Taiwan, US ink International Expedited Traveler Initiative

2016/04/08

Taiwan and the U.S. concluded an International Expedited Traveler Initiative joint statement April 4 in Washington, paving the way for both sides to streamline immigration procedures for citizens traveling between the two countries.

The statement outlines how Taiwan and the U.S. will cooperate on expanding their respective E-gate and Global Entry Programs. This will give low-risk travelers pre-approved entry upon arriving at selected ports of entry.

The E-gate program is administered by the National Immigration Agency under the ROC Ministry of the Interior, while GEP is overseen by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

Signed by Shen Lyu-shun, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S., and Joseph R. Donovan Jr., managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the statement will be implemented at a date under discussion by TECRO and AIT.

According to the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is expected that after applying online for GEP admission and paying a fee of US$100, applicants must then undertake a rigorous background check and in-person interview. If successful, they are granted five-year GEP membership.

Taiwan is the seventh country in the world and the second in Asia after South Korea to be considered for GEP inclusion. It is the only one not holding official ties with the U.S. More than 4.1 million people worldwide have participated in the program that saves an average 40 minutes per passenger during the immigration process, according to TECRO.

AIT said Taiwan and the U.S. have shared a strong foundation of people-to-people ties for more than three decades. Since Taiwan was included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program in 2012, travel from Taiwan to the U.S. increased by more than 50 percent.

The statement marks another step forward for the government in its efforts to create more favorable travel conditions between Taiwan and its international partners. A total of 164 countries and territories offer ROC nationals visa-waiver, landing-visa or other visa privileges.

A recent example of this progress is the inclusion of Taiwan in the British government’s Registered Traveler Service program, which cleared ROC e-passport holders to use the U.K. / EU entry lane and electronic passport gate at 10 major airports in Britain, as well as Eurostar terminals in Brussels, Lille and Paris.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=243654&ctNode=2194&mp=9)