For Chinese citizens living in mainland China who want to visit Taiwan, the process is quite long and complicated: you need to apply for an extra Mainland Resident Travel Permit and submit many documents, with the strictest requirement often being a household registration/location restriction. But for people already physically in the United States (including students, workers, green card holders, and others with long-term stay status), traveling to Taiwan is much easier—you do not need the Mainland Resident Travel Permit and only need an Entry Permit. This guide covers how to apply for a Taiwan Entry Permit in the U.S.; the process is broadly the same in other countries.
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Apply for a Taiwan Entry Permit Online
On March 28, 2017, several Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices began supporting online applications for a Taiwan Entry Permit. You can apply by clicking this link. From submitting materials to paying the application fee by credit card and printing the Entry Permit, everything can be done online. In North America, the TECO offices that support this new service are in Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Miami. Applicants in Ottawa, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta cannot use it yet, so they still need to apply on paper as described below.
Entry Permit Application Process
First, your travel date to Taiwan must be within three months; applying too early will not be accepted.
Prepare Documents
You need to prepare the following:
- A digital copy of a recent two-inch, 45mm*35mm white-background color photo from the past two years (you can also crop an existing visa photo).
- Scanned copy of your passport.
- An electronic travel plan (Traditional Chinese).
- Proof of legal status: students need an I-20 or DS-2019; green card holders need their green card; employed applicants need I-797 and proof of employment.
Taiwan does not usually obsess over trip itinerary details, and it does not seem to worry much about a U.S. visa either. Applications must be processed at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the U.S. (the office that performs consular functions). If you cannot go in person, you can also ask a travel agency to handle it; they can be found online. Service fees vary by agency, so decide for yourself whether it is worth it. This article only covers the self-application process.
Taiwan has TECO offices in major U.S. cities, but not all of them process permit applications. Only offices in Washington, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami process these permits. You can view the list of offices and addresses at this page. You can choose one that is convenient for you.
Online Application
Go to the NIA online application site to start the application. Mainland Chinese who live abroad are classified by Taiwan as “third-class persons,” and seeing these three words means you selected the right category. The first step is to choose your application location and upload photos. Note that there is a photo size limit here, so you may need to compress it, compress it again, and compress it once more before it uploads. The photo requirements are fairly strict, so check carefully to make sure they are met. Clicking Next will display your application number and a form like this:
Most of this form is very easy to fill out. The most difficult part is usually “Overseas-Domicile ID number”; you can enter your SSN, the SEVIS No. on your I-20, or the number on your I-94. In practice, they do not seem to care what you write there. Also, if you have ever worked for the CCP or PRC government departments, you should report it truthfully, though I do not know what consequences that might bring. After you finish, choose an appointment time in the next step and that is done.
TECO offices are generally not very busy, and appointments are usually available within two weeks, but planning ahead is still recommended. You need to print the appointment letter provided by the website and bring it with you when you go to the office for your permit appointment.
Submit Documents at the TECO Office
After waiting for a long time, your visa appointment finally arrives. Bring:
- All materials.
- Cash (the application fee changes frequently with exchange rates, so bring $25).
- A stamped, self-addressed return envelope if you want them to mail back the Entry Permit. (Not needed if you plan to pick it up in person.)
After taking the metro and a bus, you finally reach the visa section at the TECO office. Note that most applications for third-class persons are not handled at the regular consular counter, so ask the staff inside after you enter. Do not do what the author did at the Los Angeles TECO: wait at the regular counter for twenty minutes, only to discover that third-class applications are handled in a small room next door.
A staff member handed me a blank application form; after I filled it out by hand, they copied all the submitted documents and told me when to come back to collect the Entry Permit. If mailing is selected, just wait for it to be mailed back.
Entry Permit
The Entry Permit is valid for 3 months, and the maximum stay is 15 days.
How to Enter Taiwan
To travel directly from mainland China to Taiwan, you need both an Entry Permit and a Mainland Resident Travel Permit (《大陆居民往来台湾通行证》). The Mainland Resident Travel Permit can only be applied for in mainland China. Therefore, if you hold an Entry Permit applied for in the U.S., you can fly directly from the U.S. to Taiwan, but you cannot go via mainland China on direct Taiwan–mainland flights (the Three Links direct route) to reach Taiwan; Chinese border control will not let you through. However, you can fly from mainland China to Taiwan via Hong Kong. Here is a summary:
- U.S. => Taiwan: legal
- U.S. => Non-China third country transfer => Taiwan: legal
- U.S. => Hong Kong => Taiwan: legal
- U.S. => China => Taiwan: illegal, Chinese border control will not allow it
- U.S. => China => (Hong Kong or third country) => Taiwan: At departure from China, tell border control you are transiting back to the U.S., and border control will allow you through. To get to Hong Kong, you can fly or cross directly from Shenzhen.
Planning to travel to Taiwan? Share your experiences.