Expert: Lotta Danielsson - 6/2/2003

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.

I have also made some recommendations on things to do in Taipei/Taiwan in answer to earlier questions:  http://www.allexperts.com/previousq.asp?Category=206

As for sources, I would recommend the Lonely Planet guide to Taiwan, both in book form (although it is a bit outdated) and online at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_east_asia/taiwan/index.htm

You can also try the Taiwan government sites here: http://202.39.225.132/jsp/Eng/html/search/index.jsp
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/2-visitor/index.htm

To get a sense of what's going on in Taiwan at the moment, try some news from the Taipei Times at http://www.taipeitimes.com and the Taiwan Headlines (from the government news agency) at http://www.taiwanheadlines.com

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.