Members from the Agricultural and Mining Sector Go Abroad to Inspect

The Screening Committee on Foreign Travels of Agriculture, Mining, and Commercial Personnel at the Ministry of Economic Affairs has proposed two reform measures concerning exit inspection procedures for the domestic agricultural and mining sectors; that is, to do away with present regulations of preparing "entire household" registers, and simplify the application for lost exit permits in order to make applications easier for those from the domestic agricultural and mining sectors who wish to exit the country.

According to present commercial exit regulations, applicants must prepare a photocopy of their entire household register; however, this has created a great deal of inconvenience for applicants, such as a husband or wife who, for one reason or another, do not constitute one household, and where the spouse is registered in a remote area. Then, according to regulations, the applicant must obtain household registers from both areas before he or she is allowed to handle commercial exit procedures. This requirement has created much trouble for applicants having to leave the country in an emergency. Because of this, the Screening Committee on Foreign Travels of Agriculture, Mining, Industrial, and Commercial Personnel has decided that an applicant can provide one household register and still be allowed to proceed with commercial exit procedures.

Secondly, in emergency situations people often discover that they have lost their exit permits. According to present regulations, an applicant who loses the attached order must reapply from the start at the Bureau of Entry and Exit, a requirement which has often resulted in the person being unable to leave the country to handle emergency situations and in suffering large losses. In view of this the Screening Committee made changes in the application procedure. Now, after a fee of NT$200 has been paid, an exit permit valid for one year can be picked up directly from the Screening Committee on Foreign Travels of Agriculture, Mining, Industrial, and Commercial Personnel at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. These two reform measures are also applicable for domestic manufacturers and business firms who wish to conduct trade with East European countries.

Commercial Visas to Be Simplified for R.O.C. Citizens Visiting Sweden

In the Fourth Chinese-Swedish Joint Business Meeting held on the afternoon of March 8, G. Ericsson, the head of Swedish Industrial Delegation to Taipei and Vicechairman of the General Export Association of Sweden, announced that starting from the twentieth, the authorized Swedish Industries Trade Representative Office will begin receiving commercial visa applications from R.O.C. citizens. Such affairs may be handled at the Swedish Industries Office Representative Office located in the Chia Hsin Building on Chung Shan North Rd., Taipei. Commercial visas only require the filling out of an application form, a passport, two photos, other helpful identifying documents, and NT$ 1,500. Permission may be granted in five days. Duration of stay is determined according to need.