In Taiwan, however, you can only apply through travel agencies, and the cost is two to three times higher, starting at NT$1,500. You also have to take a passport-style photo that meets specific requirements, which incurs an additional cost of around NT$300–400. If you use a self-service photo booth, it’s cheaper but there’s a risk the photo might not meet the requirements. I spent a lot of time searching online for information, as I used to go through some of the larger travel agencies, but now they seem even more expensive. Some only accept cash payments, not credit cards, and have various other restrictions. The pickup times are also vague and seem entirely at the agency’s discretion. That's why this time, I didn’t want to go to those well-known large travel agencies!
Eventually, I found Hongding Travel Agency, which mainly handles passport and visa services. One of its benefits is that you don’t have to leave your documents with them, and they offer free photo services. You can choose to pick up the document yourself or have it mailed to you at no additional cost. When applying for a Mainland Travel Permit, you need to provide your Taiwanese passport, your old Mainland Travel Permit, your ID card, and a passport-style photo. But at Hongding, you only need to take a photo, as all the documents are uploaded directly to their cloud system. The total cost is cheaper than at the larger agencies, and you can pay by credit card. They notify you via Line when your documents are ready, and if you choose to have them mailed, it takes about three days, depending on your urgency. If I weren’t in a hurry, I would have opted for the mail service to save a trip.
Overall, I had a very positive experience with them. Both the service and the processing time were very efficient. At other agencies, you might end up paying an extra NT$500 or more.
弘鼎旅行社有限公司
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