Job Discussion Forums

canadiangirlsrock · Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 14

hi all,
heres the situation...in Taiwan now and have not done a visa run before. Looking togo to H.K. to do my first one. can anyone tell me what experiences you have had and any helpful advice for my following questions would be appreiciated:
1. location of the office
2. what documents do i need
3. how much am i looking at for a 60 days vistors visa
4. do i need a bank statement and for how much
5. have an arc but its being cancelled so do i need to bring that along
6. when is the best time togo
7. how long to process it...1 day or longer

thanks in advance for the replies!

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

I think a quick search will supply quite a lot of info on this one. I haven't been there for a while.

2. I always find it easier to have the contact number and ID of a Taiwanese friend. I just tell them that I'm going to visit my girlfriend. Not sure if it actually helps but I haven't been rejected yet.
3. I forget how much but make sure that you bring Hong Kong dollars. They won't accept NT (well duh but I have seen people who try).
4. Although different people have ideas on this one, and the office is often hesitant to give you a direct answer themselves (I did ask once), I have heard that $100,000 NT is needed. I have also heard of them calling up the banks in Taiwan to verify this. You can have the money in a couple of different banks.
6.Go during the day. On a weekday. Or Saturday morning. Be careful around public holidays.
7. If you go in the morning (before 11) and pay more money then you can pick up your visa in the afternoon on the same day. You cannot do this on Saturday as it is only open in the morning.

Please anyone feel free to modify or add to these.

Xenophobe · Joined: 11 Nov 2003 Posts: 163

Go for a couple of days if you can afford it. We stay at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile in Kowloon, which is across the street from the MRT. Expect headaches and ten differnent stories from 3 people when you arrive at the visa office, but as long as you have the financial papers and your ongoing ticket, you'll get on well, eventually. Why don't you get a resident visa and avoid the hassle?