From Saturday, Taiwanese who want to visit the Philippines would be asked to provide a recent travel history when applying for a visa following the extension of a travel ban on foreign travelers who have been to China or its special administrative regions within the previous three weeks, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office said on Tuesday.
All foreign travelers — regardless of nationality — who have visited China, Hong Kong or Macau within the previous 21 days would be barred from entering the Philippines, the office said in a statement.
On Sunday, Philippine authorities banned all travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau, one day after a Chinese national from Wuhan, China — ground zero of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak — died in the Philippines, becoming the first fatality outside of China.
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Taiwanese who want to enter the Philippines would have to provide an Entry and Exit Record issued by the National Immigration Agency, which would need to include the complete name of the individual; their national identification number; dates of entry to and exit from Taiwan; and countries visited in the 21 days preceding the most recent entry into Taiwan, the statement said.
“Failure to secure and submit the Entry and Exit Record may result in the outright disapproval or denial of the application for visa without refund of the processing fee,” it said.
The Entry and Exit Record would be returned to Taiwanese travelers with an official stamp and would need to be presented to Philippine immigration officials along with their visa to enter the nation, it added.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines said that the Entry and Exit Record is necessary, as Philippine officials are unable to determine whether Taiwanese have entered China, Hong Kong or Macau on their Republic of China passports because Taiwanese use the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents to enter those areas.
The Entry and Exit Record would provide proof of inbound and outbound dates to check if Taiwanese have recently traveled to the banned areas, it said.
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