For citizens of the Republic of China (ROC), it has never been easier or cheaper to gain entry to foreign countries than it is today. Over the past eight years, the ROC government has concluded scores of agreements granting the nation’s passport holders various forms of preferential visa treatment in countries across the world. During the same period, Taiwan has also expanded the travel and cultural exchange opportunities available to its young people by signing a dozen new reciprocal working holiday accords. “The ease with which Taiwanese can now visit foreign countries demonstrates that Taiwan and its citizens are held in high regard around the globe,” says Kung Chung-chen (龔中誠), director-general of the Bureau of Consular Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
The government’s ongoing, concerted efforts to ease visa requirements on Taiwanese travelers continue to bear fruit. At the beginning of this year, ROC passport holders were granted visa-free access to Chile, landing visa privileges in Uzbekistan and e-visa entry to Rwanda. And in December last year, Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Czech Republic that enables people aged 18 to 26 to embark on working holidays in the Central European nation for up to one year.
In total, 161 countries and territories now offer visa waivers, landing visas or other forms of preferential visa access to ROC passport holders, an increase of 107 since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in May 2008. This rapid expansion highlights growing international recognition of Taiwan’s political, economic and social development as well as the substantial upgrades that have been made to the nation’s passport system. “Most countries required us to issue biometric passports as a precondition for preferential visa treatment,” says Kung, noting that Taiwan started to issue such passports, which are more difficult to forge, in December 2008.
A group tour from Taiwan led by Tom Liu visits the Grand Canyon in December 2015. Liu, manager of the Tainan branch of Romantic Travel Service Co., says that Taiwan’s inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program has been a big boon to travelers and tourism operators. (Photo courtesy of Tom Liu)
The U.K. became the first Western nation to extend visa-waiver privileges to Taiwan in March 2009, with Ireland following suit in July the same year. Subsequently, on Jan. 11, 2011, ROC passport holders were granted visa-free access to the Schengen Area, enabling them to visit 36 European countries and territories for up to 90 days without a visa. These developments have made it significantly easier for Taiwanese to travel to and within Europe, boosting business and cultural exchanges. Kung contrasts the current situation with his own experiences visiting Europe in the mid-1990s, saying “I thought of going to Belgium while traveling in the United Kingdom, but later gave up on this plan because I found it took more than a week to get a visa.”
Less than two years after ROC passport holders were granted visa-free access to the Schengen Area, Taiwan was included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), a hugely significant achievement given that the U.S. is the most popular Western destination among Taiwanese tourists and businesspeople. For admittance to the scheme, the U.S. government requires that a nation lower the refusal rate for U.S. visas among its citizens to less than 3 percent. According to Kung, the ratio for ROC nationals exceeded 10 percent around 1990, but had dropped below 3 percent by 2010.
Prior to its inclusion in the program in November 2012, Taiwan also had to conclude two pacts with the U.S. government, namely the Agreement for the Exchange of Terrorism Screening Information and the Agreement on Preventing and Combating Serious Crime. Both sides also established mechanisms for sharing information on lost and stolen passports.
According to Kung, since it is especially challenging to obtain visa-waiver treatment from the U.S., Taiwan’s admittance to the scheme highlights the quality of ROC passports and related systems. To date, only 38 nations, and just five in Asia, have been included in the VWP. Notably, the ROC is the only participating country that does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S.
Tom Liu (劉勇彰), manager of Romantic Travel Service Co.’s branch in the southern city of Tainan, says visa-free access to the U.S. has been of great benefit to Taiwanese travelers and tourism operators. He notes that prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, travel agencies could apply for U.S. visas on behalf of tourists. Afterward, all U.S.-bound travelers had to attend an interview at the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan, which represents U.S. interests in the absence of formal diplomatic ties. “That was too inconvenient for many people living in the south of the country,” says Liu, who has worked in the tourism industry for more than two decades. “Visa-waiver status has saved people a lot of trouble, especially those who don’t live in Taipei.”
Chuang Han-ching, right, takes a photograph with a British woman she befriended at a hostel in Ireland. Chuang is spending a year in the nation as a working holidaymaker. (Photo courtesy of Chuang Han-ching)
Taiwan’s inclusion in preferential visa treatment schemes has also reduced the costs incurred by travelers. Previously, those wishing to visit the majority of countries in Europe had to pay 60 euros (US$65) for a Schengen visa. Meanwhile, a visa to the U.S. cost US$150 and there were related expenses such as the fee of NT$395 (US$12.15) to reserve a time slot for the face-to-face interview. According to Liu, his company’s sales of trips to the U.S. plummeted after 2001, but experienced substantial growth following Taiwan’s inclusion in the VWP.
Over the past eight years, the ROC government has also sought to provide the nation’s youth with fresh opportunities to immerse themselves in foreign cultures. With this goal in mind, Taiwan has concluded a raft of working holiday agreements. The first such accords were signed with Australia and New Zealand in 2004. Since 2009, the ROC government has inked similar pacts with Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea and the U.K.
“Through these working holiday agreements, the government hopes to enhance our young people’s global competence, thereby boosting the nation’s competitiveness, as well as increase the self-reliance of Taiwan’s youth,” says Andrew Lee (李憲章), deputy director-general of MOFA’s Public Diplomacy Coordination Council. “These agreements provide young people with a new way to explore other countries for an extended period of time beyond studying in foreign universities.”
The regulations for the 14 working holiday programs vary. There is no cap on the number of Taiwanese who can embark on working holidays to Australia, while all of the other agreements contain annual quotas, ranging from 50 for Austria to 5,000 for Japan. Taiwan’s working holidaymakers are allowed to remain in most of the partner countries for a year, though Austria limits stays to six months and Australia and Britain permit stays of up to two years. By the end of 2015, more than 190,000 Taiwanese had gone on working holidays. Australia is by far the most popular destination, accounting for nearly 157,000 of the participants.
After hearing a friend discussing the concept and attending a MOFA-organized session explaining the programs, Chuang Han-ching (莊涵晴) decided to move to Ireland last October on a working holiday visa. She had previously traveled as a backpacker and in a tour group and even worked for a time at the Grand Canyon in the U.S., but she longed for a chance to gain a truly in-depth understanding of a new culture. “It’s really great not to have to try and explore a country in a whirlwind fashion,” Chuang says. “Having such a long time here allows me to gain extensive knowledge of Ireland and to combine traveling with everyday experiences.”
For Taiwanese seeking a job abroad, she says, the major challenge is the language barrier. She is now working as a part-time editor for a Chinese-language newspaper in Ireland, but notes she would be quite receptive to other employment and volunteer opportunities, such as working as a clerk in a store or helping out at a charitable organization.
A Taiwanese working holidaymaker takes a break from her job on a farm in Australia. The Southern Hemisphere nation attracts the vast majority of Taiwanese participants in working holiday programs. (Photo courtesy of Tu Wen-hsin)
Finding a job in a foreign country is not always easy and experiences do not always match expectations. Some previous Taiwanese working holidaymakers have complained of poor conditions, long hours and exploitative pay levels. In order to inform young people of their rights and responsibilities while participating in the programs, MOFA has compiled information on how to file labor complaints in the 14 nations that have signed working holiday pacts with Taiwan. The results, complete with local labor laws and related contact information, were added to MOFA’s Youth Taiwan website last October.
“MOFA wants to make sure working holidaymakers know how to protect themselves and are aware of what they should and shouldn’t do while overseas,” Lee explains. “For instance, we let them know that it’s a bad idea to withdraw from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance program. In case of illness or injury abroad, medical bills can be quite expensive.”
The deputy director-general notes that MOFA co-organizes six forums around Taiwan each year to promote the various working holiday programs and provide young people with travel guidelines and labor rights information. These seminars aim to ensure that participants get the most out of their overseas stays and present a positive image of Taiwan. “I’m really enjoying my time as a working holidaymaker in Ireland,” says Chuang. “I’ve made friends with people from different countries, and we’ve had enjoyable experiences sharing our life stories and feelings.”
Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw