This is a very big issue especially for Taiwanese who live hours away from Taipei. At present, one must go to Taipei to pick up a visa. If you have a morning appointment, that usually means going the night before and staying in a hotel. By the time you’re done paying for transportation, lodging, food, and, oh yea, the outlandish cost of the visa (thousands of NT), you’ve increased the cost of your trip substantially. For many people, the requirement to go to Taipei puts them off from going to the US altogether. Think about it. One has to spend more time getting the visa than one spends actually travelling to the US!
I don’t anticipate that Taiwan will gain visa-waiver status soon, but it will probably happen eventually. It will be interesting to see if those Taiwan passports issued before Taiwan has met all the requirements discussed below will be eligible for visa-waiver status.
AIT director states conditions for visa-waiver – Taiwan News Online
Taiwan travelers can join the ranks of those entering the U.S. visa-free once the government strengthens the passport application procedures to ensure the integrity of the passports, said William Stanton, the new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday.“The most important issue that needs to be resolved before Taiwan can be eligible for the visa-waiver program is that personal attendance is not always required here,” said Stanton.
Unlike in most countries, it is not necessary to make a personal appearance in Taiwan at a government office in order to apply for or pick up a passport.
“We have found instances where women and children who were not Taiwan citizens have been able to obtain genuine Taiwan passports.”
If the Taiwan government can stipulate that personal attendance is always required for passport application, it will be a big step forward toward including Taiwan in the U.S. visa-waver program, he said.
Other requirements include issuing passports with chips that contain the biometrics data of its holders to increase the passport’s security capability and improved information sharing between Taiwan and the U.S government should travel documents be stolen or duplicated.
