Taiwan to grant Filipinos visa-free entry in June

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos will be granted visa-free entry to Taiwan starting June this year, in a move meant to encourage more tourists from other Asian regions to visit the island.

According to a Taiwanese news website, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced that Philippine nationals would be granted visa-free stays on the island for a period of up to 30 days.

The ministry said that this move would be on trial basis for one year from June 1 this year to July 31, 2018, the Taiwan media outfit reported.

Taiwan also extended its 30-day visa exemption for citizens of Thailand and Brunei to one year. Multiple-entry visa privileges meanwhile will be extended to nationals of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

This move by Taiwan is part of its government’s “New Southbound Policy” which aims to establish closer trade and economic ties with south and southeast Asian nations, the website said.

Taiwan saw a surge in its number of visitors since it offered citizens of these south and southeast Asian nations visa-free entry, it said.

Based on Taiwanese government data, the number of tourists from these countries climbed to 68,000, a 42.8 percent increase. This growth was the biggest in four years.