GlobeQuest

Taiwan visas and residency

Who can visit Taiwan without a visa, and the 4 long-stay routes that let you actually live there.

Short stay

Visiting Taiwan, by passport

How the 198 passports we track get in. A visitor entry is never permission to work, study or settle — that is what the routes further down are for.

United StatesVisa-free · 90 daysUnited KingdomVisa-free · 90 daysIndiaVisa requiredCanadaVisa-free · 90 daysAustraliaVisa-free · 90 daysGermanyVisa-free · 90 daysFranceVisa-free · 90 daysNetherlandsVisa-free · 90 daysIrelandVisa-free · 90 daysSpainVisa-free · 90 daysItalyVisa-free · 90 daysPortugalVisa-free · 90 daysPolandVisa-free · 90 daysSwedenVisa-free · 90 daysSwitzerlandVisa-free · 90 daysSouth AfricaVisa required
Long stay

How you actually move to Taiwan

Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Employment Gold Card

Professionals who want to live in Taiwan without an employer. A four-in-one document — work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate and re-entry permit in a single application.

What you need
  • Qualification under one of twelve recognised professional fields, or a catch-all 'special expertise' category endorsed by the relevant ministry
  • For the Economy field, a monthly salary of at least NT$160,000 (around US$5,000) in any of the previous three years
  • Other fields — science and technology, culture and arts, education, sport, finance, law, architecture, national defence and more — each have their own criteria, which can be met on credentials rather than salary
  • No Taiwanese employer, job offer or sponsor required
How long it lasts
Issued for 1, 2 or 3 years at your choice, renewable.
Path to permanent residence
An APRC (permanent residence) after 3 years holding the Gold Card, cut from 5 by the amended Act in force from 1 January 2026. Presence is now measured as an average of 183 days a year across the period rather than a fixed 183 days in every single year. A Taiwanese doctorate knocks two years off and a Taiwanese master's one. Holders whose Taiwan salary and professional-practice income reached NT$6 million in the most recent year can apply after just 1 year. The general non-professional route still needs 5 years.
Cost
Around US$100–310 depending on the validity chosen and your nationality.
Processing time
Commonly 30–60 days, since it passes through both the ministry endorsing your field and the immigration authority.
Worth knowing
  • The 'special expertise' catch-all is how most people who don't hit the salary bar actually qualify — the twelve fields are broader in practice than they read on paper.
  • The tax concession is often described backwards. It works on *Taiwan-sourced* salary: for five years, half of any salary income above NT$3 million is excluded from taxable income, provided the Gold Card or a foreign special professional work permit was your first Taiwan work authorisation. Foreign-source income is separately excluded from the basic (AMT) income calculation over the same five years. It is not a general exemption on foreign income.
  • Separately from the Gold Card, Taiwan opened a digital nomad visitor visa in January 2025. It runs 6 months as 3 months extendable by 3, is open only to nationals of visa-exempt countries, and asks US$20,000 of annual income for applicants aged 20–29 or US$40,000 for those 30 and over, plus a US$10,000 bank balance. It brings no ARC, no work permit and no National Health Insurance, and builds nothing toward an APRC. A two-year version has been floated by the NDC but has not been enacted — do not plan around it.
  • The APRC clock now runs on an average of 183 days a year rather than 183 days in every year, which is the single most useful change in the 2026 amendment for anyone who travels.
Sources:Employment Gold Card — official portalNational Immigration Agency
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Employer-sponsored work permit + ARC

People with a Taiwanese job offer who don't qualify for, or don't need, a Gold Card.

What you need
  • Job offer from a Taiwanese employer who applies to the Ministry of Labor on your behalf
  • A bachelor's degree plus 2 years of relevant experience, or a master's, or 5 years of experience — depending on the category
  • The employer must meet minimum capital or turnover thresholds and salary floors for foreign hires
How long it lasts
Up to 3 years, renewable, tied to the employer.
Path to permanent residence
Counts toward the 5-year APRC clock, which for ordinary work permits still requires 183 days of presence in each of those years.
Cost
Employer-side application fees plus your resident visa and ARC fees.
Processing time
Several weeks for the work permit, then the visa and ARC steps.
Worth knowing
  • Employer capital and turnover requirements exclude many small Taiwanese companies from sponsoring at all.
  • Because the permit is employer-tied, a Gold Card is strictly better if you can qualify — same country, far more freedom.
Sources:National Immigration AgencyBOCA — Bureau of Consular Affairs
InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Entrepreneur visa

Founders building an innovative business in Taiwan.

What you need
  • Qualification on one of several tracks: funding from an approved investor, acceptance into a government-recognised incubator or accelerator, a patent or exclusive licence, or winning a designated startup competition
  • Or investment of at least NT$2 million in your own Taiwanese company with a credible plan
How long it lasts
1 year initially, extendable in 2-year blocks against progress.
Path to permanent residence
Counts toward the 5-year APRC clock.
Cost
Visa and ARC fees plus the capital or programme costs of whichever track you use.
Processing time
Several weeks to a few months depending on the qualifying track.
Worth knowing
  • The non-capital tracks — accelerator acceptance, patents, competition wins — are the interesting ones and are often overlooked in favour of the investment threshold.
  • Extensions are judged on real progress: revenue, hiring or funding raised.
Sources:National Immigration Agency
StudentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Student resident visa

Degree and Mandarin-language students at accredited Taiwanese institutions.

What you need
  • Admission to an accredited university or approved language centre
  • Proof of funds and health insurance
  • Health check for resident visa applicants
How long it lasts
Course length, renewed annually via the ARC.
Path to permanent residence
Study time counts at half rate toward the APRC clock, and graduates of Taiwanese degrees can use a dedicated points-based evaluation to get a work permit without the usual experience requirement.
Cost
Visa and ARC fees on top of tuition, which is low by international standards.
Processing time
A few weeks after admission.
Worth knowing
  • The graduate points system is the practical bridge from study to work and removes the 2-years-experience barrier that otherwise blocks new graduates.
  • Language-centre students get a resident visa only for longer programmes; short courses are visitor-class and build nothing.
Sources:BOCA — Bureau of Consular AffairsNational Immigration Agency
On the ground

Where you'd land in Taiwan

Taipei

World-class healthcare, night-market food and the self-sponsored Gold Card — the friendliest, most livable base in East Asia for founders and remote workers.

Full Taipei guide

Taiwan at a glance

Capital
Taipei
Population
23.4M
Languages
Mandarin Chinese
Currency
TWD