Job Discussion Forums

[gemair]

I really did try searching for any previous posts on this, but most information I found gave suggestions on visa runs themselves, not going through customs after having made a run. I'm wondering how difficult it is?

I am in Taiwan, working for the summer, on a 60-day visitor visa. I know I can extend it through language classes but I don't have too much time after teaching or time total in the country so I would rather do a run. I will leave in the beginning of August, a couple of days before my visa will expire, and then return to stay only for another three of weeks. But will the customs official notice I have already been in Taiwan recently for two months, left right before my visa was supposed to expire and ask me why I'm returning again?

Any personal accounts or tips would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

(Also, are there any networks where people doing visa runs post in, to see if anyone is in the same boat and want to travel together?)

[Aristotle]

For customs info look here.
Taiwan Customs Info!
Your question has more to do with immigration and visas.
So long as you have not overstayed your sixty day visa, leaving and returning should not be a problem.
If you are staying for less than 30 days don't even get a visa in Hong Kong, just take the 30 day landing permit when you come back. If they ask you any questions, plead you are an ignorant tourist and don't tell them you are a teacher (non Chinese teachers are despised by the occupational government on Taiwan for spreading cultural pollution).
You are working on Taiwan without the sanction of the occupational government that means if they catch you they will deport you.
Chances of that are very slim as you have never had an ARC as a teacher thus the FAP don't know where you work.
You are working in a summer camp which means your employer has more than likely paid the required bribes to the occupational government officials on Taiwan.
Your biggest problem may be getting paid at the end of your term but that is the same for everyone on Taiwan.
Good luck!
A.

[Sheep-Goats]

Aristotle: Why are you calling the Taiwanese government "occupational?" You work for Beijing, or something?

OP: Do you mean how hard will it be to sneak copied DVDs back in, or just will they let you back in or what? For a single leave/re-entry you probably won't have any trouble, but if you keep doing that eventually (year or two, perhaps) they'll start asking pressing questions and possibly force you onto an airplane back to wherever you came from.

If they ask don't tell them you're teaching, just say you needed a bit more time than you thought.

Also, a lot of those language classes are attendance optional, so long as you're paying your fees...

[Aristotle]

[gemair]

SG:

Thanks! Yes, I was wondering how much trouble they would give to people returning to Taiwan after a visa run (i.e. would they be suspicious or detain you for questioning, etc.) I don't plan on staying a year, just for the summer and just need to do one run and was just afraid of how strict customs was.

[Girl Scout]

If yu know when you are leaving you can go ahead and book a flight out of TW. This makes customs officals very happy. I just made a visa run. The out bound flight was the deciding factor. They actually gave me a 60-day visa.

Note: If you go to HK. They give you a peice of paper with a bar code on it. You take this to a consular desk at immigration and they print the visa there. The visa processing was under 12 hours.