Entry Permit of HK and Macau Residents to the Taiwan Area

An Exit & Entry Permit for the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: 中華民國台灣地區入出境許可證), more commonly known as Exit & Entry Permit (台證 or 入台證 Rù tái zhèng) is a document issued by the Immigration Office of the National Police Agency

National Police Agency (Republic of China)

The National Police Agency is an agency under the Ministry of the Interior, Republic of China , which oversees all ROC police forces on a national level...

of the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

, for Hong Kong and Macau residents holding PRC nationality

Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China

The Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China regulates citizenship in the People's Republic of China . Such citizenship is obtained by birth when at least one parent is of Chinese nationality or by naturalization....

for entry to Taiwan

Free Area of the Republic of China

The Free area of the Republic of China is a legal and political description referring to the territories under the control of the government of Republic of China , consisting of the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and some minor islands...

Before the handovers of Hong Kong & Macau

In the past, such permit was a passport-like booklet, with the flag of the Republic of China imprinted on the cover. The old permit could be used for multiple entries. Holders of the passport of the People's Republic of China (issued in mainland China

Mainland China

Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...

), Republic of China passport

Republic of China passport

The Republic of China passport is the national passport issued to nationals of the Republic of China with household registration in the Taiwan Area and certain Overseas Chinese...

and any other foreign passports could not apply for the permit.

When Hong Kong was under British colonial rule holders of British Dependent Territories citizen and British National (Overseas)

British National (Overseas)

British National , commonly known as BN, is one of the major classes of British nationality under British nationality law. Holders of this nationality are British nationals and Commonwealth citizens, but not British Citizens...

passports needed to apply for the entry permit but British Citizens were (and are still) eligible for the visa-free access. Holders of Hong Kong Certificate of Identity

Hong Kong Certificate of Identity

The Hong Kong Certificate of Identity was a formal travel document and passport, issued by the Hong Kong Government's Immigration Department until June 30, 1997...

also needed the permit. In the past these permits had to be applied for at the Chung Hwa Travel Agency in Hong Kong or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Macau.

Online application

Up to 2005, only applicants who had visited Taiwan could file an online application for the permit. They were required to produce a valid/expired permit (in form of a booklet, issued by ROC) to a ROC immigration officer together with the online application to enter Taiwan. However, with the amendment of the law in 2005, PRC nationals

Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China

born in Hong Kong or Macau can file an online application or apply for a landing visa since 2005. In these cases, applicants' passports are not stamped.

Such persons can apply for a permit at the website of the Immigration Office https://nas.immigration.gov.tw. For residents of Hong Kong, they can collect the permit (in form of a paper) at offices of the Chung Hwa Travel Agency at Lippo Centre

Lippo Centre, Hong Kong

The Lippo Centre is a pair of twin office towers in Hong Kong, previously known as the Bond Center . The buildings are located at 89 Queensway, in Admiralty on Hong Kong Island. They were taken over by the Lippo Group after the collapse of the Bond Corporation...

, Admiralty

Admiralty, Hong Kong

Admiralty is the eastern extension of central business district of the Central on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It is located on the eastern end of the Central and Western District, bordered by Wan Chai to the east and Victoria Harbour to the north. The name of Admiralty refers to the former...

or the Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...

. They need to produce their application number, their British National (Overseas)

British National (Overseas)

passport or HKSAR passport

HKSAR Passport

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport is issued to permanent residents of Hong Kong who are citizens of the People's Republic of China...

(with at least 6-month validity) and their Hong Kong Identity Card

Hong Kong Identity Card

The Hong Kong Identity Card is an official identity document issued by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card is a class of HKID issued to Hong Kong residents who have the right of abode in Hong Kong SAR. According to the Registration of Persons Ordinance...

upon collect of their paper-form permit. For residents of Macau, they can collect the permit at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center. Their MSAR passport

MSAR passport

The Macao Special Administrative Region passport is an international travel document that is issued to permanent residents of Macao who are citizens of the People's Republic of China...

or Portuguese passport

Portuguese passport

Portuguese passports are issued to citizens of Portugal for the purpose of international travel. However the bilhete de identidade can serve as a travel document within the countries of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Croatia, Macedonia and Switzerland.-Electronic passport:As...

(issued before 1999), and their Macau Identity Card should be produced instead of the HK counterparts. The application fee is HKD55. This permit can be used for two times, while the maximum period of each stay is 14 days. The validity is three months. They can enter Taiwan only through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Kaohsiung International Airport

Kaohsiung International Airport

Kaohsiung International Airport , also known as Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport for the Siaogang District where it is located, is a medium-sized commercial airport located in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan...

Landing visas

They can also opt to apply a landing visa upon arrival. Their passports (HKSAR, BN(O), MSAR or pre-handover Portuguese) and the HK/Macau ID cards should be produced when applying for permit at a counter specific for them (stating 'Chinese only'). The validity of the paper form permit is 30 days but only one entry is allowed. The application fee is NT$200.

Stamping passports and its political implications

As the ROC claims sovereignty over mainland China, the ROC government does not stamp either BN(O) or HKSAR passports (though these passports are scanned, the stamp is placed on the permit). The law of the Republic of China states that British National (Overseas)

British National (Overseas)

status is not recognised. However, the whole process is quite similar to the normal visa-free entrance procedures in many countries.

Recognition of applicant's nationality

It is more convenient and economical for visitors to enter the ROC by the visa-free access programme than applying for this special entry permit, which is specific for PRC nationals

Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China

with permanent residency in HK or Macau. The ROC does not recognise PRC nationals

Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China

people in HK and Macau (without foreign passports) as 'aliens' or 'foreigners' but the immigration arrangement for them is inferior than that for foreigners with passports that are granted visa-free access to ROC. Similarly, ROC residents entering Hong Kong also receive inferior treatment compared with foreign passport holders with visa-free access to Hong Kong. For the People's Republic of China, Home Return Permit

Home Return Permit

A ‘Home Return Permit’ , also referred to as a ‘Home Visit Permit’ or ‘China Back Home Pass’ , is the colloquial name for the national identity document officially known as the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents issued to PRC citizens who are permanent residents of Hong Kong...

holding PRC citizens in HK & Macau have a better deal than foreign nationals as they require expensive visas to enter the mainland.

Some BN(O) and HKSAR passport holders are eligible for this online/landing permit. For example, holders of these passports who are not born in Hong Kong or Macau are not eligible and they need to file an application for an entry permit at the Chung Hwa Travel Agency. For some entry permit holders, production of BN(O) and HKSAR passports is not required. These restrictions provide evidence that the nationality stated in the passport is not officially recognised by the ROC.

Consular Protection for BN(O) passport holders

The British Government has indicated that it provides the same consular assistance for BN(O) passport holders as other British nationals, except in the case of BN(O) holders who are ethnic Chinese of mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau origin travelling to People's Republic of China. The British Government does not indicate that BN(O)s travelling to ROC cannot enjoy British consular protection. This implies that BN(O)s do enjoy British consular protection as they travel to other countries, even the status is not officially recognised by the ROC.

British citizens

The Republic of China (unlike the PRC

Home Return Permit

) fully recognizes the British citizenship obtained by ethnic Chinese Hong Kong residents in the British Nationality Selection Scheme

British Nationality Selection Scheme

The British Nationality Selection Scheme was a process used to grant British citizenship to selected persons in Hong Kong between 1990 and 1997.-Basis of the scheme:...

and they can enter Taiwan through the full visa-free access program. Their BC passports are also stamped.

Portuguese citizens

Portuguese citizenship obtained before the handover of Macau to the PRC is not recognised by the ROC. However, it is still possible to obtain Portuguese citizenship in Macau after 1999 since Portuguese citizenship is transmissible

Jus sanguinis

Ius sanguinis is a social policy by which citizenship is not determined by place of birth, but by having a parent who are citizens of the nation...

. Post-handover Portuguese citizenships are recognised by the ROC.

PRC citizens with mainland residency only

Although the ROC does not issue visas to PRC passport holders (except for mainland residents who have have resided in foreign countries for at least four years and have legally acquired the nationality of a foreign country), mainland residents may first apply for a Mainland residents Taiwan Pass (大陆居民往来台湾通行证) from PRC authorities and then apply for an Entry Permit of Mainland Residents to the Taiwan Area (Traditional Chinese: 大陸地區來台觀光旅行證) from ROC authorities. Taiwan generally requires that these applicants travel with a tour group, be invited, and/or provide a 200 000 TWD (50 000 RMB) deposit.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Before the handovers of Hong Kong & Macau

Online application

Landing visas

Stamping passports and its political implications

Recognition of applicant's nationality

Consular Protection for BN(O) passport holders

British citizens

Portuguese citizens

PRC citizens with mainland residency only

See also

External links