Taiwanese No Longer Need Visa to Visit The US
January 27, 2012 – It is true! Taiwanese nationals will soon be visiting the US for up to three months without needing a US visa or US visa application.
According to the White House last January 18, the Department of Homeland Security is already formally evaluating Taiwan for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This move is part of the effort to attract more foreign tourists to the US.
The VWP currently has 36 member-countries. Under this program, citizens of VWP members will be allowed entry to the US without having to present an American visa. This agreement should also be vice-versa. As a result, Americans will also be allowed the same access to Taiwan.
The state that is seen to greatly benefit from this is Georgia considering it has four sister cities and business ties with Taiwan. The relationship between Atlanta and Taipei can be traced back in 1974 which has already resulted in educational and government exchanges.
According to Anna Kao, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta, Taiwanese citizens are also free from the tiring and tedious process of applying for a visa, including the application for a USA visa.
Kao added that Taiwan has already started linking biometric to data to the passports of Taiwanese nationals.
Kao also stated that as per US requirement, citizens who wish to apply for their passports have to personally apply. This is also the reason why Taiwan has set about 260 application sites on an island.
The last decision on the Taiwan’s membership to the VWP lies in the hands of the Homeland Security. South Korea and Japan are the only Southeast Asian countries to make it to the list.
The VWP is going to be expanded especially to countries like Brazil, China, and India as promised by Us President Obama.
When a citizen of a member-country of the VWP plans to enter the US, he only needs to check the validity of the passport, make sure that it has blank visa pages, and confirm if transit visa is required for any connections.
Source:
globalatlanta.com
