Taiwan Visa from Dubai: eVisa, TAC, Fees and Who Needs What by Passport

The short answer: Taiwan's rules split sharply by passport, and UAE residence makes no difference to any of them. British, American, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Japanese, South Korean and most EU passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Emiratis cannot: there is no visa-free entry for UAE nationals, so you apply online for an eVisa, for a total fee of NT$1,632, usually ready in about three working days. Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Myanmar and Lao nationals who already hold a valid visa or residence permit from the US, Canada, UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, a Schengen country or South Korea can use the free online Travel Authorization Certificate (TAC) instead, for a stay of up to 14 days. Filipino nationals have their own visa-free trial, also 14 days, running to 31 July 2027. Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Egyptian nationals need an ordinary visitor visa from Taiwan's representative office in Dubai, and as of October 2026 Sri Lankan tourist visa applications are suspended almost everywhere, including Dubai.

Taiwan rarely comes up when UAE residents plan a trip to East Asia, so the paperwork catches people out. It is also one of the more rewarding destinations within eight hours of Dubai: Taipei's night markets, temples and teahouses, the marble gorge at Taroko, the sunrise over Alishan's tea plantations and the hot springs around Beitou. Here is what each passport needs, as the government sources state it in October 2026.

Taiwan visa for UAE residents at a glance

Passport	Entry to Taiwan (October 2026)
United Kingdom, Western Europe, Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea	Visa-free, up to 90 days
United Arab Emirates (Emirati)	eVisa required: NT$1,632, about 3 working days, 30-day single entry
India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos	Free Travel Authorization Certificate (TAC) if you hold a qualifying third-country visa; otherwise an ordinary visa
Philippines	Visa-free trial, 14 days, extended to 31 July 2027
Pakistan, Bangladesh	Ordinary "designated country" visa from Dubai; a guarantor in Taiwan may be asked for
Egypt	Ordinary visitor visa from Dubai
Sri Lanka	Tourist visa applications suspended; eVisa also closed since 12 August 2026; apply via Singapore or Chennai instead
Where UAE-based applicants go for an ordinary visa	The Commercial Office of Taipei, Bur Dubai

British, American and other visa-exempt passports

Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) lists a long visa-exempt group allowed to stay up to 90 days: the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most of the European Union, among others. A shorter group, including Malaysia and Singapore, gets 30 days. None of this depends on living in the UAE: it is decided entirely by the passport you hold. Carry a passport valid well beyond your stay, your return or onward ticket, and be ready to show you can support yourself; visa-free entry does not let you work or study.

Emiratis: the eVisa

The United Arab Emirates is not on Taiwan's visa-exempt list. BOCA's eVisa eligibility page lists the UAE as eligible for the eVisa, alongside the other Gulf states, with no extra condition beyond the general eVisa criteria.

How to apply

1. Apply only at the official portal, visawebapp.boca.gov.tw, run by Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs. The programme is open to holders of ordinary, official or diplomatic passports valid at least six months from the date you apply.
2. Fill in the online form with your passport and travel details.
3. Pay online by Visa or MasterCard. BOCA states the fee as NT$1,632, covering the visa fee and the card processing fee together, with no expedited service at any extra charge.
4. Wait about three working days. If approved, you receive an email with a link to download and print the eVisa.
5. Carry the printed eVisa and show it to immigration on arrival.

The eVisa is valid for three months from the date it is issued, and lets you stay up to 30 days, as a single entry. BOCA says this cannot be extended or converted into another visa type: if you want longer in Taiwan, apply for a different visa before you travel. BOCA also says it has never authorised any agency to file eVisa applications on your behalf, and that using one does not guarantee approval, so apply directly on the official site.

Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Myanmar and Lao nationals: the Travel Authorization Certificate

Taiwan's Travel Authorization Certificate (TAC), run by the National Immigration Agency (NIA), is a free online alternative to a visa for a short list of nationalities. As of October 2026 that list is India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Laos: Cambodia was removed from 1 August 2026. The Philippines and Thailand are not on the TAC; they have their own separate visa-free trial instead (see below).

Who qualifies

Beyond your nationality, the NIA's conditions are:

• Passport valid at least six months from your arrival date in Taiwan, an ordinary passport only (not a temporary, emergency or other travel document)
• An onward or return air or ferry ticket
• No history of blue-collar work in Taiwan, and no immigration or law violations there
• A valid visa, resident card or permanent-resident card, or one that expired less than 10 years ago, issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, a Schengen country, the United Kingdom or the United States. A work permit does not count as a qualifying visa.

In practice this means an Indian national living in Dubai who also holds, say, a UK or Schengen visa, or a US or Canadian visa or residence card (current or expired within the last 10 years), can use the TAC. Indonesian nationals with a valid Japan Visa Waiver Registration qualify as well.

How to apply

1. Apply online at the NIA's official portal, niaspeedy.immigration.gov.tw. The certificate is free of charge.
2. Print the approved certificate and carry it with the supporting documents; entry can be refused without them.
3. Submit Taiwan's online arrival card before you travel, and again before each re-entry (see below).

An approved TAC is valid for 90 days, with multiple entries allowed in that window. The NIA's current page states each stay at 14 days from the day after arrival; some older Bureau of Consular Affairs pages still show 30 days, so confirm the figure on the NIA portal before you travel. If you need another certificate, apply at least seven days before the current one expires. Like the eVisa, the TAC cannot be converted into a different visa type, and it does not cover study or work.

If you don't hold a qualifying visa

Without a valid or recently expired visa or residence document from one of the eight listed countries, the free TAC is not available. Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Myanmar and Lao nationals in that position apply for an ordinary visitor visa instead, through the Commercial Office of Taipei in Dubai, the same office used by Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Egyptian applicants below.

Filipino nationals: the visa-free trial

Separately from the TAC, Taiwan runs a trial visa-free entry programme for the Philippines (along with Thailand and Brunei), allowing stays of up to 14 days. BOCA's July 2026 notice extended it for another year, from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027. It excludes holders of diplomatic, official or service passports. Taiwan has renewed this trial every year since it began in 2017, so check it is still running close to your travel date; a Filipino national in Dubai uses the same trial as one travelling from Manila, since it is granted by passport, not residence.

Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Egyptian nationals: an ordinary visa from Dubai

Pakistan and Bangladesh are on BOCA's list of "designated countries," which means an extra step on top of the usual visitor-visa paperwork: the mission "might request a Guarantee from the applicant's sponsor in Taiwan (ROC) if necessary." Egypt is not on that list, so Egyptian applicants follow the ordinary visitor-visa route without that extra requirement.

All three apply through Taiwan's representative office for the UAE, the Commercial Office of Taipei, in Bur Dubai. It does the work of a consulate, since the two governments have no formal diplomatic relations. Its current address, contact details and visa hours are on its page on Taiwan's foreign ministry site, roc-taiwan.org: check them before you go, since we could not open that page for this guide.

Contact the office directly for the current document checklist, fee and processing time for your nationality and purpose of travel: Taiwan's online pages do not publish a Dubai-specific fee schedule, and reported figures from travel agencies vary. Taiwan's general visa rules say applications are filed on the official form from BOCA's portal, printed and submitted in person or through an agent; online and postal applications are not accepted.

Sri Lankan nationals: tourist visa applications are suspended

Sri Lanka is also on BOCA's designated-countries list, and as of October 2026 the position is unusually restrictive. BOCA's designated-countries page states, without giving a start date, that "effective immediately, applications for tourist visas are suspended," and that Sri Lankan applicants must instead apply at the Taipei Representative Office in Singapore or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Chennai, rather than through the Dubai office. Separately, BOCA's eVisa portal states that nationals of Sri Lanka have been temporarily ineligible for the eVisa since 12 August 2026. The listed route through Singapore or Chennai asks for a guarantor in Taiwan who holds a Taiwan national ID card, with the guarantee letter authenticated, plus a certificate of no criminal record, proof of financial resources, proof of accommodation in Taiwan and a return ticket. If you hold Sri Lankan nationality, check the current position directly with the Commercial Office of Taipei in Dubai or the Singapore or Chennai offices before you plan a trip, since this is a live restriction rather than a standing rule.

The online arrival card

Since October 2025, Taiwan's National Immigration Agency (NIA) has required every eligible arriving traveller to file a Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) online, replacing the old paper card. It applies to visa-exempt entrants, eVisa holders and TAC holders alike; only holders of an Alien Resident Certificate, a resident visa or a diplomatic ID card are excused.

• Where: the official portal, twac.immigration.gov.tw
• When: the NIA's original notice gave a three-day window before arrival; later reporting describes the window as extended to seven days. Check the current window on the portal.
• Cost: free. The NIA has warned that any site charging a fee for it is not official.
• What it asks: your passport details, flight number and arrival date, and the address where you are staying in Taiwan. You can upload a photo of your passport's data page to fill in some fields automatically, and one person can file for up to 16 travellers.
• If you miss it: a QR code at check-in and at the airport lets you complete it on the spot.
• Re-entry: if you are on a TAC, you file a fresh arrival card before each re-entry within its 90-day validity.

Flights from the UAE

• Dubai to Taipei: Emirates flies non-stop, in around eight hours.
• Abu Dhabi to Taipei: Etihad flies non-stop as well.

Both routes were disrupted for periods in 2026 around the regional conflict involving Iran, and schedules on both airlines changed more than once afterwards. Check the current timetable and flight number directly with Emirates or Etihad before you book, and make sure your onward ticket for the TAC or eVisa application matches the flights you actually hold.

Frequently asked questions

Do UAE residents need a visa for Taiwan?

It depends entirely on your passport, not on living in the UAE. British, American and most Western and East Asian passport holders enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Emiratis need the eVisa. Several South and Southeast Asian nationalities can use the free Travel Authorization Certificate if they hold a qualifying third-country visa, and Filipinos have their own visa-free trial.

Do Emiratis need a visa for Taiwan?

Yes. The UAE is not on Taiwan's visa-exempt list, so Emirati passport holders apply for the online eVisa at visawebapp.boca.gov.tw, for a total fee of NT$1,632 and about three working days' processing, allowing a single 30-day stay.

Do Indians in Dubai need a visa for Taiwan?

Not if they hold a valid, or recently expired, visa or residence card from the US, Canada, UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, a Schengen country or South Korea: they can use the free online Travel Authorization Certificate for a 14-day stay. Without one of those, they apply for an ordinary visa through the Commercial Office of Taipei in Dubai.

What is Taiwan's Travel Authorization Certificate?

A free online alternative to a visa, run by Taiwan's National Immigration Agency, for nationals of India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Laos who already hold a qualifying visa or residence document from a short list of countries. It allows a 14-day stay and is valid for 90 days with multiple entries.

Do Filipinos need a visa for Taiwan?

No, under a trial visa-free entry programme that Taiwan has renewed every year since 2017. The current extension runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, for stays of up to 14 days, excluding diplomatic, official and service passports.

Do I need to fill in a Taiwan arrival card?

Yes, almost everyone does. Since October 2025, the Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) has been an online-only requirement for visa-exempt, eVisa and Travel Authorization Certificate entrants, filed free at twac.immigration.gov.tw a few days before you fly, or by QR code on arrival if you forget.

Planning a trip to Taiwan

A week covers Taipei's night markets, museums and hot springs, with two or three days added for Taroko Gorge or the tea country around Alishan and Sun Moon Lake. Start your paperwork as soon as your flights are booked, since the TAC, eVisa and ordinary visa routes all ask for a confirmed itinerary. See visa services for help preparing your application, browse holiday packages, or talk to us about flights and hotels. Holidayys can help you prepare documents and book your travel, but cannot speed up or guarantee a Taiwanese visa decision.

Related guides

• Japan visa from Dubai
• South Korea visa from Dubai
• Hong Kong visa for UAE residents
• Thailand visa for UAE residents

Last checked 9 October 2026 against Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs (visa-exempt entry, eVisa and designated-countries pages), the National Immigration Agency's Travel Authorization Certificate and Taiwan Arrival Card portals, the Commercial Office of Taipei's listing for Dubai, and airline schedule reporting. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with the Commercial Office of Taipei in Dubai, or the relevant official portal, before you apply or travel.