After having offered visa-free privileges since August 1, 2016 to Brunei passport holders to travel, conduct business, visit relatives or attend international conferences, sports events, trade fairs in Taiwan, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has further granted Brunei permanent residents holding Certificates of Identity visa-waiver status, with granted stays of up to 30 days, from December 1, 2016. This measure is aimed to further promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Taiwan previously offered visa waivers to Brunei citizens for a one-year trial period, starting from August 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017. Accordingly, Taiwan will also grant Brunei permanent residents visa waivers on the same scheme until July 31, 2017.
When Brunei permanent residents travel to Taiwan, they are advised to possess a Certificate of Identity with remaining validity period more than 6 months upon arrival. If they intend to stay in Taiwan for other than the above-mentioned purposes－such as employment, study, residence with family or attend courses, or wish to stay longer than 30 days, it is advised to apply for an appropriate visa at this Office.
Since Taiwan’s relaxing visa requirements for Brunei citizens from August 1, the numbers of Bruneian tourists entering Taiwan in the past 3 months are 76 (August), 117 (September) and 152 (October) respectively, among which those using visa waivers are 64, 93 and 131. There is an upward trend in these figures. With Brunei permanent residents’ inclusion in Taiwan’s visa waiver program, it is believed that the number of Brunei tourists heading to Taiwan will continuously grow in the future.
This Office hopes that Brunei will also grant Taiwanese citizens visa-waiver status soon on the basis of reciprocity, by which it is expected that bringing in more Taiwanese tourists will also provide a boost to local tourism-related industry in Brunei Darussalam.（E）
