Get business visa if taking wedding pictures overseas, BOCA suggests
Taiwanese nationals who visit foreign countries to take wedding photos should apply for business visas beforehand or they risk being denied entry by customs, a Foreign Ministry official warned recently.
Roger Luo, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA), said at a news briefing last week that more and more Taiwanese citizens have been choosing to have their wedding photographs taken overseas in the past few years.
Many of them visit countries that grant R.O.C. passport holders visa-free entry, especially in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and Indonesia, and take professional photographers to have their wedding photos taken, he noted.
However, there has been a rising number of reported cases where R.O.C. nationals have been denied entry to countries, Luo said.
Staff from one of Taiwan's wedding photo companies were recently denied entry to Malaysia after customs authorities found a large amount of photographic equipment, including reflectors, in their luggage.
The customs authorities said they believed the group intended to engage in commercial activity, which is not permitted under the terms of a visa-exempt visit, he noted.
Similar incidents have also been reported in New Zealand and Singapore.
People should apply for business visas beforehand should they wish to visit a foreign country to take wedding photos, Luo said.
Meanwhile, a Taiwanese barber who planned to visit the United Kingdom on the visa-waiver program was also recently denied entry because of the amount of barber's supplies he was carrying.
UK customs reportedly believed the national could engage in commercial activities while visiting the country.
The Foreign Ministry warned that the visa-waiver program is for tourism purposes only and that immigration officials have the right to ask about visitors' travel plans and deny entry if the travelers are found to be in violation of immigration rules.
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