Applying for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card is not a difficult task. Filling out and submitting the online form takes around 15-minutes, if you have all the necessary documents prepared. Therefore, before filling out the application form, read the qualification section carefully and prepare all your required documents. Once you are ready, follow with this step-by-step guide that will lead you through the process.
Required Documents
- Color copy of your passport with at least 6-month validity remaining.
- 2-inch color passport/identification photo, taken within six months. Please check the specification on the application form.
- Supporting documents corresponding to the requirements of the regulation under which you are applying.
- Your previous Taiwanese visa and residence permit (if applicable)
STEP 1: Online Application
- Please visit the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform website and create an account. Use the login details to login into the portal. Your English name needs to be consistent with the name on the passport you are using to enter Taiwan.
- Please carefully read the information on the Bulletin Board of the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform.
- If you are using a free e-mail service and have not yet received the verification email, please also check other folders (i.e. Junk or Spam). If you are still unable to find the verification email, we suggest using a different email address for the application. Please refrain from using Mainland Chinese or encrypted email services when registering your account for the application, because you will not be able to receive messages from the National Immigration Agency.
- Due to information security laws and regulations, your password must be changed every three months after your initial application. Please be sure to remember your account username and password. If your account username and password is entered incorrectly five times, you will not be able to change it. You will then need to notify the National Immigration Agency at a378liu@immigration.gov.tw
Basic Data / Passport Data
- Gold Card applicants from these designated identities are not eligible for Gold Card.
- Gold Card applicants from these designated countries will be asked by the overseas missions of the R.O.C. to provide a sponsor in Taiwan.
- If you need to choose your visa year before 2013, please click 2013 and scroll up. If you have forgotten the date that your ROC Visa was issued, please contact the Bureau of Consular Affairs .
- After entering the application page, please fill out your information. All fields with an asterisk are mandatory. Please make sure that your English name is the same as the name on the passport used to enter Taiwan.
- You can save the filled out information at any time, come back to it later, and change before submitting.
- If you have one of the following visas, your visa cannot be converted and your application will be rejected: for APEC Business Travel Card holder (ABTC), Blue-Collar Workers (FL), Foreign Officials and their Family (FO), Studying Mandarin Chinese Visa (FR), International Conference Visa (IM), Trade Exhibition or other Events Visa (IM), Medical Visa (M), and Working Holiday Visa (WH excluding British nationality / British nationals that hold a YM visa). If you wish to apply for a Gold Card, you must leave Taiwan and apply overseas or re-enter Taiwan on a different visa. Please remember to double check your passport to confirm your visa. Should you have any questions or concerns about your visa, please confirm with the Bureau of Consular Affairs .
- Please note that there is no “Save” option for applicants who apply for a Gold Card extension, so please click “Next Step” continuously, then click “Send” to submit.
Resident
- Choose the validity period for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card. There are different validation periods: One, Two, or Three years. Please choose according to your needs. The price of the application varies depending on the validity period of the card.
- If you don’t have any specific plans, we recommend choosing a longer validity period.
- Please choose the preferred location for collecting your Gold Card. If you are in Taiwan, please select your nearest National Immigration Agency Service Center. If you are abroad, select the nearest ROC agency.
- Beginning from July 28, 2021, the Gold Card Pick Up Location will be Restricted to Taiwan and there will no longer be an option for picking up the card at an overseas mission. Overseas and domestic applicants can download the Resident Authorization Certificate on the Application Portal to enter Taiwan. The Gold Card must be collected within 30 days of entering Taiwan at one of the National Immigration Agency’s Service Centers.
- If you currently don’t have a work address, you can temporarily leave it out during the application and review stage. You may leave your Taiwan relative/friend’s resident address if you have no residence address. However, you must provide a residential address within 30 days of moving in Taiwan. Note 1
- Please fill in the UI No. (ARC no.) if you have had an ARC in Taiwan. If you forgot your UI No., please contact NIA’s service center .
Profession
- Please select the industry that you want to apply under and attach all relevant supporting documents. Click save after double-checking and uploading the files.
- After you submit your application, changing the industry will be difficult and it will take longer to process review your application.
- After you have successfully registered, login and select “Employment Gold Card Application” in the “Online Application” menu. Then select your nationality and if you are applying from Taiwan or abroad.
- You may apply for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card if you hold a foreign passport, or a ROC passport without household registration (NWHOR). ROC nationals with a household registration or National ID card are not eligible to apply. If you hold a Taiwan NWHOR passport, when applying domestically, you must have entered with your foreign passport and not Taiwan NWHOR passport or your application will be rejected.
- If you enter Taiwan under visiting visa with remark of “no extension will be granted”, you will need to submit application abroad or re-enter Taiwan with other visa.
- If you are applying from abroad or are in Taiwan on a visitor-visa, visa-free, or a non-extendable visa, your passport needs to be inspected. An extra page will appear during the application process, where you can choose the location for your passport inspection. If you are in Taiwan, please go to the Bureau of Consular Affairs (Central, Southern, Eastern, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan branches).
- The application can take over 60 business days assuming you have all the proper documentation submitted. If you hold a 60-days visa or are visa-free, or you cannot obtain the Taiwan Employment Gold Card within the time limit, you will still need to leave the country and re-enter.
Please upload a color copy of your passport, and a color photo (White background) of you according to the specifications on this page.
Use the automatic photo cropping tool if you are unsure.
Attach all relevant supporting documents. Documents need to correspond with the requirements based on the qualification you choose to apply. Note 2
If the provided documents are not in English or Chinese, please attach a translation to English or Chinese. If your documents are issued by the following countries/regions, additional verification is needed:
- Applicants from Hong Kong and Macau may need to supply copies of resident and identity information. Note 3
- Documents issued in the Mainland area have to be attested and examined by the institutions instituted or appointed by the Executive Yuan, or non-governmental organizations entrusted by the Executive Yuan (Strait Exchange Foundation) following the rule in Article 7 of “Act Governing Relations between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.” Please click HERE for more information.
- An overseas ROC representative office must verify documents from the following countries/regions: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bengal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
- After the online application is complete, the system will send an e-mail with a 12-digit application number. Please be sure to remember this reference number as it is needed if you contact the help desk.
- Please login to the platform again with your account and password and enter the “Online Payment” tab.
- There are currently 6 online payment methods, including international credit cards (JCB, VISA, or MasterCard), domestic credit cards, E-government payment platform, virtual account payment, 4 major convenience store payments, and Web ATM (card reader payment). The government will pay for the remittance fee if the payment is made by credit card, but the applicant will be responsible for the remittance fee if the payment is made by E-government payment platform, virtual account payment, 4 convenience store payment, or Web ATM. Please note that it will take 2-3 working days to receive a payment success notification after paying through a virtual account or through the 4 major convenience stores. If you wish to use a Debit Card, you must choose the Web ATM payment option.
Application Fees:
- After completing the application, you will get a confirmation via e-mail from the platform. Your application has now entered the review process.
- To check your application, log in to the portal, click “Application Progress Inquiry”, and fill in your 12-digit application number. The application fee is nonrefundable regardless of the results of your application.
STEP 2: Passport Inspection
For overseas applications, your passport will have to be inspected by the Bureau of Consular Affairs or an ROC overseas mission/office.
Hong Kong/Macau applicants are not required to have their passport inspected by the Bureau of Consular Affairs or an ROC overseas mission/office.
- When your application is approved and has passed the qualification review, you will receive an e-mail notification to bring your passport for passport inspection. At this point, please bring your original passport and the Passport Submission Notice to your chosen Bureau of Consular Affairs or ROC mission/office.
- Some ROC missions/offices might be temporarily closed or working remotely. Please contact their office and see if passport inspection can be accepted via post.
- The procedure for submitting passport for inspection at the overseas missions is similar to the visa application process. Your original passport will be returned to you after the inspection process, which typically takes around 7 working days. Upon completion of the passport inspection, your application will undergo review by the National Immigration Agency for approximately 1-2 weeks. Following this review, you will receive an email confirming the approval of your Gold Card application. Note 4
STEP 3: Receiving your Gold Card
After your application has been approved, you will receive an e-mail notifying you to collect your Gold Card. Please bring your original passport and receipt to your selected location for picking up your Gold Card. You must physically be in Taiwan if you want someone to pick up your Gold Card for you. If you cannot pick up your Gold Card personally, you can have a friend or family member pick it up for you. That person will have to bring the following to pick up your card:
- Their ID/ARC
- Your Application Receipt
- Your Resident Authorization Certificate (You must present your Resident Authorization Certificate when entering Taiwan. If you apply domestically and ask someone else to pick up your Gold Card, it is not required.)
- Photocopy of your Passport
- An Affidavit written by you stating that you have authorized this person to pick up your Gold Card for you.
Domestic Applicants
- Please go to the “Download” area on the online application platform and print out the “Payment Electronic Receipt” and take the receipt and your original passport to the previously chosen National Immigration Agency Service Center to pick-up your card.
Overseas Applicants
Receiving your Gold Card after entry
- Please go to the “Download” section of the application platform to print out the “Republic of China Employment Gold Card Overseas Approval Certificate.” You can enter Taiwan with this certificate. Within 30 days, beginning from the day after you enter Taiwan, you must go to the “Download” area on the online application platform and print out the “Payment Electronic Receipt” and bring it along with your passport or Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) to the previously designated National Immigration Agency Service Center to pick up your Gold Card.
- There is no time limit for you to download the resident authorization certificate, you can enter Taiwan anytime with the certificate before your Gold Card expires.
Resident authorization certificate must be printed in color to be accepted.
Submitting Additional Documents & Rejection
The review process officially begins after the online payment is completed. As the Taiwan Employment Gold Card is a combination of four different certificates, authorities from different departments will review your application. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) conducts the first step of the review process then passes it to the Ministry of Labor (MOL) where they will consult with your relevant Ministry and check your qualifications. For overseas applicants, the MOL will pass your application to your designated overseas mission review and the final review will be processed by the NIA. For domestic applicants, your application will be sent to NIA for the last identity review. If you submit incomplete or inaccurate information, or the authorities require more information on your qualifications, you will need to submit additional documents for review. If the relevant authority believes that you are not qualified for the Gold Card, they have the authority to reject your application instead of returning it.
If you submit incomplete or inaccurate information, or the authorities require more information about your qualifications, you will need to submit additional documents for review. Failing to do so can result in your application being rejected.
Please take the time to check which visa you have entered the country with, and choose the right visa category as this cannot be changed later, e.g., Visa-free, Student visa, visitor visa, etc.
Incomplete information:
No supporting documents for your application qualifications
Incorrect documents (e.g. No official tax statements)
Documents are not in English or Chinese.
Documents are from certain countries/regions but not verified.
- Mainland China, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.
Insufficient documents:
- If your documents cannot prove that you are meeting the requirements, you will be asked to submit more documents. If you are not able to submit sufficient documents, your application will be rejected.
If you need to change information or provide more supporting documents, you have 30-days to do so. However, if your documents are only available abroad, you have a 6-months to provide them. Your application will be rejected if you cannot submit them in time.
Note:
Domestic applications require a residential address when applying. When entering the Taiwanese address in Chinese, only Chinese symbols and Arabic numerals can be used, no English letters allowed. Please refer to the FAQ .
- Incorrect：台北市中正區寶慶路No. 3, 2F
- Correct：台北市中正區寶慶路3號2樓
- If your birthplace is in Mainland China, and you were considered to be a Mainland Chinese citizen, the National Immigration Agency will require you to upload the following documents:
Your passport to prove you have been residing abroad over four years. You should upload every page of your passport to prove the duration of your stay. According to Supplementary to Article 7 of the Enforcement Rules for the Act Governing Relations between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, “Residing Abroad” does not include those who stay in Taiwan. Please refer to page 30 (Chinese version)
Choose any four-year period, and ensure that, for each year, you did not stay longer than 30 days each entry. Please make a list of the dates of entry/exit, include the page number that it may be found in your passport, and finally sign your name.
Please refer to article 7 of Enforcement Rules for the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area
In addition to submitting documents to meet the requirements prescribed in Article 7 Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Enforcement Rules for the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, shall also submit one of the following:
- Original certification of non-establishment of Mainland household registration verified by the Straits Exchange Foundation.
- Original notarial certification of cancellation of Mainland household registration verified by the Straits Exchange Foundation.
- Documentary proof sufficient to prove renunciation of ID as a People of the Mainland Area, verified by an ROC (Taiwan)embassy or overseas mission.
- Other documentary proof sufficient to prove renunciation of ID as a People of the Mainland Area.
Should you have any questions regarding the required documents, please contact NIA’s service center .
If you choose to apply as a Hong Kong citizen, you will be required to give up your other citizenship. You must give up your foreign citizenship according to Article 4 of Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macau Affairs, the “Hong Kong Residents” as used herein refers to persons who qualify for permanent residency in Hong Kong and who do not hold a travel document other than a British (Overseas) passport or a Hong Kong passport. However, if you apply as a foreign citizen, you would only have to sign an affidavit stating that you will only use the designated passport you chose to enter Taiwan.
Hong Kong and Macau applicants must download the “Hong Kong or Macau Resident Confirmation Document” and the “Residence Declaration Form for Hong Kong and Macau Residents”. Signatures must be in Chinese. Please refer to the links to download the necessary documents: 香港或澳門居民身分確認書 、 香港澳門居民申請居留定居申報書
Hong Kong and Macau applicants who were born in Mainland China must upload one of the following documents:
- A certificate of non-household registration in Mainland China verified by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).
- Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macau Residents (Home Return Permit)
- The notarized certificate of cancellation of Mainland China household registration verified by the SEF.
- The uploaded passport copy must be the same as the passport used for the visa application.
- Provide and upload supporting documentation as closely as possible with the proposed specifications to ensure a speedy application. If you are required to send in more supporting documents, the processing time can extend by many weeks to over a month.
- Please do NOT encrypt your documents.
- If you send your passport via post to an overseas mission/office, please make sure you don’t have to use your passport within a month.
- If you apply for the Gold Card domestically, you do not need to get your passport inspected. If you apply abroad, you need to get your passport inspected at your designated overseas mission.
- The passport inspection can be changed on the online platform before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) finishes reviewing your application. Please refer to the FAQ .