What is the Taiwan Employment Gold Card?

The Taiwan Employment Gold Card is part of the 〈Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professional Talent〉 , implemented in October 2017. It is part of a more comprehensive government initiative to attract highly-skilled foreign talent to Taiwan.

Launched in 2018, the Taiwan Employment Gold Card is a 4-in-1 card, that includes a resident visa, work permit, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), and re-entry permit, which allows you to leave and re-enter Taiwan multiple times over the course of 1-3 years. Applicants can apply online without sponsorship.

Four-in-One

  • Work Permit: Allows cardholders to seek employment freely, obtain employment at any time, work any part-time job legally, and freely change jobs.
  • Resident Visa: Long-term visa which allows cardholders to stay in Taiwan for more than 180 days.
  • Alien Resident Certificate: A physical ID card proving that you can live in Taiwan legally.
  • Re-entry Permit: Allows unlimited entry and exit from Taiwan (even during COVID-19).

Qualification is based on an assessment of your professional skills. You don’t need to have already secured a job in Taiwan. The Gold Card costs anywhere between USD 100 and USD 310 depending on your nationality and the duration of the card.

A perfect application takes 30-days, however, if additional supporting documents are requested, expect a time frame of 50-60 days.

Industries that are eligible to apply for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card:

Please select which single ministry is most relevant, and in most cases also select a specific entry on the list of qualifications in that particular industry for your application.

Benefits

  1. This card is an open work permit issued to employment-seeking individuals that require neither pre-confirmed hiring by nor application through any employer.
  2. Gold Card holders who work in Taiwan for the first time and meet specified conditions are eligible to apply for a 50% tax exemption on annual salary income exceeding NT$3 million in the first 5 years.
  3. Eligible to apply for permanent residency after three years (excluding Hong Kong and Macao residents). Obtaining a Doctorate Degree in the R.O.C counts towards one of the three years that is needed.
  4. Employment Gold Card holders who are employed to engage in professional work in Taiwan, or who are employers or self-employed business owners in Taiwan, and their dependent relatives, can directly join the National Health Insurance system without having to wait six months for inclusion.