APRC

The National Immigration Agency.

Please refer to the National Immigration Agency’s guide to the Application for Permanent Residency.

(English)

(Chinese)

Yes, you must apply for an APRC in Taiwan. During the application process, please note that once the APRC is issued, your current ARC/Gold Card will be automatically canceled. Therefore, it is recommended to stay in Taiwan while applying for the APRC, or ask a family member or friend to assist in collecting the card and then send it to you overseas.

Please see page 6 of the following document: Instructions on Document Submission by Foreigners Applying for Permanent Residency

To apply for an APRC, the applicant must prove that they, in the most recent year (either the past 12 months before application, or the calendar year before application) had an average monthly income more than twice the minimum monthly wage set by the Ministry of Labor. Please refer to the MOL’s website

The NIA requires one of the following documents:

1. Alien Individual Income Tax Return
2. Comprehensive Income Tax Information List
3. Salary income withholding tax voucher issued by employer

OR

1. Proof of having chattels and real estate in Taiwan (i.e. bank account in Taiwan) with an estimated total value in excess of five million NT dollars (NT$5,000,000).

For more detailed information on APRC financial asset issues with regards to your APRC application, please contact your local NIA Service Center

Please see page 8-10 of the following document According to the NIA’s Instructions on Document Submission by Foreigners Applying for Permanent Residency, a foreigner who has legally and continuously resided in the ROC (Taiwan) for five years, and who has not left the country for more than three months at a time, may be exempted from submitting a satisfactory health examination certificate and a police criminal record certificate issued by their country of origin. However, you will still need to provide the original ROC (Taiwan) police criminal record certificate for the most recent five years (valid within three months of issue). Note: If your situation requires a foreign criminal record certificate, the original certificate for the most recent five years issued by the applicant’s country of origin (valid within one year of the date of issue, including the Chinese translation) must be provided. Also, foreign criminal record certificate shall be the national record of the applicant’s country of residence. For example, the police record of a U.S. citizen must be issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Should you have concerns or questions regarding your police criminal record certificate, please contact your local National Immigration Agency Service Center .

A perfect application takes at least 14 working days if your supporting documents are accepted the first time. If you are asked to provide additional supporting documents, expect 30 days.

In order to apply, you must meet ALL of the following requirements:

1. Held a Gold Card for at least three years, have stayed in Taiwan as a Gold Card holder for three consecutive years or more, and have resided in Taiwan for an average of 183 days or more per year.
2. Must be an adult.
3. No criminal record or history of bad behavior.
4. Have considerable assets or skills.
5. In accordance with our country’s national interest.

Please refer to the National Immigration Agency’s guide to the Application for Permanent Residency.

(English)

(Chinese)

The spouse and children of Gold Card holders may apply for permanent residency as long as they meet ONE of the following requirements (choose the requirement that is most beneficial to you):

1. After a Gold Card holder has been a permanent resident for at least 3 years, if their spouse, underage children (or adult children with mental/physical disabilities who are unable to care for themselves) then stay for at least an additional least 3 consecutive years (for an average of 183 days or more per year) they may apply for permanent residence. They will be exempt from the financial proof requirements.
2. The spouse and children of Gold Card holders may apply for permanent residency if they have legally resided in Taiwan for at least 5 consecutive years and for more than 183 days per year, and have also met the requirements of Article 25 of the Immigration Act.

NOTE:

1. For Gold Card holders who have obtained a Doctorate Degree from a Taiwanese institution, the residency requirement is shortened from 3 years to 2 years. However, this does not impact the residency requirements for the Gold Card holder’s spouse or children, who may only apply for permanent residency after living in Taiwan for 3 years.
2. Gold Card holders cannot apply for the APRC with their dependents simultaneously. For permanent residence related regulations, please follow the regulations of the National Immigration Agency (NIA). If you have any APRC questions, please contact the NIA .

Application for Permanent Residence Information:

(English)

(Chinese)

No, you must submit an application.

For the 3-year calculation period of permanent residency, you must reside in Taiwan as a Gold Card holder. If your original ARC has met the requirements of Article 25 of the Immigration Act, it can be combined with your Gold Card status, but the total number of years required to apply for permanent residency is 5 (e.g., 3 years with a foreign professional ARC plus 2 years as a Gold Card holder).

The amendment regarding permanent residency is for foreign employment gold cardholders, not including Hong Kong or Macau residents.

The application of Hong Kong and Macau residents (Hong Kong & Macau gold cardholders included) for residence and settlement in Taiwan is handled in accordance with Articles 16 and 29 of the “Regulations Governing Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents Entering the Taiwan Area and Setting up Residence or Registered Permanent Residence in R.O.C” issued by the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior.

If you have any doubts about the settlement, please contact the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council for more information.

• Phone Number：(02)2700-3199、(02)2397-1088
• Fax：(02)2700-3200
• E-mail：careyou@thec.org.tw
• Address：3F, No.2, Alley 17, Lane 147, Section 3, Xinyi Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
• Website

The start date for calculating permanent residency is the Date of Issue indicated on your original Gold Card. As long as your Gold Card is valid for 3 years, you have resided in Taiwan for an average of more than 183 days per year, and you meet the other application requirements, you can apply for permanent residency.

*Please note that you will receive a new card with a new Date of Issue if you update your information or lose your Gold Card. Should this happen, please refer back to your original Date of Issue, or confirm with the National Immigration Agency.

Yes. Foreign Special Professional status + Gold Card holder status residing in Taiwan for at least 3 years can apply for permanent residency.

For Gold Card holders, a Doctoral Degree Certificate issued by a Taiwanese institution can count towards 1 year of your residency. In other words, a Gold Card holder with a Doctorate Degree (Ph.D.) in Taiwan can apply for permanent residency earliest after residing in Taiwan for 2 years.

These original benefits will not be affected:

1. Open work permit (not bound to a certain employer or company).
2. Visitor Visas for relatives.
3. Spouse and children can apply for residency.
4. Eligible for National Health Insurance.

New benefits:

1. No need to apply for a work permit.
2. Permanent residency application for dependents reduced to 3 years without need of financial proof.
3. Adult children who meet certain residency requirements may apply for individual work permits.
4. The New Labor Pension Act can be applied. If you are a teacher or researcher, you can choose to receive a one-time pension or monthly pension.

According to Article 19 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals and Article 33 of the Immigration Act , the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior will revoke or repeal your Permanent Resident Permit and cancel your Alien Permanent Resident Certificate in the following cases:

1. Has left the State (R.O.C.) for more than five years without re-entering.
2. Has submitted false or untruthful information for his/her application.
3. Has used illegally acquired, counterfeited, or altered documents.
4. Has been sentenced to punishments of imprisonment for one (1) year or greater by a judicial authority. However, this does not apply to those who commit crimes due to negligence.
5. Has restored the nationality of the State (R.O.C.).
6. Has acquired the nationality of the State (R.O.C.).
7. Has had the nationality of the State (R.O.C.) concurrently.
8. Has been deported from the State (R.O.C.).

Yes, your parents are eligible for the application.

You can apply for a 6+6 month extension of stay at the National Immigration Agency, which will allow you to remain in Taiwan for a maximum of 12 months, but you cannot work. If you want to work in Taiwan, you will need to apply for a work permit.

It is recommended that you submit the application for extension at least 4 months prior to your Gold Card’s expiration date.

If you do not apply for an extension within the validity period of your Gold Card, you will not be able to apply for an extension and will have to re-apply for a Gold Card. This means that the Date of Issue for your reapplied Gold Card will not be able to continue from the expiration date of your previous card. This means that your stay in Taiwan as a Gold Card holder will be interrupted, which may affect your eligibility to apply for permanent residency after 3 years of residing in Taiwan. Instead, you need to stay in Taiwan for 5 consecutive years before you can apply for permanent residency.

If you have submitted an application for the extension of your Gold Card, while you are waiting for approval, you can apply for an Employment Seeking Resident Certificate (maximum 6+6 months) at the National Immigration Agency. When the extension application is approved, the validity period of your Gold Card will continue from the expiry date of your original Gold Card, meaning the validity period of your Gold Card will not be interrupted.

The new laws were officially implemented on October 25, 2021.