Taiwan and Germany jointly launched automated immigration clearance Dec. 10, marking a milestone in bilateral relations and underscoring the commitment of both sides to expanding economic and trade partnership, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
The announcement was made by National Immigration Agency Director-General Bill Chung and German Institute Taipei Deputy DG Dagmar Traub-Evans during an event organized by NIA in Taoyuan City, northern Taiwan.
Effective immediately, valid e-passport holders from Germany who are above the age of 18, over the height of 140 cm and have no criminal record can enroll in Taiwan’s e-Gate system.
Similarly, ROC (Taiwan) citizens over 18 who have an e-passport with their National Identification Number and no criminal record in Germany can enroll in the EU country’s EasyPass program.
The expedited custom clearance procedure will make travel between the two sides more convenient and attract more visitors from Germany, the NIA said.
According to the agency, Germany is Taiwan’s fifth e-gate partner country, following agreements with Australia, Italy, South Korea and the U.S., while Taiwan is Germany’s fourth non-EU member partner.
As the world enters the post-pandemic era, the NIA will continue to seek mutual use of expedited customs services with like-minded countries to bring in more international visitors, it added. (SFC-E)
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