Applying for eVisa, Taiwan Disappears!

Taiwan Gets Harmonized Again

Taken from Facebook friend Shirley Lu’s post

Recently wanted to travel to Bali and was preparing to apply for an eVisa when I encountered a situation that was both frustrating and amusing.

The Missing Taiwan Option

Has anyone applied for a Bali eVisa recently? While filling out the application form on (06/07/2025), I noticed something strange. Under Nationality, I searched several times but couldn’t find the “Taiwan” option.

Just last weekend when I applied for myself, I could still select Taiwan normally. How did it disappear in just a few days?

The Search Process

At first, I thought it might be listed as “Republic of China,” since that’s our official name. So I scrolled to the R section to look, but couldn’t find it.

Suddenly it dawned on me - could I have been categorized under ‘China’? With a sense of unease, I flipped back to the C section to search again.

And then I saw this…

The ‘Harmonized’ Result

The original ‘Taiwan’ had now become ‘Chinese Taipei’.

Seeing this change brought up complex emotions. This wasn’t the first time I’d encountered such a situation, but it still left me feeling helpless every time. In international settings, our name always seems to be subject to various political considerations and pressures.

A Traveler’s Frustration

As someone who simply wants to travel abroad, we just hope to smoothly apply for visas and enjoy our vacations. But even such basic needs become complicated due to political factors.

Although I was ultimately able to complete the application process, this feeling of being ‘erased’ and ‘renamed’ is truly uncomfortable.

A Reminder for Fellow Travelers

If any friends are planning to apply for a Bali eVisa recently, remember to look for ‘Chinese Taipei’ in the nationality field, don’t spend ages searching like I did.

May the day come when we can freely appear in every corner of the world, under our true names.