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Procedures for Overseas Chinese Returning to ROC on Short Visits

The procedures for overseas Chinese returning to the ROC for short visits for the purposes of sightseeing, visiting relatives, business, and so forth are as follows:

Overseas Chinese Holding an ROC Passport:

Overseas Chinese applying for a stay in Taiwan of less than three months should apply for an passport entry permit or passport entry certificate at an ROC embassy or consulate or at the appropriate overseas organization designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When applying for the entry permit, application may also be made for a Re-Exit Permit for Returning Overseas Chinese. The entry permit is valid for three months after date of issuance and is subject to the following regulations:

1. The overseas Chinese applicant must have lived in a non-communist area for a minimum of five years, have obtained the right to permanent residence in that area and have stayed in the area where he is applying for the entry permit for a period of six months or more.

2. If during a trip or for some other reason the passport entry permit expires (viz. the holder did not visit Taiwan within three months of the date of issue), overseas Chinese bearing an ROC passport with such an entry permit stamp may apply to any ROC embassy, consulate or organization overseas designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a new entry permit and to cancel the original entry permit.

3. If the passport entry permit has already been used, and the holder has not returned to his country of residence, he may reapply to ROC embassies and consulates or organizations abroad where he is travelling for a new passport entry permit.

4. If an overseas Chinese holding an ROC passport leaves his country of residence without first applying for the passport entry permit there, he may apply to ROC embassies and consulates and designated organizations in a country in which he is not a resident for the passport entry permit.

5. The passport entry permit may be used only once and will be voided upon arrival after it has been inspected. A new permit must be applied for prior to the next visit.

6. Overseas Chinese with a domicile registration in Taiwan need not apply for a passport entry permit.

Overseas Chinese Not Holding an ROC Passport:

1. Application should be made in the country of residence to an overseas Chinese organization approved by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. The handling agency will then submit the entry and exit permit application form together with documents to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission for transfer to the Bureau of Entry and Exit and issuance of the permit.

2. Applicants holding a passport or identification card issued by the authorities in Hong Kong or Macao may apply for entry and exit permits according to the above regulations. (Applications may be made through Chunghwa Travel Service in Hongkong or the Hua Kuang Travel Service in Kowloon or via friends or relatives in Taiwan through the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission's Documents/Visa Service Department in Taipei.)

Certified Hong Kong Professionals Must Pass Qualification Exams to Practice in R.O.C.

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission indicates that lawyers, doctors, accountants, and architects from Hong Kong and Kowloon may not practice their professions in Taiwan until they have passed a qualification examination given by the ROC Ministry of Examination and applied for and obtained a 1icense from the appropriate agency.

The commission says that overseas Chinese with professional and high-tech expertise can all find suitable employment in the nation's economy, which is gradually changing from a labor-intensive to a technology-intensive mode. Persons without special abilities can receive vocational training from the Employment and Vocational Training Administration or seek assistance from county and municipal employment guidance centers.

United World Chinese Commercial Bank Offers Special Services to Overseas Chinese Planning to Invest in ROC

In keeping with the government's policy of encouraging overseas Chinese to invest in the ROC, the United World Chinese Commercial Bank is offering such investors three special services:

(1) Information Services: a. supplying information on the investment environment; b. supplying information on laws and regulations related to investment; c. supplying information on investment and industrial zones; d. arranging visits; e. facilitating contacts with the relevant government agencies; and f. other related information services.

(2) Investment Services: a. handling investment application and credential procedures; b. acting as investor's agent; c. supplying a contact point for the investor at the bank before making, the investment; d. contacting accountants, lawyers, and real estate agents to handle tasks related to the investment; e. contacting a consulting firmtion; and f. other services related to performing the investment.

the investment.

(3) Financial Services: a. Providing information on loans from financial institutions; b. assisting overseas Chinese businessmen to deal with and obtain loans from financial institutions; and c. other services related to finance.