TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday announced visa-free entry for citizens of its 11 diplomatic allies in Latin America and the Caribbean, effective immediately.
The Foreign Ministry said the decision “demonstrated the closeness” between the R.O.C. and its allies in the region and adhered to the “principles of mutual benefit and reciprocity.”
Here’s what the policy allows:
1. Visa-free stay of up to 30 days for citizens of Belize, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
2. Visa-free stay of up to 90 days for citizens of El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua
To be let in, citizens of these countries must present a passport that’s valid for at least six months. They also need a return ticket or a ticket plus visa to another destination.
They cannot have a criminal record, as verified by the immigration agency upon arrival.
In a statement from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision described as “acting upon the principles of mutual benefit and reciprocity.”
The 10 countries list already grant visa-free access to Taiwanese nationals and have been included in Taiwan’s eVisa programme since it was launched in January 2016.
“Given the importance of its enduring friendships with these diplomatic partners, and acting upon the principles of mutual benefit and reciprocity, and a further desire to strengthen the development of bilateral relations, the [Republic of China] decided to grant visa-free privileges to these 10 diplomatic allies from 12 July 2017 in the hope that such benefits will lead to an increase in tourism, business, trade and cultural exchanges at multiple levels.”
CHINA POST and WIC News
