Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/18/2020
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, March 18 (CNA) Holders of a visitor visa or landing visa are required to leave the country before their visa expires other than in cases of force majeure as Taiwan intensifies its efforts to combat the new coronavirus, the government announced Wednesday.

Visas will not be extended at this extraordinary time, Phoebe Yeh (葉非比), chief of the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said at a press conference, clarifying that force majeure refers to large scale natural disasters or when a foreign national has a serious illness.

The coronavirus outbreak in the foreign national's home country is not considered force majeure, she stressed.

However, the Taiwan government will also make exceptions if a foreign national's home country is under lockdown and the individual is unable to return home, or there are no available flights, Yeh said.    [FULL  STORY]