Prior to the handover of Hong Kong and Macau, the permit was a passport-like booklet, with the flag of the Republic of China imprinted on the cover.

Prior to 1997, the permit had to be applied for at the Chung Hwa Travel Service in Hong Kong or the Taipei Trade and Tourism Office in Macau.

Since 2010, Hong Kong and Macau residents can apply for the simplified Entry Permit without fee charges and can be approved instantly, or they can use the permit-on-arrival service.

[10] It was reported that the Beijing authorities also had an unofficial "soft cap" on the numbers of individual and group tourists, ranging from 40% to 50% of the ROC quota.

In contrast, mainland Chinese nationals who held permanent or non-permanent residence status in a third country or region (including Hong Kong and Macau) were not subject to the quota.

[12] In September 2023, the ROC authority allowed the mainland Chinese citizens residing in Hong Kong, Macao and overseas to apply for a Taiwan Entry Permit with no quota system.

Since September 2023, Mainland Chinese nationals who hold permanent or non-permanent residence status in a third country or region (including Hong Kong and Macau) are eligible to apply for a Taiwan Entry Permit online.

Instead, they are automatically eligible for the no-fee Entry Permit or the permit-on-arrival service by virtue of being born in Hong Kong or Macau.

Before 2017, it was a pink, passport-like travel document, the current permit is an ICAO Doc 9303 TD1 card with an embedded biometric chip.