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?