Rushing to renew passports at the airport  Non-urgent cases will no longer be accepted starting April 2

▲ Passport. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ming-ren)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 18th,starting April 2, the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Office of the Bureau of Consular Affairs will no longer accept applications for replacing expired passports unless the case involves an urgent or distress-related situation.With the Qingming holiday approaching, the ministry also reminded those planning to travel abroad to ensure their passports are valid for at least six months. If your passport has already expired, you can apply for a renewal at the Bureau of Consular Affairs or its central, southern, and Yunlin–Chiayi–Tainan branch offices.

The MOFA stated that the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Office of the Bureau of Consular Affairs serves as the “MOFA Emergency Contact Center,” primarily handling immediate assistance requests from overseas travelers in cases of sudden emergencies. Nationals are expected to check the validity of their passports before traveling abroad, butmany have requested emergency passport issuance from this office for non-urgent reasons such as tourism or general business travel, leading to a significant increase in passport applications handled there and straining the limited personnel and resources available for genuine emergency assistance..

Starting April 2, the Bureau of Consular Affairs will no longer accept applications for replacing expired passports unless the case involves an urgent or distress-related situation. With the Qingming holiday period approaching, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reminded those planning to travel abroad to ensure their passports are valid for at least six months prior to departure. If your passport has already expired, you canapply for a passport renewal at the Bureau of Consular Affairs or at MOFA’s central, southern, eastern, and Yunlin–Chiayi–Tainan branch offices, or expedite the application by paying a rush fee — in which case a new passport can be obtained in as little as one working day,making the process quite convenient.

%Ji Duntun Hui Ke Xing Li Chuang Yu Zhen. (Taiwan, Reporter Pang Yiping, photo provided by strong)