Taiwanese passport holders heading to Europe on short trips would need to be aware of two new entry systems that are to go into effect next month and next year, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.
However, the two systems would not impact the ability of Taiwanese passport holders to enter European countries visa-free, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of European Affairs Deputy Director-General Lin Chu-en (林主恩) said.
The first system, the Entry/Exit System (EES), is set to be launched on Nov. 10 according to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Lin said.
Photo: Reuters
As part of this program, non-EU travelers would have to register their biometric information the first time they arrive at an external Schengen border.
The system would register the person’s name, travel document type and biometrics, specifically fingerprints, facial image and the date and place of entry.
The EES is to replace the manual stamping of passports by immigration officers, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not help identify overstayers, the EU said.
Meanwhile, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a visa waiver program for non-EU citizens entering 30 European countries, is expected to come into force six months after the launch of EES, said Lin.
ETIAS travel authorization would be required for visa-exempt nationals — including Taiwanese — traveling to any of the 30 European countries.
The authorization, which can be applied for online, is linked to a traveler’s passport and is valid for up to three years or until one’s passport expires.
There is no confirmed date for the ETIAS launch, but the ministry would monitor and share information when it becomes available, said Lin.
Taiwanese passport holders have not needed visas to travel to the EU for short stays since Jan. 11, 2011. However, specific-country visas are required if a traveler intends to stay or study for longer than 90 days or work for any period of time.
Separately, the British Office Taipei in a post on its Facebook page yesterday said that as the UK is implementing the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system in stages, Taiwanese passport holders, who can currently enter the UK visa-free, would be required to get an ETA to do so from Jan. 8 next year.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although