- Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs has released an official notice citing WHO recommendations on high-risk polio countries
- Five African countries are among the eight nations whose citizens must now provide polio vaccination proof when applying for a Taiwan visa
- The requirement applies not only to nationals of the listed countries but also to any traveller who stayed there for over four weeks in the past year
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that visa applicants from a group of high-risk polio countries, including five in Africa, must now submit proof of polio vaccination before their applications can be processed.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs published the notice on 2 October 2026, citing guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Source: UGC
The requirement covers nationals departing from the following countries:
1. Afghanistan
2. Pakistan
3. Democratic Republic of Congo
4. Djibouti
5. Cameroon
6. Chad
7. Laos
8. South Sudan
Taiwan: What vaccination requirement covers
Applicants from these countries must show proof of receiving either an oral live attenuated poliovirus vaccine (OPV) or an inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) within the 12 months before their visa application.
Critically, the rule does not apply only to citizens of the listed nations. Any traveller, regardless of nationality, who has spent more than four weeks in any of those countries in the past year must provide the same documentation. This means a British, Nigerian, or Kenyan national who recently lived or worked in, say, Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of Congo for longer than a month would equally need to present vaccination proof when applying for a Taiwan visa.
Africa among most affected regions
Of the eight countries named in the notice, five are on the African continent: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, and South Sudan. The remaining three are Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Laos in Asia.
The WHO has long flagged several of these nations as areas where poliovirus continues to circulate, making vaccination documentation a public health priority for countries receiving travellers from those regions.
Taiwan's move aligns with a broader global trend of destination countries enforcing health-related entry requirements rooted in WHO advisories. Prospective travellers affected by the new rule should confirm their vaccination status and obtain the required documentation well before their planned application date.
See the official notice from Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs.
In a similar report, Legit.ng published that Taiwan extended its visa-free policy for citizens of three countries.
Taiwan lifts visa ban on 1 African country
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Taiwan announced it would lift its three-month visa ban on Moroccan nationals and resume processing their applications from October 12, 2026.
The ban followed Morocco’s sudden move to stop accepting visa confirmation letters from Taiwanese travellers. What changed? Morocco restored the arrangement on September 21, prompting Taiwan to reopen its visa process.
Source: Legit.ng