Taiwanese passport holders must obtain a UK-issued electronic travel authorization (ETA) document to visit or transit through the UK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Taiwanese travelers who have enjoyed visa-free visits to the UK since March 2009 need to have the new digitally issued travel document to enter the UK starting from yesterday, the ministry said.
The British government Web site Gov.UK shows that the travel requirement is being introduced in phases, and by April, all visitors who do not need a visa would need an ETA.
Photo: Fang Wei-li, Taipei Times
Taiwanese, along with those from several visa-exempt countries, including the US, have been able to apply for an ETA since Nov. 27 last year for trips of up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study.
Travelers can apply for an ETA through the official “UK ETA” app for Android and iOS devices, or through Gov.UK.
The application costs ￡10 (US$12.35), and usually takes three working days to be processed, but could take longer, the site says.
A person who must depart before their application is approved, can travel to the UK while waiting for a decision, it says.
An ETA is valid for two years, but it does not guarantee entry to the UK, as immigration officers at the border have the final say, it says.
Similar travel requirements have been introduced for Taiwanese travelers to Australia, which requires an Electronic Travel Authority document, and the US, which has the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
Meanwhile, no date has been announced for the rollout of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for the Schengen Area or Cyprus for a short stay, due to delays in the installation of equipment at some airports in the area, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Taiwanese travelers eligible for visa-free visits to the area can still do so, until the ETIAS is officially introduced, it said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
An apartment building in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) collapsed last night after a nearby construction project earlier in the day allegedly caused it to tilt. Shortly after work began at 9am on an ongoing excavation of a construction site on Liuzhang Street (六張街), two neighboring apartment buildings tilted and cracked, leading to exterior tiles peeling off, city officials said. The fire department then dispatched personnel to help evacuate 22 residents from nine households. After the incident, the city government first filled the building at No. 190, which appeared to be more badly affected, with water to stabilize the
EARTHQUAKE: Taipei and New Taipei City accused a construction company of ignoring the Circular MRT’s original design, causing sections to shift by up to 92cm The Taipei and New Taipei City governments yesterday said they would seek NT$1.93 billion (US$58.6 million) in compensation from the company responsible for building the Circular MRT Line, following damage sustained during an earthquake in April last year that had shuttered a section for months. BES Engineering Corp, a listed company under Core Pacific Group, was accused of ignoring the original design when constructing the MRT line, resulting in negative shear strength resistance and causing sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts to shift by up to 92cm during the April 3 earthquake. The pot bearings on
RSS