Entry and Exit Permit procedures tightened for mainland China nationals

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Following a company’s misuse of Exit and Entry Permits, Taiwan has tightened its procedures for multiple-entry Exit and Entry Permits for nationals of mainland China.

What does the change mean? Among the changes is a new requirement that applicants notarize and authenticate the employment certificate for nationals of mainland China applying for multiple-entry Exit and Entry Permits.

• Implementation timeframe: Immediate.
• Visas/permits affected: Multiple-entry Exit and Entry Permits.
• Who is affected: Nationals of the People’s Republic of China applying for multiple-entry Exit and Entry Permits to Taiwan.
• Impact on processing times: The changes will significantly increase processing times.
• Business impact: Companies and affected nationals should start the process earlier and allow for more time when applying for Exit and Entry Permits.

Background: The stricter rules were triggered after a company filed for several Exit and Entry Permits misstating that the mainland Chinese nationals were traveling to Taiwan for short business trips when in fact they were tourists.

Under the new rules for multiple-entry Exit and Entry Permits, the employment certificate must be notarized in China by the public notary of the appropriate jurisdiction, which must forward a copy to the city’s notary association which will then send it to Taiwan. The original must be authenticated and submitted with the application for the Exit and Entry Permit. This process takes approximately four weeks.

BAL Analysis: Employers and PRC nationals should add several weeks into their timelines to accommodate the more complicated and time-consuming notarization and authentication procedures for multiple-entry Exit and Entry Permits.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Taiwan. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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