |
| Temporarily Suspending | Chile, Dominican Republic, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Philippines, and Russia. |
(Source: Reuters and CECC)
