Interesting. Looks like Taiwan just joined the official list of America's buddies. Starting Thursday, Taiwanese citizens will no longer need a visa to visit the United States, making it much easier for tourists and relatives to make the trip: Taiwanese will no longer need visas to visit U.S.Taiwan joins a list 37 visa waiver countries, which includes Japan and South Korea. This means Taiwanese travelers will no longer have to wait in line at the U.S. Consulate in Taipei or pay a $164 fee and convince an interviewer that they will return home. Generally, it's just going to be a much smaller pain in the ass for Taiwanese folks to visit the U.S.:
The Taiwanese government projects that the number of visitors from the island may increase from 400,000 to as many as 600,000 a year, a boon for local hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and amusement parks.It's on, Taiwan. More here: US allows visa-free travel for Taiwanese.
The visa waiver also represents a rare diplomatic victory for Taiwan, which at China's insistence is not officially recognized by most countries.
Citizens of the 37 visa waiver countries, which include Japan and South Korea, can stay in the U.S. for 90 days after filling out an online travel authorization form and paying a nominal fee.
To qualify for the program, a country must meet a list of security-related requirements, including border control standards and low rejection rates for visa applications. The U.S. government may withhold approval, even if all the criteria are met.