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Visa requirements for Taiwanese passport holders are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on nationals of Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan. Although the ROC has only one type of nationality under its nationality law, its nationals' right of abode in Taiwan is based on whether they have established household registration in Taiwan, hence ROC nationals are divided into two categories: nationals with household registration ("NWHRs"), with right of abode in Taiwan; and nationals without household registration ("NWOHRs"), without right of abode in Taiwan. Only NWHRs are entitled to a National Identification Card, and the National ID number is imprinted on the passport's biodata page to signify the holder's status as an NWHR. Holders of such passports can travel to more countries and territories without visas than holders of passports without National ID number, as NWOHRs using ROC passports to enter Taiwan require an entry permit and are subject to immigration controls.
Contents
- Visa requirements
- Greater China
- Dependent Disputed or Restricted Territories
- APEC Business Travel Card
- Vaccination
- Passport validity
- References
Taiwanese passport is one of the five passports with the most improved rating globally since 2006 in terms of number of countries that its holders may visit without a visa. As of 1 January 2017, nationals of Republic of China with rights of abode in Taiwan had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 134 countries and territories, ranking the ordinary Taiwan passport 31st in terms of travel freedom (tied with Costa Rican and Vatican passports) according to the Henley visa restrictions index. The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, listed 164 countries with visa-free or visa on arrival access, which included a large number of countries requiring pre-arrival documentations such as invitations or visa approval letters (such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam). Such countries are not considered as providing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access, since the visa is usually approved before arrival and during the process of obtaining such documentations. The graph below only lists those countries which provide visa-free or visa on arrival without additional documentations prior to travelling as per international-accepted definitions.
Visa requirements
Visa requirements for holders of normal passports travelling for tourist purposes:
Greater China
Nationals Without Household Registration (NWOHRs) are required to obtain a Chinese Travel Document from a Chinese diplomatic mission prior to travelling to Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China. As Chinese Travel Documents are issued as a replacement of the Chinese passport, all holders of Taiwan passports who have citizenship or nationality of another country are ineligible and are required to apply for a Chinese visa on their non-ROC passports instead.
Notes:
Single-entry Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents can be applied with ROC passport (with a validity of more than 3 months), ROC National ID card, return ticket and 2 passport-sized photos, fee is CNY 150. Some airports may require additional documents, such as an invitation letter. Eligible airports are: Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hefei, Jinan, Kunming, Nanchang, Nanjing, Nanning, Ningbo, Qingdao, Quanzhou, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xi'an, Xuzhou, Yancheng, Yantai and Zhengzhou. The single-entry travel permit is valid for a stay up to 3 months. Holder of a valid, long-term travel permit is not eligible to use this service, he or she must instead carry the long-term permit or will be refused entry for not doing so.
Dependent, Disputed, or Restricted Territories
Visa requirements for nationals of Republic of China for visits to various territories, disputed areas, partially recognized countries, and restricted zones:
Arab League — Certain countries will deny access to holders of Israeli visas or passport stamps of Israel because of the Arab League boycott of Israel.
APEC Business Travel Card
Holders of an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) travelling on business do not require a visa to the following countries:
1 – up to 90 days
2 – up to 60 days
3 – up to 59 days
Although Republic of China is a member of this program, its nationals are also not allowed to use ABTC to enter Mainland China, instead they are required to use Taiwan Compatriot Permits.
The card must be used in conjunction with a passport and has the following advantages:
Vaccination
Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia require all incoming passengers to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination. Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area.
Passport validity
Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.