Beginning July 1, all first-time ROC passport applicants will have to make their applications in person at designated government offices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
“The in-person requirement is designed to prevent fraud and enhance Taiwan’s passport security credentials internationally,” Thomas Chen, director-general of MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, said June 23.
Under the policy, which has been undergoing a trial run since March, new passport applicants must be present for identity confirmation at one of the four BOCA offices in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung or Hualien.
People living in remote areas can undergo the identity verification procedure at their local household registration office. Applicants under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult relative for the corroboration.
At present, according to Chen, 70 percent of Taiwanese passports applications are made through travel agencies. “This could increase risks and give rise to more attempts at fraud as now more than 100 countries grant ROC citizens visa-free treatment.”
Chen cited an example in which a mainland Chinese in Taiwan reportedly made fraudulent use of a Taiwanese citizen’s identification card to obtain a passport through a travel agent in May and then disappeared from a tour group abroad.
The new application procedures will give Taiwan an edge in acquiring visa-free privileges from more countries, such as the United States, Chen said. (THN)