Im travelling to TPE next week and I'll ask. They are also in the middle of replacing the TPE e-gates with the so called the "3rd/4th gen" hardware, so criteria and conditions could be very fluid in the middle of all this.

looking at the website nothing has changed. You still need to pay a very high fee and get interviewed. I’ll just use APEC and pass on the NT3000.

I believe I am in the same boat as well. Unfortunate timing!

Did you renew e-Gate for Global Entry recently? I had wondered if anyone else had, or if I was the only person who had.

If you read earlier posts in this thread, I had issues using the e-Gates during my first post pandemic entry to Taiwan after I had renewed. I haven't had another entry since December 2022. I did transit TPE in January, but the airside connection and not having to reclear security won out over seeing if NIA fixed my e-Gate enrollment in January 2023. :)

I renewed just earlier this year, in February 2024, if memory serves me right. I can't confirm if there were potential issues because I renewed in the arrivals hall with the NIA desk. Hopefully they can provide a bit more clarity on what their plans and intentions are going forward. If it holds, like the press release says, then the 3000NTD was a bad investment...

for anyone who did renew, y'all investment is not necessarily wasted, but likely has dimished in value.

Below is an excerpt of what the new upgrade entails (emphasis mine) and this is last updated on 03/2024. Basically this means, in the near future, the benefit of paying the 3000NTD is expedited arrival immigration clearance, where e-gates are only available to registered foreign national. On departure, everyone holding an eligible passport can use e-gate for departure immigration clearance. Me thinks this is not a good investment of ~US$95, unless you travel into Taiwan super frequently and dont have checked bags.

Source:
https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/...141401/233630/

Ⅱ. Highlights and Achievements
1. Features of the third- and fourth-generation e-Gate
(1) The system is compatible with previous generations of e-Gate. Thus, users do not need to re-enroll.
(2) Foreign persons are eligible to use the third- and fourth-generation e-Gate in departure.
(3) A dynamic facial recognition function is applied to accelerate immigration clearance processes.
(4) Those who have heights falling in the range of 120-200 cm are eligible to enroll for the e-Gate.
(5) Instructions in 40 languages are provided to better serve multicultural users.

Was this the NIA desk prior to passport control or the one landside? If it was the one prior to passport control, does that mean you tried to use the e-Gates after that and they failed?

The above conflicts with the report from minhaoxue, which indicates that US passport holders can now use the e-Gates on arrival without having e-Gate for Global Entry, an ARC/APRC, or any prior registration. As of January 2023, US passport holders could use the e-Gates on departure without prior registration, so what you described is not a change from my last departure from Taiwan. However, using e-Gates upon departure used to require registration, and this was the case as recently as November 2019. (This is my most recent data point since my manager and I were departing Taiwan at the same time. My manager followed me to the e-Gates but was unable to use them with a US passport and was ushered toward the regular desks.)

This was the NIA desk prior to passport control. There were no problems passing through the e-Gates after my visit and renewal at the desk. I tried to express my concern, thinking that the system would not update as quickly so that I needed to get back into the long line for immigration, but the NIA agent said there should be no problems using the e-Gate.

That's great. I didn't know that it was possible to renew in person.

Yeah, this is a conflict from what minhaoxue is saying, but that is what it says on the immigration website. In the chinese language version (which i would assume to be the most accurate, as understandably non-english countries may not update their english info regularly), there is even a matrix that shows who can or cannot use e-gates and what are the conditions attached, and it says foreign nationals cannot use it on arrival without registration.

For those that can read chinese. I probably can translate it later.
https://www.immigration.gov.tw/media...D%E8%A1%A8.jpg

This is probably correct, no registration and fee, no egate. I don’t know of other countries that allow a foreign national visitor (non resident) that permits egate use without any form of registration as they are essentially just letting anyone waltz into the country without any inspection or check for warrants, prior issues, etc.

I’m landing at Songshan later today which I don’t believe has the new gates otherwise I’d try and take one for the team to see what happens.

If someone can confirm TSA has the new gates please post and I’ll give it a try. Worst case I’ll get rejected and just go to the APEC line

I have experienced many situations in Taiwan where the website is outdated, even the Chinese version. Unfortunately, we don't have more than one data point so far of a US passport visitor, meaning no residency, who's not an e-Gate for Global Entry member using the e-Gates for arrival.

Keep us updated. I don't think that the new style e-Gates are necessarily a condition for opening up their use to more people, but rather it seems coincidental that at TPE they appear to have opened up the use to more travelers after installing them.

Also, I don't want to do the perennial FlyerTalk thing and immediately cite a counterexample after someone makes an absolute claim, but countries that come to mind with automated passport control gates available for arriving visitors that do not require registration as long as you have an eligible passport are the UK, Australia, and Singapore.

Singapore is the most recent. Before 2020, you had to have a certain number of entries and register, similar to Hong Kong. Australia used to require US passport holders to be Global Entry members, but it was opened to all perhaps a decade ago. The UK used to require a certain number of visits and enrollment in the registered traveler program, but, again, opened up to all since May 2019.

The automated border control is performing the same (and perhaps a more thorough) check on travelers as the manual lanes. It is comparing against the photo in the biometric passport, and when you scan your passport it will check for eligibility to enter. If there are any issues, such as a flag against you as a traveler or not getting a good match between the passport photo and you, you'll be referred to an immigration booth.

I'd like to add that I wasn't aware of the option either. I told the desk that I had filled out my application form online with the proper payment & renewal steps, but waited a long time with no response. I want to preface this by saying it might be a YMMV situation, but I am just providing an additional data point for everyone.

Good to know - I was not aware these countries had E gates without registration, especially SG. Last time I was there I had an argument with the robot immigration inspector when she saw my second passport in the pouch and argued with me that having two citizenships was impossible :rolleyes:. The less I need to interact with SIN airport staff, I've found over the years, the better.

I will update the thread in a few hours after arriving in TSA.

It's not as dicey as Mrs. Majuki entering the PRC on her US passport with a visa and trying to take a cross strait flight to Taiwan with ticketing agents asking about her onward travel plans from Taiwan. :D

Surprisingly, the Chinese consulate had no issue granting a tourist visa even though she showed both passports.