AboutLotta Danielsson-Murphy Expertise I can answer questions about trading with and doing business with Taiwan. I can also answer questions about traveling to Taiwan, particularly about traveling to Taipei, as well as general questions about history, language, culture, etc.
Experience
Relevant Experience I am the Vice President of the US-Taiwan Business Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to US-Taiwan trade/business. I speak Mandarin Chinese, lived in Taipei for nine months, and worked in Beijing for almost a year.
Education/Credentials International MBA (a.k.a. MIBS)-Chinese Track
University of South Carolina
Question From my understanding a departing plane ticket is needed in order to apply for a 60 day multiple-entry visa to Taiwan, however once the visa is granted the plane ticket can be cancelled before you even enter the country. My question to you is...if that is the case, once you get your 60 day visa, in order to get it extended, do you need to have a plane ticket exiting the country or do you just go and get your passport stamped with a new date for expiry?
Answer Tan-nee,
Sorry for the delay in answering, I was having issues logging in.
I believe that IF you have a 60 or 90 day Visitor's Visa you will be able to get an extension of your visa up to 120 days without having proof of departure. According to the Bureau of Consular Affairs "Visitor Visa holders who are permitted to stay in Taiwan for sixty or ninety days and whose visas bear no such remark as 'no extension will be granted' may apply at the nearest city/county police headquarters for a maximum of 120 or 90 days of extensions." http://www.boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1422&ctNode=114&mp=2
This sounds right to what I remember, although personally, I have only been in Taiwan on a Resident Visa for students, since I was studying Chinese when I was there. That was a big hassle to get done/extended, but since I was enrolled in classes it was not too bad. For people on 30-day Visitor's Visas, that's also why there is a thriving business of "visa runs" to Malaysia/Hong Kong/etc.
Nevertheless, I would counsel you to speak to the Taiwan office that is issuing your visa and ask them directly about the procedure for extensions. The rules may have changed, and it might also depend on what you are doing while you are there. To be safe, check with the office issuing your visa, as "visa runs" can be quite expensive and time consuming, should you have to go that route when you are already in-country.
