UK Opens Its Doors to Taiwan

The price of visas and other immigration papers are skyrocketing in the UK. However, there is one place that is not worrying about these sudden increases in fees, and that is Taiwan. All passport holders from Taiwan that choose to visit the UK will not need a visa anymore as of March 3, 2009. This news came from the British Trade and Cultural Office. Of course, these benefits will only affect visitors who will be staying less than six months. This rule applies to people who are traveling for pleasure, business, family, or to study in the UK.

Experts say that this will help build on the cultural and commercial ties that the UK has with Taiwan. Of course, the British Trade and Cultural Office reminds any Taiwanese that visit the UK that they must carry relevant documents with them to the country. This includes, but is not limited to flight tickets and letters from sponsors and/or businesses that they will be visiting. Of course, this is not a rule that just applies to people traveling from Taiwan. This rule applies to anyone that is traveling to the UK, whether a visa is needed or not.

Although this is great news for Taiwan, this news does not help people from South African. As of March 3, 2009, South African nationals will be required to have a visa before entering the UK. The only way to avoid needing a visa is to qualify for temporary exemption. This means that the person must have traveled to the UK recently and be able to provide evidence for that. Normally that is shown with a UK entry stamp.