MOFA highlights new European travel rules for Taiwanese travelers

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) A Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official on Tuesday alerted Taiwanese passport holders to two new travel systems that will impact those visiting most European countries on short trips.

Lin Chu-en (林主恩), deputy head of MOFA's Department of European Affairs, said that the two systems, one going into effect next month and the other next year, will not impact the ability of Taiwanese passport holders to enter European countries visa-free.

European Union (EU) Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has announced the first system, the Entry/Exit System (EES), will be launched on Nov. 10, Lin said.

As part of this program, non-EU travelers will have to register their biometric information the first time they arrive at an external Schengen border.

The system will register the person's name, travel document type and biometrics, specifically fingerprints, facial image and date and place of entry.

The EU said this EES will replace the current manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not help identify overstayers.

Meanwhile, Lin said the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a visa waiver program for non-EU citizens entering 30 European countries, is expected to come into force six months after the launch of EES.

The EU website says ETIAS travel authorization is required for visa-exempt nationals -- including Taiwanese -- travelling to any of the 30 European countries.

The authorization can be applied for online, is linked to a traveler's passport and is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires.

Lin said there is no confirmed date for the ETIAS launch, but that MOFA will closely monitor and share information when it becomes available.

Taiwanese passport holders have not needed visas to travel to the EU for short stays since Jan. 11, 2011. However, specific-country visas are required if a traveler intends to stay or study for longer than 90 days or work for any period of time.

In addition, the British Office Taipei said in a post Tuesday on its Facebook page that as the United Kingdom is implementing the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system in stages, Taiwanese passport holders, who can currently enter the U.K. visa-free, will be required to get an ETA in order to do so from Jan. 8, 2025.