MOFA warns Taiwanese travelers not to abuse visa-free statusDIPLOMATIC HEADACHE: Some people travel abroad to engage in illegal activity, but they still request the government’s help when they get in trouble, MOFA saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged people not to abuse Taiwan’s visa-free status by breaking the law abroad, following reports of Taiwanese flying to countries to engage in telecom fraud. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Michael Lin speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNASome Taiwanese traveled to South Korea to engage in telecom fraud, online gambling rings, money muling or other illegal activities, he said. Sixty-two countries have extradition agreements with China and 67 countries have mutual legal assistance treaties with China, he said. In some cases, Taiwanese who completed their criminal sentences abroad were informed by local authorities that China’s representative office had been contacted about extraditing them to China, Lin said.

Source: Taipei Times February 24, 2026 17:13 UTC