On November 5, 2017, Sunday, I flew from Manila to Taipei, Taiwan.
I have been to Taiwan a handful of times before. The first time I went here, I needed to apply for a visa. Like most visa application processes, it was tedious. If I remember correctly, I had to prepare some requirements including proof of work (certificate of employment, income tax returns, etc), birth certificate, bank certificates, etc. It took a week or so for it to get approved. That was in 2015.
Then, the next instances I visited Taiwan, it was a bit easier. I didn’t need a visa because they somewhat relaxed the requirements. Even if you have expired visas from countries like the USA and Japan, you can simply apply online for a visa exemption certificate. That was quite nifty already for me.
Then, it was announced that starting November 2017, Filipinos will be allowed visa-free entry in Taiwan.
And it checks out.
We are visa-exempt in Taiwan.
No special forms to fill up, no extra processes to go through when you land in Taiwan. In my experience, I just ticked the box for visa-exempt and it was like I just traveled to an ASEAN country.
To know more about visa-free entry to Taiwan for Filipinos, read here.
Btw, on a serious note, I’m in Taiwan to witness start-ups battle it out with pitches and demos. Special thanks to Gideon Venture Capital for letting us come and get a glimpse of the start-up scene. Also with us were Filipino start-ups namely edukasyon.ph, LX Innovative Solutions, Healthblocks, and Acudeen. If you’re into start-ups, planning on building one, or have one and looking for investors, check out https://www.gideon.ph/.
Who knows, you might be the next unicorn from the Philippines.
Time to pack your bags and head to the land of night markets, pineapple cake, stinky tofu, xiao long bao, and Taipei 101! 🙂
