Exit & Entry Permit for Taiwan, Republic of China 中華民國臺灣地區入出境許可證 | |
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Type | Travel document |
Issued by | Republic of China |
Purpose | For travelling to/from the free area of the Republic of China |
Eligibility | |
Expiration | 15 days to 3 years |
Exit & Entry Permit for Taiwan | |||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 中華民國 臺灣 地區 入 出 境 許可證 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 中华民国台湾地区 入出境许可证 | ||||||||||
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Taiwan Entry Permit (for Mainland China,Hong Kong,Macau) | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 入 臺 證 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 入台证 | ||||||||||
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Kinmen-Matsu Permit (for Kinmen,Matsu and Penghu) | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 金馬 證 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 金马证 | ||||||||||
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The Exit &Entry Permit for Taiwan,Republic of China is the document for the bearer to enter into and/or depart from the Taiwan Area,namely Taiwan,Penghu,Kinmen and Matsu. Currently,there are several types of Exit &Entry Permit that reflect the bearer's residency status. The permit is issued by the National Immigration Agency of the Republic of China (Taiwan). For different purposes,the permit is also known as:
Prior to the handover of Hong Kong and Macau,the permit was a passport-like booklet,with the flag of the Republic of China imprinted on the cover. Holders of PRC passports,ROC passports or any travel documents not issued by Hong Kong or Macau were not eligible for the permit.
When Hong Kong was under British rule,holders of British Dependent Territories citizen and British National (Overseas) passports were required to apply for the permit to visit Taiwan,but British citizens were eligible for visa-free access. The permit was also required for holders of the Hong Kong Certificate of Identity. Prior to 1997,the permit had to be applied for at the Chung Hwa Travel Service in Hong Kong or the Taipei Trade and Tourism Office in Macau. Since the handovers of sovereignty,the application procedures have been eased over time. Since 2010,Hong Kong and Macau residents can apply for the simplified Entry Permit without fee charges and can be approved instantly,or they can use the permit-on-arrival service. [1]
As travelling to Taiwan for tourism purposes was not legalized until 2008 for Mainland residents,very few of the permits were issued before then. [2] Since then,travel restrictions for Mainland Chinese have been gradually lifted by the Taiwanese government,although a quota system remains in place.
For residents in Hong Kong and Macau,only holders of HKSAR,MSAR and BN(O) passports with no other travel documents issued by any other country (thereby excludes anyone with multiple citizenship,except persons with both BN(O) and HKSAR passports) are eligible for the permit. Under Taiwanese law,those with nationality or citizenship in another country are no longer considered as "residents in Hong Kong and Macau" and must comply with the visa requirements of their non-Chinese (or BN(O)) nationality or citizenship. [3] For example,a resident in Hong Kong with both HKSAR and British citizen passports must use their British citizen passport to enter Taiwan. Likewise,a resident in Macau with both MSAR and Portuguese passports will need to use the Portuguese one as well. Those with HKSAR,MSAR or BN(O) passports who also have nationalities or passports from a non-visa-exempt country (e.g.,Brazil) are required to apply for a Taiwanese visa.
Unlike most Chinese residents,residents in Hong Kong and Macau are not subject to a daily quota of this permit regardless of place of application.
Chinese residents who apply from China are subject to the quota set forth by the Taiwanese and Chinese governments. As of May 2016,Chinese resident visitors applying from China are subject to a daily quota imposed by Taiwan of 14,600 persons per day,with half of the quota available to individual tour applicants. [4] It was reported that the Chinese authorities also has an unofficial "soft cap" on the numbers of individual and group tourists,ranging from 40% to 50% of the Taiwanese quota. [5] If the daily quota is met,then subsequent applications will no longer be processed until the day with sufficient spaces is reached. In contrast,Chinese residents who hold permanent or non-permanent residence status in a third country or region (including Hong Kong and Macau) are not subject to the quota.
Although Chinese residents automatically lose their Chinese nationality when they acquire nationality or citizenship of another country (unlike Hong Kong and Macau,which have special exemptions to this rule),Chinese residents who reside outside China for less than four years will need to apply for the permit to visit Taiwan before they can comply with the visa requirements of their country of citizenship. An example is those who acquired citizenship or nationality through one of the Immigrant investor programs,as these programs normally do not require lengthy physical residence in the country before granting citizenship.
Since 2017,persons who were not born in Hong Kong or Macau and are visiting Taiwan for the first time since they became residents of Hong Kong or Macau can apply for the permit online. From 1 July 2017,it is no longer possible to apply in person at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong or Macau. [3] After they have entered Taiwan for the first time with the permit,they are eligible for the simplified online Entry Permit or can alternatively obtain the Exit and Entry Permit on arrival.
Those who were born in Hong Kong or Macau are not required to apply for the permit for tourism purposes. Instead,they are automatically eligible for the no-fee Entry Permit or the permit-on-arrival service by virtue of being born in Hong Kong or Macau.
Chinese nationals with (hukou) in Mainland China (including those who are non-permanent residents of Hong Kong or Macau and have relinquished their hukou in Mainland China) face restrictions placed by ROC and PRC governments when applying for the permit. [6] As of August 2016,Mainland residents can only obtain the permit for pre-approved group tours unless they qualify for one of the exemptions:
All Mainland China residents cannot travel to Taiwan on their passports when departing from Mainland China and must hold a Travel Permit to and from Taiwan (往來台灣通行證),colloquially known as Mainland Resident Travel Permit (大通證),issued by the Chinese authorities. Before 2017,it is a pink,passport-like travel document,the current permit is an ICAO Doc 9303 TD1 card with an embedded biometric chip,and it must be used along with the appropriate exit endorsements (similar to exit visas). [6] Although travelling with the Mainland Resident Travel Permit is not mandatory when departing from Hong Kong,Macau or a third country,the Exit and Entry Permit itself is usually linked to the document used to apply for the permit,hence travelers are still required to carry the specific travel document they used to apply for the Exit and Entry Permit when travelling to Taiwan. [10]
Exit &Entry Permit is not required for Mainland Chinese travelers holding a Chinese passport transiting through Taoyuan International Airport on the same calendar day,as long as the traveler does not leave the sterile area of the airport. However,a Travel Permit to and from Taiwan (往來台灣通行證) and valid endorsement except for group tourism is required unless that passenger departs from Chongqing,Nanchang,or Kunming for Taiwan,even if not leaving the sterile area.
From 28 March 2017,Mainland Chinese residents are able to apply for the Exit and Entry Permit online if they are residing in a third country. [11]
The ROC government does not stamp either Chinese,BN(O),HKSAR or MSAR passports,or Mainland Resident Travel Permits (although the passports and permits themselves are routinely inspected as would any other passports). The ROC does not recognize British National (Overseas) status as a form of British nationality under its law. [12]
Although BN(O) status is not recognized by the ROC as a form of British nationality,the British Government has indicated that it provides the same consular assistance for BN(O) passport holders as other British nationals,with the exception of BN(O) holders who are ethnic Chinese and physically in mainland China,Hong Kong or Macau. Thus,the British Government does not indicate that BN(O)s travelling to ROC cannot enjoy British consular protection. This implies that BN(O)s do enjoy British consular protection in Taiwan,even though the status is not officially recognized by the ROC. [13]
The Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, also colloquially referred to as a Home Return Permit or Home Visit Permit, is issued to Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of or settled in Hong Kong and Macau as the travel document to Mainland China. The permit is issued by the Exit and Entry Administration of the People's Republic of China through China Travel Service sub-branches in Hong Kong and Macau and allows holders to travel freely to mainland China.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since the handover in 1997, the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. As the official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English, the passport is printed bilingually in both Chinese and English. In addition, unlike Chinese passport which can be issued by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad, the Immigration Department of Hong Kong is the only issuing authority for HKSAR passports.
Hong Kong Re-entry Permit are issued to Hong Kong residents by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for travel to mainland China and Macau Special Administrative Region.
The Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of Chinapassport is a passport issued to Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Macau.
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer may return to the issuing country, and are often issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps into them.
The People's Republic of China Passport is a passport issued to citizens of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of international travel, and entitles its bearer to the protection of China's consular officials overseas.
Taiwanese nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan. The Nationality Act is based on the principle of jus sanguinis, children born to at least one Taiwanese parent are automatically nationals at birth. Foreign nationals with permanent residency in Taiwan may naturalize after continuously living in the country for at least five (5) years. Certain foreign immediate family members of Taiwanese nationals may naturalize after continuously living in the country for at least three (3) years.
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The Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, also known as the Taiwan Compatriot Permit, is a type of travel document issued by the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to Republic of China nationals (ROC) who hold household registration in Taiwan. The document is issued by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). Since the identity documents issued by the government of the Republic of China are not recognized in the PRC, the permit serves as both the main travel document and identity document for Taiwanese people in the PRC territory and is used on all occasions in lieu of a Taiwan passport.
The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region allows citizens of specific countries/territories to travel to Macau for tourism or business purposes for periods ranging from 14 to 180 days without having to obtain a visa. For other entry purposes, such as establishing residence on a long-term basis, a different policy applies.
Visitors to the mainland of the People's Republic of China must obtain a visa from one of the Chinese diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries. The residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan with Chinese nationality may stay in Mainland indefinitely as long as their travel documents are valid.
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The Macau Resident Identity Card or BIR is an official identity card issued by the Identification Services Bureau of Macau. There are two types of Resident Identity Cards: one for permanent residents and one for non-permanent residents.
The British National (Overseas) passport, commonly referred to as the BN(O) passport, is a British passport for people with British National (Overseas) status. BN(O) status was created in 1987 after the enactment of Hong Kong Act 1985, whose holders are permanent residents of Hong Kong who were British Overseas Territories citizens until 30 June 1997 and had registered as BN(O)s.
e-Channel, also known as The Automated Passenger Clearance System, is an expedited border control system introduced by the Hong Kong Immigration Department in 2004, designed to speed up border immigration processes for residents of Hong Kong, Macau and frequent visitors to Hong Kong entering and exiting the territory whether it be by land, air or sea via the use of self-service kiosks employed at various border control points.
The Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau, colloquially known as a Two-way Permit or EEP is issued to Chinese nationals with residency in Mainland China as a travel document for the sole purpose to travel the Chinese Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security is responsible for the issuing of Two-way Permits and exit endorsements.
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