Taiwan To Restrict International Student Entry From Dec. 15 to Feb 11

As the holidays approach, the Taiwanese government issues a temporary ban on international student entry from Dec. 15, 2021 to Feb. 11, 2022. The move is meant to help prevent the surge in coronavirus cases in the country.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) issued the directive to international students who will be entering the country in time for the spring semester. Those students who wish to enter the country must do so on or before Dec. 14, 2021.

The move is in line with the government’s decision to manage quarantine spaces within the country. Only students with an Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) will be allowed to enter the country during the said period, as well as those who will be staying for more than a year, and those who have been granted a Huayu scholarship. 

An ARC is usually granted to international students who have been accepted to a program of study at a Taiwanese University for more than one year.

Students without an ARC who wish to enter Taiwan during the said restriction period will need to submit an application to the MOE, coursed through their school. This application should contain the reason/s for entering during the said period, their quarantine plans, and a reason why substitute learning is deemed insufficient. 

The application will then be sent to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), which will grant the pass. It must be noted, however, that the CECC will not actively arrange any quarantine for the students who will be granted entry. Moreover, entry will depend on the number of quarantine spaces available in the country.

The restrictions were also implemented in consideration of the large number of overseas Taiwanese who are expected to return for the upcoming Lunar New Year and would need to be accommodated at government quarantine facilities.

The restrictions follow the measures imposed by the Taiwanese government, particularly the CECC, to help curb the surge in COVID-19 cases that occurred early this year. The country was temporarily closed to overseas travelers in May of this year. Only residents and those with ARCs were allowed to enter. 

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