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 My wife and I would like to begin planning a trip (short visit 7-10 days) to Taiwan in December of this year. How should we start? Will it require a visa or can we enter for a short tourist stay without one? Will we have to get any shots? We will be visiting the Kaohsiung area, but want to spend some time in Taipei. We also would like to see Seoul, Korea (perhaps just a one-day stay) and Hong Kong. Maybe one of those cities going, and one coming back.
Any help/advice you have is greatly appreciated.
Answer Hi.
Glad to hear that you will be visiting Kaohsiung. Not enough people get out of Taipei and see the rest of the island. I think you are on the right track, starting to check on visas and other official things now. If you can take care of that sort of thing early, you can spend some time researching a good itinerary and booking hotels, etc.
Based on your question, I would think that you don't need a visa, see text below from a press release about the visa waiver program. However, if you would like to confirm that, contact your local TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office) to get more info. A list of offices, with contact info, and their jurisdictions is here: http://www.houstoncul.org/htmdir/tecos.htm.
As far as shots, I don't think so. Not officially anyway, but you might want to talk to your GP just to be safe. Better safe than sorry, right! Also, please be aware that the WHO is still advising caution on travel to Taiwan due to SARS. You might want to keep an eye on the WHO and CDC travel warnings. More info is here: http://www.us-taiwan.org/reports/sars_statement3.html
Beyond that, I would suggest that you take some time to research both Taipei (http://www.taipei.gov.tw/English/index_1.htm) and Kaoshiung (http://www.kcg.gov.tw/english/). I would recommend looking into any festivals or holidays while you are there, to get a look into the culture of the island, and not to miss visiting some night markets and temples. The election campaigns for the presidential election in March 2004 should also be in full swing in December, which should give you some insight into the vibrancy of this young democracy.
Finally, I would highly recommend a visit to Hong Kong while you are in Asia. It is a fantastic city, although pretty expensive, and one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. A trip to Victoria Peak to look out over the city from the peak is not to be missed. I'm afraid I haven't been to Seoul, so I have nothing to offer there.
Hope that was some help to you. Enjoy your trip!
Best,
/Lotta
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Press Release April 16, 2003
Effective May 1, 2003, the duration of stay for the visa waiver program of the Republic of China on Taiwan will be extended from 14 to 30 days.
Accordingly, U.S. passport holders will be allowed to stay in Taiwan without a visa for up to thirty days provided they meet the following requirements:
1. They hold a U.S. passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry into Taiwan.
2. They must present a confirmed return air ticket or an air ticket and a visa (if required) for the next destination. People who have overstayed an ROC visa in the previous year are not eligible for such visa exemptions.
The holder of a U.S. passport that is valid less than six months from the date of entry into Taiwan may apply for a ROC visa before going to Taiwan, in which case, the visa processing fee in US$100, or apply for a landing visa with a duration of stay no more than thirty days upon arrival in Taiwan, in which case the processing fee is US$124.
