15 May 2014
When
I saw a PHP 3,650 (~USD 85) all-in roundtrip Manila-Taipei-Manila fare, my friends
and I immediately grabbed the tickets. I knew we would still have to pay for
travel tax upon departure but I completely forgot that I still had to get a
Taiwan visa.
I
hate visa applications. The visas from my previous passports had been obtained effortless,
courtesy of a company travel agent or my mother. But two years ago, I applied
for a Schengen visa... I was jobless at that time (hence no certificate of
employment) and I was going to Eurail across Europe (hence
no hotel reservations). I finally succumbed to the services of a travel agent
and spent twice as much for the visa. A friend of mine ensured me that the
Taiwan visa application was a breeze and as I went through the Taiwanese
consular website, the process did seem easy. I thought that my companions all
had valid US visas and I was the only one who had to go through the visa
application process (I later learned that one of my companions also had to
apply for a Taiwan visa). So, for the first time, I applied for a visa on my
own… without a travel agent… without my mother.
Applicants
were required to accomplish and submit an online application form. I find
answering forms of any kind stressful. I
always have the feeling that I’d get something wrong (e.g. using today’s year
as my birth year) and I have the tendency to complicate simple questions.
Should I use St. or Street in my address?
Should I use “Project Engineer” or “Engineer” in
my occupation?
Do I use
the Filipino-style middle name or the Western-style middle name? (In the
Philippines, the middle name refers to the mother’s maiden surname)
I
found this blog as a good resource for the Taiwan visa application
although it’s still best to check the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office website for the
most up-to-date requirements. The good thing about the Taiwan visa application
is that it doesn’t require you to submit a hotel reservation. So, I simply
wrote down the address of the hostel I was planning on staying.
27 October 2014
I
submitted my application form online on a Friday and the following Monday, I
was at the RCBC Plaza lobby with my printed out visa application form and
requirements. At around 08:15 in the morning, there were already about 30
people queuing at the lobby.
At exactly 08:45 AM, the queue started to move
as we signed in at the RCBC lobby. Then, we were asked to wait outside, at the
smoking area of the ground floor. After
a few minutes, the applicants names were called and numbers were given
(according to when you signed in—or so I think). After I got my number (#31), I
went straight up to 41st floor and waited for my turn. There were
some people who missed their turn and had to go back to the lobby to get a new
number. The queue was moving fast. By 10:00 AM, I was done!
30 October 2014
My
visa was ready for pick-up by Thursday afternoon. I got off work early and
arrived at the Consular Office at 03:30 PM, with the queue on number 64. My
number was 94. The queue was initially moving slowly but after a short while,
it began to pick up some pace. And
voila, at 04:07 PM, I had officially received my Taiwan visa.
No comments:
Post a Comment