The e-gate staff told me if you have APEC already, you don't need e-gate. I had already paid for the application so they went ahead and processed my application. You aren't saving much time on arrival but you do get to avoid having to deal with an immigration officer altogether.

I also interviewed on departure and had the same experience. The explanation (although not that clear because none of the NIA staffers spoke good English) is that approving my passport for e-gate 'cleared' the information in the NIA system from my original arrival card, so the system did not recognize that I was legally in the country. I inferred from their statements that they consider this a bug and will look to fix it, but again hard to tell because of poor communication.

For those who are planning on interviewing on departure, I wonder if submitting the online arrival card before the interview would help (the NIA staff told me to input my outbound flight information) so as to avoid the hassle of filling it out during the process (I literally submitted the online arrival card on my phone while standing with NIA staff in front of the e-gates). Of course, there's still the chance that the the information gets 'disassociated' during the e-gate approval process.

Just as a general warning, the interview/approval process is clearly not ready for prime time. I don't know if I interviewed before hsumh316, but the process took nearly one hour from the time I arrived at the NIA counter in T2 (including waiting ~10 mins in line and then another ~15mins just for the NIA staff member conducting the interview to show up), so make sure to budget plenty of time if you're planning on doing the interview on departure.

I had my interview on arrival yesterday (Dec 9). I gave them my passport and Nexus card and they took me to a small interview room where they talked me through 5 or so questions. E.g. Have you denied entry to any country..., etc. it took just a few minutes. Then they printed off the form (I believe with the questions on it) and asked me to sign it. They had me fill in the electronic arrival form in the office and did a facial scan with a camera and we were done.

The problem came after. They took me to the eGate machine where they showed me how to place the passport in the machine. They emphasized that one must only put in one passport page otherwise it wouldn’t scan. It failed to scan. They tried multiple machines. One page only and open with multiple pages. Failed every time. After @ half hour I had the original intervewer and 4-5 others including system programmers helping and never made it work. They were very nice, but couldn’t figure out a solution.

They told old me there were other America passports that didn’t work. So... a mixed bag. Hopefully they’ll figure out a solution soon.

By they way way I asked how many GE folks had applied and they said around 10.

1) So the people on arrival knew what to do it seems. This was Terminal 1 or 2? I'm planning to arrive on an early flight.

2) I'm wondering if it has to do with the initial use of the electronic arrival card, but it should have worked since you completed it after you were enrolled in the eGate.

3) I feel like all 10 are on this FlyerTalk thread. :D

It was Terminal 2 | See image below with map they sent me
 

I thought maybe the machine said "ERROR, all westerns look the same" :D You definitely cannot smile to those machines. They facial recognition does not work when you smile.

So, interesting that they took NEXUS but I guess you have a US passport. It would be interesting to see if non-US NEXUS holders get this benefit.

Taipei Times report on e-Gate system | bioscanners from China
 

The 12/13/2017 Taipei Times reports this morning that the biometric scanners were procured, against Taiwanese regulations from China. Officials claim there is no evidence that personal travelers information was leaked.

For those who have gone through interviews, did you apply online first? If so, how long after applying online did you get a pending approval, which then allows scheduling an interview? I applied online 8 days ago, but my online account still shows "Pending Review." :( Thanks.

When I applied online, I was approved to schedule an interview within 3h.

Yes, I applied online first. I got my email to schedule within an hour of payment.

My experience was the same, if not faster.

Thank you kindly for the replies. I guess I'm "special." :(

I had my interview at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2 at 05:00 this morning. The staff had just arrived, and the person who helped me didn't have any difficulty with the enrollment process. I asked her how many had applied, and she said 38 so far. She also told me about the Speedy Immigration Inspection Certificate, which I hadn't known about previously. Unlike the one for Hong Kong, this one is only valid for one year and does not allow for e-Gate use, so I still think the e-Gate for US Global Entry member option is a better one.

The person helping me did give a best practice of aligning the edge of the US passport with the first red light on the reader. She said there had been some failures if US passport holders placed the passport flush against the edge of the glass reader. Following her advice, I was able to get the reader to read the passport on the first try and use e-Gate to enter Taiwan. (I had filled out an electronic arrival form before departing the US.)

I had mentioned that they had taken photos when BlackHappy was the first to complete the enrollment process, and the person conducting my interview seemed familiar with that.

Thanks all for the tips on the process, and I look forward to using e-Gate now during my travels. ^

I finally got an e-mail with conditional approval inviting me to set an interview date. :) It was exactly 14 days after I applied online.

I set my interview for the end of January when I'll next arrive in TPE.

Since I have APEC, the sole reason I'm doing this is to reduce the number of passport stamps I get so as to prolong the life of my passport. :)

I had a slight hiccup while leaving on a flight to Japan today. The ticketing agent at the JAL counters was thumbing through my passport, looking for a recent entry stamp. Since I used e-Gate to enter, my most recent entry was October 2014. I said I had used e-Gate, and she was looking for the e-Gate stamp (I didn't receive one) like the one in Mrs. Majuki's Taiwan passport, and then she asked if I had an ARC or APRC (I don't). I took out my GE card, which I don't normally carry, and said, "I have e-Gate through a new program." I think she remained unconvinced, but I got my boarding pass and proceeded through e-Gate to exit without issues.

Can anybody answer these questions?

I am Canadian, and have a Canadian passport and I have NEXUS/GE from Canada. Can I use this service?

My wife is Taiwanese, with a Taiwanese passport - I assume that's not a problem. (has Nexus/GE from Canada)

My son(s) hold a Taiwanese and Canadian passport. They have to use their Taiwanese passport when entering/leaving Taiwan because they are otherwise subject to mandatory military service. Everytime we go to Taiwan, they have to apply for an exit permit as they are not residents of Taiwan. Given this situation, can they register for this too? (have NEXUS/GE from Canada)

[We all reside in Canada]

The NIA website doesn't mention anything about US citizens only, but the CBP website indicates that it's only reciprocity between the US in Taiwan, even if other passport holders can participate in NEXUS or GE.

Your wife shouldn't have any issues enrolling with her Taiwan passport as long as she maintains her household registration. I don't know about your sons since they need to obtain to exit permits, but you can always ask the next time you visit. There is an e-Gate enrollment desk before passport control in T2 and also one landside at the 3F departures level. Someone else can chime in on the T1 configuration as well.

Not quite actually. My sons have to apply for an exit permit every time before we go to Taiwan despite having an oversees stamp. They are also required by law to use their Taiwanese passport.

Any idea on where we would go to inquire about using the egates at TPE?

You can do it at the airport, at the counter where they exit stamp for military service exemption for overseas citizens. The only thing is I don’t think exiting taiwan e-gate works because customs has to check for that stamp. There is also a multiple entry/exit document that you can apply for so that you don’t have to get a stamp every time.

My apologies for the mixup of terminology here. Yes, my sons have that document for multiple entry/exit, but it's only valid for a period of 3-6 months if I recall correctly. They have been told they explicitly need to use their Taiwanese passports.Customs does manually look at that document everything so I think you're right in that the egate program would not work for them.

Sorry to derail the thread, thank you both for your help

I just used e-Gate a second time. I had a conversation with the attendant because he was asking for my ARC - I don't have one. I told him, "I am registered with e-Gate for Global Entry," and he seemed to understand. I feel as though I might have to carry my GE card for trips to Taiwan, but perhaps there will be fewer situations of, "You're in the wrong line," as more people enroll.

Anyone finding the e-Gate machines very finicky for US Passports?
So far I'm 0 for 2 for successful scans and the immigration staff are 1 for 2.

The staff do note that the US Passports are aligned differently from the Taiwanese ones, but I've yet to get a successful scan, getting errors like "UV check failed" or something to that extent.

There is a red light that's offset from the edge of the reader on the left side. Align the edge of your passport with that light. Do not place it flush against the edge of the reader. This was a best practice that the person helping me enroll told me. I'm 4/4 following this advice.

I successfully signed up for the eGate yesterday arriving into T1 with CX. Due to the weather disruptions on my flight schedule, I ended up trying to enroll on a day before my scheduled appt. No problems, they found me in the system and had me signed up. Didn't even ask to see my NEXUS card.

US passport worked the first time I inserted into the eGate reader.. Didn't find it hard to read at all.

That definitely did the trick! I'm surprised the interviewer didn't have more specific guidance about aligning the passport other than it needs to be more in the middle (I even did the interview in Chinese!).

I compared my US passport with a Taiwanese Passport and found that the machine-readable section is definitely centered differently.
Maybe the newer US passports have a properly centered machine-readable section?

It's good to know there is some flexibility in the appointment scheduling. I arrived the first thing in the morning, which was during my scheduled appointment window, and there was nobody there. I believe ARC/APRC holders or ROC passport holders can enroll on the spot without an appointment, so I never really understood the need for an appointment for people for this program other than the enrollment takes a little longer.

I'm glad to know that worked! I'm a bit surprised that the readers have an issue with alignment since one would assume they'd be able to find the machine readable part as long as it's somewhere on the reader.

E-Gate Expiration?
 

Hi all,

I am having trouble finding exactly when the e-Gate membership expires. From a previous thread, I believe it expires with your current U.S. Passport expiration date.
Can someone confirm?
Thank you!

Taiwan foreign policy operates on a principle of strict reciprocity, so the e-Gate membership for GE holders lasts as long as GE membership for Taiwan citizens (i.e., 5 years); this is also why both cost basically the same, both require an in-person interview with stupid questions, etc. etc. For whatever reason, the validity period doesn't currently appear to be listed on the NIA website, but I can confirm that my membership expiration date is 5 years from the date of my e-Gate interview.

Correct. I believe even as an ARC holder there is no need for an interview for e-Gate enrollment, right?

Now, who's going to be the first to renew their passport?

No issue with my <1-year-old passport in or out...

My passport is one of those biometric passports issued in 2016 and like i said, worked first attempt at the Taiwan eGate....

My passport is on the order of 7-8 years old and contains a crease in the machine-readable area pointed out to me by the immigration staff when they failed to get it to read.
When I got it to work, the left edge of the passport was aligned with the left edge of the left red light (covering it) and the top edge was against the top of the reader.

My passport is 8 years old and has seen a lot of use, but the machine readable section doesn't have any creases. I did the alignment trick exactly as you described, PaclantFlyer, and have had zero issues. Bear4Asian, perhaps it's time to send in for a passport renewal, and you can be our test case for the passport update. :D

Anyone face any issues with the lack of Taiwan stamps because of egate entry/exit? A few times on departure from Taiwan, the check-in agent was really confused because he couldn’t find the entry stamp. After explaining to him the situation, everything was fine. (No big deal).

yesterday, I flew TSA-SHA and got stuck at the China side for a bit. Customs agents kept asking for my other ID (I use Us passport with Visa) and I said I didn’t have any (which is true). They assumed that since I didn’t have Taiwan stamps, I must have a Taiwan passport or another passport. After a gathering of supervisors, they let me pass. (Ended up all right, but I can see this potentially being an issue in the future).

I've departed from Taiwan twice since using the e-Gate, both times on flights to Japan on JAL. The first time - and I had posted about that earlier - the ticketing agent thumbed through my passport, looking for an entry stamp. The most recent ones I have are from three years ago. She asked for my ARC or APRC, which I don't have. After saying, "I have e-Gate for Global Entry. It is a new program," she seemed satisfied. Checking in for the second flight on JAL didn't get a second glance from the ticketing agent. The only issue the second time was an attendant who thought I was a confused visitor in the wrong line while waiting for to use an e-Gate. I said, "I have e-Gate for Global Entry," and didn't face further issues.

I haven't traveled from Taiwan to Mainland China directly, so I can't comment on the process. Is it common practice for passport control in the mainland to match entry/exit stamps on flights from Taiwan?

So eGate worked for me upon entry, but not upon exit. When it read my passport exiting, it said I needed to fill out an arrival card. Well, considering I entered using eGate, I wouldn't have filled one out.

Passport control officer shrugged it off....."sorry our programming just isn't very good thesedays".

Kind of irritating; the whole point of paying the (not insubstantial) fee is for it to work.