為落實「新南向政策」，外交部遵照行政院政策指示，於本（106）年9月15日召開跨部會會議，邀請主責國安、警政、調查、移民管理、觀光及經貿等業務之相關機關會商，會中決議自本年11月1日起試辦菲律賓國民來臺14天免簽證措施，申請人須具備之條件如下：
- 持有菲律賓普通護照（外交、公務護照不適用），護照效期須在6個月以上；
- 持有回程機（船）票或至下一目的地之機（船）票及有效簽證，其機（船）票應訂妥離境日期班（航）次之機（船）位；
- 經中華民國入出國機場或港口查驗單位查無不良紀錄。另，菲國旅客依規定需填妥入國登記表，並備齊旅館訂房紀錄或在臺停留期間住宿地址及連絡人資訊，以利我國機場或港口查驗單位機動查驗。
基於促進菲國人民來臺觀光、洽商及增進兩國民眾交流，我政府決定試辦菲律賓國民來臺免簽證措施，試辦期限至明（107）年7月31日止，屆時視成效決定是否延長辦理。此外，政府將持續促請菲律賓政府基於互惠原則，儘速同意予我國民免簽證待遇。
我國前已針對菲律賓等東南亞國家採行多項簽證放寬措施，包括：
- 105年10月7日起將菲律賓納入適用以電子簽證（eVisa）方式申請來臺；
- 106年6月1日起擴大「東南亞國家人民來臺先行上網查核系統」（有條件式免簽）適用條件，凡持有我國過去10年內核發之簽證（不含「勞工」簽證）或居留證（事由不含「外籍勞工」）且無違常紀錄者，得免費申請多次入境憑證；
- 「觀宏專案」（旅行社團進團出），可採網路方式免費申辦電子簽證（eVisa）。
為配合我國試辦菲律賓國民來臺免簽證，菲律賓國民自本年11月1日起，將不再適用上述三項簽證便捷措施。
依據內政部移民署統計，菲律賓來臺旅客於106年1月至7月間達161,303人次，較105年同期92,967人次增長73.51%。
Trial of visa-free treatment for Philippine nationals
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs began a trial on November 1 offering Philippine nationals visa-free entry to Taiwan for up to 14 days. The new measure, in line with the Executive Yuan’s New Southbound Policy, was decided at an interministerial meeting that MOFA convened on September 15 for representatives from government agencies dealing with national security, police administration, investigation, immigration, tourism, and the economy and trade.
Philippine nationals applying for visa-free entry into Taiwan must: (1) hold a standard passport valid for at least six months (excluding holders of diplomatic and official passports); (2) hold a confirmed return plane or boat ticket, or a confirmed plane or boat ticket, along with a valid visa, for an onward destination; and (3) have a clean criminal record, as verified at immigration on arrival at an airport or seaport in Taiwan. Philippine travelers will also be required to fill out an arrival card, and provide immigration officials at the port of entry with proof of hotel reservations or an address and contact details for where they will be staying in Taiwan.
This trial is being done to attract Philippine visitors to Taiwan for tourism and business purposes, as well as to increase people-to-people exchanges between the countries. It runs until July 31, 2018, and will be reviewed for further extension. Meanwhile, the government will urge the Philippine government to reciprocate with visa-free treatment for Taiwanese nationals.
Taiwan has previously adopted a range of visa-relaxation measures targeting the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations. On October 7 last year, the Philippines was incorporated into Taiwan’s eVisa program. And on June 1, 2017, the Online Application for ROC (Taiwan) Travel Authorization Certificate scheme was expanded to allow free applications for multiple-entry visas by people from Southeast Asia who have been issued with a visa (excluding labor visas) or resident certificate (excluding those issued to foreign laborers) within the past 10 years, and who have a clean criminal record in Taiwan. Online applications for eVisas were also made available to members of group tours organized by designated travel agencies.
These above-mentioned visa-relaxation measures will, however, no longer apply to Philippine travelers once the visa-free trial is launched on November 1.
According to statistics from the National Immigration Agency, Filipinos made a total of 161,303 visits to Taiwan between January and July this year, a year-on-year increase of 73.51 percent over the 92,967 visits made in 2016.