Visa free travel to Schengen-area for Taiwanese
Travelling to the Schengen-area

Taiwan-passport holders do not need a visa to enter the countries of the Schengen Agreement as a tourist or for business purposes, provided that no employment is taken. Germany is part of the Schengen-area. The maximum length of a stay is 90 days within six months.

Taiwan passport holders have to be in the possession of a valid passport including an identity number.

Nationals from other countries residing in Taiwan might require a visa to enter Germany. To ascertain whether you need a visa, please click on the link below („table of countries“).

The following countries are members of the Schengen-agreement and EU-member states:

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden

The following countries are members of the Schengen-agreement and not EU-member states:

Iceland, Norway and Switzerland

The following countries are EU-member states. They partially apply Schengen-regulations and therefore also allow Taiwan-passport holders to travel visa free:

Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania.

If you are not Taiwanese citizen please visit the following link to check whether you might need to apply for a Schengen visa: table of countries whose nationals require/do not require a visa to enter Germany

Preparing your application

Please prepare your application as follows:

• Please fill out the visa application form. (Application form for Schengen Visa)
• Please compile the documents you need to submit with your application. If documents or supporting documentation are missing, your application may be rejected. We have prepared a checklist for each type of visa.
  Schengen visa checklist
• Please make an appointment to submit your application. You may submit your application three months before the start of your planned trip at the earliest.
  click here

Submitting your application

In order to submit your application, please attend your appointment at the German Institute Taipei in person. During this appointment, we kindly ask you to submit all of your application documents, pay the fee and answer questions about your planned trip. Your photograph and fingerprints will also be taken on this occasion.

What happens during processing?

The German Institute Taipei will review your application and make a decision on whether or not to grant you a visa. To this end, it will assess whether your application meets the legal requirements. Processing generally takes around 7 work days, but may be delayed in individual cases. We hope you will understand that we are not able to answer any questions on the status of your application during this processing period.

Return of your passport

As soon as the German Institute Taipei has decided on your application, we will send your passport and visa via courier to your address.

Exception: Passports to be send back to Penghu, Matzu and Kinmen will be send as registered post via regular postal service. Please provide a sufficiently stamped envelope with your application.

There are various reasons why your visa application may be rejected. The reasons will be stated in the letter notifying you that your application has been rejected.
You are welcome to submit a new application at any time with complete, informative and verifiable documentation.

Have a good trip! Information for visa holders

If all the information on your visa label is correct, you are free to travel. Please check the information on the label as soon as your passport is returned to you. You should let us know immediately if there are any mistakes so that we can issue you a new visa.

Your visa will state your full name and passport number and include your photo. It will also state the period of validity. This is the time period in which you can travel.
Please note that being granted a Schengen visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter the Schengen area. The final decision on whether or not you will be allowed to enter the Schengen area will be made by the border police on your arrival. When you arrive, the border police may ask you to present additional documentation alongside your passport and valid visa with information on your financial means, the length and purpose of your stay, and your health insurance cover. You should therefore take a copy of your visa documents (including an invitation from Germany, hotel reservation and travel health insurance) with you on your trip.

Complaints about the Schengen visa application process

Schengen visa applicants may submit complaints about the conduct of the consulate staff, or the visa application process via the contact form. In the contact form, please select the option “Beschwerde zum Schengen-Visum-Verfahren”. Please note that complaints may only be submitted in German or English. We are unable to follow up on complaints in languages other than German or English. Please enter one of the following three options in the “Subject” field of the contact form

• Complaint about the conduct of consulate staff
• Complaint about the visa application process

We will follow up on your complaint once it has been received.

Important information: No legal remedies against decisions to refuse, annul or revoke a visa – in particular no remonstrations – may be submitted via the complaints contact form.