Taiwan grants visa-free entry to Filipinos

BALITANG PH (Manila) : On Thursday, Hsu Kong-yung , the spokesman of Taiwan’s executive cabinet, said that Filipinos can travel to Taiwan visa-free as part of its government’s effort to promote its New Southbound Policy. Premier Lai Ching-te said the Executive cabinet approved the plan on Wednesday to issue 14-day visa-free status to citizens of the Philippines, and it would take about a month to finalize the actual details for implementation. It is expected that the new policy will take effect in October or November.

The new policy was enacted by President Tsai Ing-wen’s government, which aims to enhance cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and 18 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australasia. Reuters reported that Taiwan already has visa-free arrangements with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. The government is continuing this year with a pilot scheme with Brunei and Thailand kicked off last year. It is also considering visa-free arrangements with Indonesia and Vietnam, according to a government document seen by Reuters.