Taiwan has extended the visa-free privileges for Filipino tourists for one more year, or until 2026, Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said.
Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (Photo from Minister Lin via Facebook post)
He made the announcement during the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day hosted by the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, but an official announcement will be released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, June 16.
“To continue to deepen bilateral ties between Taiwan and the Philippines, I announce that ‘Taiwan will extend the visa-free entry program for Filipino nationals for one year,’” Lin announced in his speech on Friday night, June 13.
He also expressed hopes that the Philippines will soon reciprocate Taiwan’s goodwill by also providing visa-free privileges to Taiwanese nationals.
“We also hope that in the near future, Taiwanese people will be able to travel visa-free to the Philippines under the principle of reciprocity, so that they can start a go-and-go holiday as long as they simply pack their bags and bring,” a translated version of his speech that was posted on Facebook said.
The people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines has flourished in recent years, with the visit of some 415,000 Filipino tourists to Taiwan in 2024, Lin added.
He also extended his gratitude to some 160,000 Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan, who “are working hard in all walks of life to inject new energy into Taiwanese society.”
The minister noted that the Philippines is an “important neighbor” to Taiwan not only because they belong to the Indo-Pacific First Island Chain, but also because of sharing the core values od freedom and democracy and “supporting each other and moving forward side by side in the face of the challenges.”
“Me and the Philippine representative in Taiwan Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil (are) deeply aware that maintaining regional peace and stability is the shared responsibility and vision of Taiwan and the Philippines,” Lin added.
“In recent years, Taiwan-Philippine relations have become more and more close,” he furthered, pointing out the Philippine government’s decision to ease the decades-old travel restrictions on Philippine officials traveling to Taiwan for official exchanges.
Lin said the move will lay the foundation for joint promotion of the Taiwan-Philippines Economic Corridor and will provide “momentum for cooperation between the two sides in the fields of agriculture, technology, energy, smart solutions, and economic resilience.”
In April, Malacañang eased restrictions on Philippine government officials traveling to Taiwan, now allowing them to travel there for economic, trade, and investment purposes as long as they observe strict protocols and limitations, such as the use of ordinary passports and the non-usage of their official titles.
Memorandum Circular No. 82, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, ended the decades-old Executive Order (EO) No. 313 signed by former president Corazon Aquino in 1987 that prohibits government officials from engaging in official activities in relation to Taiwan in adherence to the One-China Policy.
The Philippines and Taiwan have no formal diplomatic relations because of the One-China Policy, which sees Taiwan as a province of China.
