Taiwan to ease visa regulations for HK, Macau residents

The National Immigration Agency (NIA) has announced, it would ease visa regulations for Hong Kong and Macau residents starting from next year.

Residents of the two SAR arriving in Taiwan on cruise ships would be able to apply for double visas, granting two entries in one online application.

Reports from Taiwan stated that according to NIA deputy director-general Jeff Yang, 140,000 people arrived in Taiwan aboard cruise ships this year with 20,000 hailing from Hong Kong or Macau.

Yang noted that cruise ship operators suggested the measure to boost incoming visitor numbers to Taiwan from the two regions, stating that, “there is room for growth.”

According to Yang, Hong Kong and Macau residents have been using increasingly diverse forms of transport to enter Taiwan over the past few years, including package tours that incorporate travel by airplane and cruise ships.

Visitors might arrive in Taiwan by boat or plane and then take a cruise to a third destination before returning to Taiwan and then traveling elsewhere, said Yang.

Current visa regulations for the two SAR allow its residents to apply to enter Taiwan once within three months of the issuance of their visa.

The Ministry of the Interior said the new measure for Hong Kong and Macau residents would help Taiwan become a key port of call for international cruise operators.