Under the new regulations, the Kuan Hung visa is only available to companies on the list designated by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. This means that the number of travel agencies that can apply for this type of visa will be fewer than before. Normally, the time to receive the application takes at least 7 days. However, the current time to receive the application will take longer.
When traveling on a Taiwan tour of designated travel companies, tourists will enjoy the Quan Hong visa policy with the minimum visa application requirements including: Passport valid for at least 6 months before departure date, visa application form. All tourists are required to apply for a visa online with the requirement to enter and exit the country according to the tour itinerary of the travel company.
In addition, the Quan Hong visa delegation must have a delegation leader to lead the delegation through customs, entry and exit on the same day. The submitted documents must include the name of the delegation leader and a round-trip air ticket with the name of the visa applicant.
On the day of departure, groups need to inform the Taiwanese travel agency of information such as e-code number, number of registered guests, number of actual departing guests and name of guests who do not go so that the Taiwanese travel agency can notify the relevant agencies. The content of the documents remains the same as before, but it is necessary to check again with the Taiwanese tourism management agency in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
Specifically, if a designated company has less than three customers who stay in Taiwan past the registration date or abscond, it will be suspended from accepting Guan Hong applications for two months. If the number exceeds six, the company will be removed from the list of designated companies. This penalty also applies to travel companies that arbitrarily accept groups from companies not on the list, borrow names, or combine groups.
In addition, travel agencies on the designated list that have guests staying past the registration date or absconding will have their Quan Hong application documents suspended for two months. If the number exceeds six, the company will be removed from the list of designated companies. This penalty also applies to travel agencies that arbitrarily accept groups from companies not on the list, borrow names, or combine groups.
In late December 2018, after the disappearance of 152 Vietnamese tourists in Taiwan, the representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam confirmed that they had temporarily stopped processing Kuan Hung visas for all domestic travel companies. This decision affected many legitimate businesses.
In fact, currently, there are 3 types of visas to Taiwan: normal sticker visa, advanced e-visa and Guan Hong e-visa. Guan Hong e-visa is a new type of visa, created to promote tourism in Taiwan. However, this visa is only issued to tourist groups sponsored by Vietnamese and Taiwanese tourism companies. In other words, this type of visa is issued to travel agencies.
Photo: Phuong Nguyen (Zing)
In addition to the announcement of the re-application of the Kuan Hung policy, Taiwan said they are preparing to open a Taiwan Tourism Promotion Office in Vietnam. This agency is expected to be located in Ho Chi Minh City and will not only be in charge of the Vietnamese market but also the markets of Laos and Cambodia.
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Previously, on September 1, 2016, Taiwan implemented a visa relaxation policy for Vietnamese tourists. Accordingly, Vietnamese citizens with valid visas to the US, Canada, Japan, Schengen, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea or those that have expired within 10 years of the date of entry will be considered for a 30-day visa exemption to Taiwan.
