The Bureau of Entry and Exit in the Ministry of Interior Affairs has decided in principle to verify entry and exit permits by the method of computer barcodes instead of the visual verification system currently in effect in order to facilitate the entry and exit of compatriots from mainland China coming to Taiwan to attend funerals or visit ailing relatives as well as the entry and exit of the general public and to better guard against the surreptitious exit of economic criminals and other illegal elements from the country.
The bureau also decided, in coordination with planned revisions to passport regulations, to eliminate single-trip entry and exit permits in favor of trip-by-trip or multiple entry and exit permits instead. In view of the extension of the effectiveness of passports to six years, the permits may be valid from four to six years in duration.
A magnetic card number will be affixed to the travel permits issued to mainland compatriots coming to Taiwan and verified during their entry and exit at the airport by a computer barcode reader in place of being verified and stamped by hand. The barcode system will also be applied to entry and exit permits issued to R.O.C. citizens so that they too may enjoy the benefits of convenience and simplification.
The bureau will also reduce the size of entry and exit permits to that of an R.O.C. passport or identification card in order to facilitate carrying.