TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The pandemic has put off foreign travel for most citizens for the past three years, and many are rushing to renew their passports ahead of the upcoming 10-day Lunar New Year holiday.
Last-minute travel arrangements led to long lines snaking out the door and around the block, becoming so bad that Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Bureau of Consular Affairs is encouraging people to dedicate extra time to renewing their travel documents.
One citizen, Lin Shi-bi (林氏璧) posted on a Facebook page he runs dedicated to "Japan Self-help Travel" that he went in the morning to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei to help members of his family pick up their new passports.
When he finished parking his car and walked over to the office, he found 27 people in line in front of him. And when the building eventually opened at 8:30 a.m., there were probably more than 50 people behind him.
Fortunately, he was able to get his family’s new passports quickly, leaving around 8:40 a.m. Lin wanted to remind those hoping to utilize in-person passport services without a prior appointment should visit the south building, while those with online appointments should go to the north building.
Needless to say, those without prior appointments need to first queue for a number with lines stretching outside the building. Taoyuan International Airport is reporting that more than 20,000 people are leaving the country every day.
Lin warned those needing passport services to book extra time for this important detail. He even suggested paying a small additional fee and using the post office to assist with delivery and pick-up services for passport renewals to save time.
Other netizens similarly complained about the state of passport services today, noting the waiting time for new passports has similarly been stretched from 10 days in advance to 20 days as a wave of foreign travel is starting to gain momentum in Taiwan.
This could be a forewarning of what awaits many travelers as they head to the airport. Prior to peak travel periods, it was advised to arrive at least 2 hours before departure, but new recommendations have lengthened this time to 3 hours, with some even suggesting 4 hours just to be safe.
MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs will be closed from Jan. 20-29. Those who need to apply for a passport can visit the official website to access real-time information about the number of people currently being processed and the number of people waiting in line.
If there is an emergency case, please contact MOFA’s emergency contact hotline at 0800-085-095 or 03-398-2629 for assistance.
