Taiwan continues to ease visa regulations

Chinese citizens who have worked for at least a year, or who study at universities in Macau, will be eligible to apply for Taiwan travel permits through an online application system starting on March 28.

This move is part of a series of measures that Taiwan is undertaking in a bid to attract more visitors from the territory.

As previously reported, Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency has eased the administration burden for Macau and Hong Kong residents who intend to apply for a Taiwan visa.

The simplified procedure – which is currently under an experimental period until March 27 – allows residents to apply online, instead of having to visit the office in person.

The online system will shorten the time it takes to process a travel permit from two to three weeks, for a paper application, to five workdays, said the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macau, Lu Chang-shui, at an event promoting Taiwan tourism.

His remarks came in the wake of recent tourism growth between Taiwan and Macau, Focus Taiwan reported.

Lu recalled that Macau received some 1.07 million visitor arrivals from Taiwan in 2016, an 8.8 percent year-on-year increase; while about 140,000 tourists from Macau visited Taiwan in 2016, up 10 percent from the previous year.

As Taiwan is introducing a series of tourism promotions and measures to streamline visa procedures, the neighboring region is seeking to attract foreign visitors from a wider range of countries.

The move implies a particular focus on Southeast Asia, despite a decline in Chinese tourists due to strained relations between Taiwan and mainland China.