Taiwan extends visa-free entry for Filipinos until July 31, 2021

Taiwan is extending its visa-free entry policy for Filipinos until July 31, 2021, its representative office in Manila said Thursday.

Apart from the Philippines, Taiwan is also implementing the same regulation for nationals from Thailand, Brunei and Russia as part of its Southbound Policy, which aims to build stronger bilateral relations and closer people-to-people connectivity between Taiwan and other countries.

However, leisure travel to Taiwan is still subject to review amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) said.

"Whether restrictions on foreign nationals coming to Taiwan for tourism purposes will be relaxed depends on the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC)'s assessment of the worldwide development of the COVID-19 pandemic," it said.

Manila and Taipei have no formal diplomatic ties in deference to the One-China Policy.

Taiwan, a self-ruling democratic island which separated from mainland China in 1949, is represented in Manila by TECO, which acts as its de-facto embassy in the country.

Taiwan first enforced its visa-free policy for the Philippines on Nov. 1, 2017.
In recent years, the Philippines and Taiwan have launched a number of visa liberalization measures which have resulted in a rapid increase of visitors, TECO said.

Taiwan, it added, will continue to review and fine-tune these measures to attract more visitors while still ensuring border and public security.

Taipei also seeks to enhance same visa treatment for Taiwan nationals from other countries to make their overseas travel more convenient, TECO said. —LDF, GMA News