The Philippine passport.
Filipinos may soon travel to Taiwan without paying visa fees after the Taiwanese government approved visa-free privileges for Philippine nationals.
Taiwan Premier Lai Ching-te has approved the plan to give visa-free status to citizens of the Philippines, according to a report from state-owned Central News Agency.
The report said that Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) has yet to disclose the details, but the new measures are expected to be implemented in October the earliest.
Under the plan, Filipinos wishing to visit Taiwan may seek entry visas through an electronic or online application mechanism.
The move is part of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy that relaxes visa rules for the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in hopes of improving ties with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Taiwan announced the visa-free status for the Philippines in June, but the implementation was postponed. Mofa cited the need for “complete relevant administrative procedures and inter-agency coordination.”
Taiwan’s government hopes that the policy will forge closer relations with other countries in a bid to reduce economic dependence on China.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
