Here is a summary of frequently asked questions regarding the Taiwan Employment Gold Card program, the application process, and other general questions regarding life in Taiwan and more.
Your spouse and children can enter Taiwan with a Visa-Exempt Entry or the Visitor Visa or Resident Visa for the reason of family reunion, issued by the ROC (Taiwan) overseas mission. ( Resident Visa for Spouse and Resident Visa for Children ) When they enter Taiwan, they can acquire the right to reside after having been inspected by the National Immigration Agency. For more information on the ARC application process, please refer HERE
The required documents For ARC are:
Your spouse and children can apply for a residency extension before the expiration of their current residency period if the original reason for their residency still exists.
There are two options:
Option 1: With the original gold card, the extension of the spouse’s and children’s Alien Residence Certification (ARC) can be applied at the National Immigration Agency (NIA) or online via the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform (Dependents) . After the gold card extension is completed, the ARC for the spouse and children can be extended for 1 - 3 years with the corresponding fees paid according to the validity period.
Option 2: If you are working in Taiwan, your company can apply for a work permit from the WDA (Workforce Development Agency) for you. After obtaining it, you can apply to the NIA for a general ARC. Then, use this ARC to apply for an extension for your spouse’s and children’s ARC under the dependent reason. After the Gold Card extension is completed, your general ARC will automatically be canceled, and the status of your spouse’s and children’s ARC remaining unchanged.
The required documents for extending an ARC are:
For instructions on applying for an extension of an ARC, please refer to this link
Reference: Article 13 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals
If you are a visitor visa holder permitted to stay in Taiwan for 60 days or more and your visa does not have the remark “no extension will be granted,” you can apply for an extension at local service centers of the National Immigration Agency (NIA) up to 15 days before the authorized period of stay expires.
Here are the required documents for the visitor visa extension:
Application Form.
Passport (original and one photocopy). Visa (currently in use, either issued abroad or within Taiwan; original and one photocopy).
Supporting Documents for Specific Purposes of Stay:
For detailed application instructions for Visitor Visa Extension, please refer to the official website
For related regulations, please see Article 18 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals
If your same-sex spouse intends to apply for dependent residency, they can enter Taiwan initially either with a Visa-Exempt Entry or a Visitor Visa. Once in Taiwan, they should proceed to the National Immigration Agency to complete the procedures for dependent residency. According to Article 46 of the Act Governing the Choice of Law in Civil Matters Involving Foreign Elements, if one party is from a country that recognizes same-sex marriage while the other party is from a country that does not recognize it, then the same-sex spouse cannot apply for a dependent residency ARC. For a comprehensive list of countries that recognize same-sex marriage, please refer to the document titled ‘Countries Recognizing Same-sex Marriage’.
The required documents for ARC are:
Fees:
Please note:
During the application period, the applicant must remain in Taiwan. The processing time takes approximately 10 working days.
For more information on the ARC application process, please refer HERE
For related regulations, please visit HERE
If your parents are from Mainland China, they may apply for an entry permit to visit relatives in Taiwan at a National Immigration Agency Service Center for two months at a time. They may apply three times a year, and the permit must be collected in Taiwan, so you may send it to Mainland China for them to collect.
For detailed information, please refer to National Immigration Agency Website
High-level professionals in the technological, economic, educational, cultural, art, sports, or other domains who have been recommended by the central competent authority, whose specialties are deemed to serve the interests of the ROC, and who have been approved through a joint review organized by the Ministry of the Interior and conducted by relevant agencies and impartial individuals may be exempted from submitting a certificate of loss of original nationality when apply for naturalization. Standards for Defining High-Level Professionals for Naturalization
The required documents for applying for naturalization are:
Process Steps for Naturalization for High-Level Professionals:
Applicant- Attach professional certificates, such as award-winning data, professional talents, academic research, or important achievements to apply to the central competent authority of enterprises for issuing the letter of recommendation.
Central competent authority of enterprises- Issue the letter of recommendation to the applicant after the review is passed.
Residence household registration office-
-The applicant shall attach the letter of recommendation along with the documents required for naturalization, resident and permanent resident of national without registered household to household registration office for application.
-After preliminary review, the household registration office will send the application case to MOI for further review.
Ministry of the Interior-
-Invite social justice figures, experts / academics and organization representatives to make up a review committee to review naturalization of high-level professionals and determine high-level professionals.
-Re-review a variety of naturalization conditions.
Applicant- For the high-level professional passing the review committee’s review and meeting the conditions required for naturalization, MOI will issue the naturalization permit certificate to them, in which the high-level professional is not required to lose their original nationality.
Household registration office- Apply for household registration, a national identification card (national ID card) and a household certificate.
Notice for applying for naturalization:
High-Level Professionals’ application
For Foreign nationals’ application, please see “Ⅱ- 3. Nationality” from the FAQ page
Related regulations: please see Standards for Defining High-Level Professionals for Naturalization
The Mainland Chinese spouse and children of Gold Card holders can apply for a Family Reunion Certificate to enter Taiwan. They cannot apply for a Resident Visa nor can they convert to an ARC.
Please refer to this link for the Family Reunion Certificate application for Mainland Chinese individuals or contact the National Immigration Agency at +886(2)-23889393 ext. 2692
Your Spouse
Is she/he eligible to apply?
According to the provisions of the Nationality Act, your spouse, if currently residing within the territory of the Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the ROC) is eligible to apply for naturalization if the following requirements are met:
If your spouse has legally resided within the territory of the ROC for a continuous period of 10 years or more, or, if after you become a citizen of the ROC, your spouse has a cumulative residence of 183 days or more each year for a continuous period of 3 years or more within the territory and meets the conditions mentioned in items 2 to 5 above, he/she may also file an application.
Application Procedures
Required Documents (Please refer to “List of Documents as Required for Application for Nationality Alteration-Voluntary Naturalization” and “List of Documents as Required for Application for Nationality Alteration- the Spouse of an ROC National”)
Related Laws and Regulations
Nationality Act and Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act
Your Unmarried Minor Children
Your unmarried minor children may apply for accompanying naturalization in accordance with Article 7 of the Nationality Act.
Application Procedures
Required Documents (Please refer to “List of Documents as Required for Application for Nationality Alteration-the Applicant’s Unmarried Minor Children”)
Related Laws and Regulations Nationality Act and Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act FAQ on Household Registration
Note:
If the required documents have been issued overseas, they should be authenticated by the ROC overseas missions and re-examined by the MOFA. If issued domestically by a foreign embassy, consulate, or authorized institution in the ROC, they should be verified by the MOFA. For documents in a foreign language, a certified Chinese translation must be attached, verified by the ROC overseas missions and re-examined by the MOFA, or authenticated by a domestic notary public.
The above conditions and documents apply to regular cases; however, in the event of special circumstances, processing should still be carried out in accordance with laws, regulations and relevant provisions of the MOI.
There are 2 options in extending residency:
I. Foreign students holding a valid dependent Alien Resident Certificate and pursuing studies in five-year colleges, elementary schools, junior and senior high schools, and Ministry of Education accredited Education School for International Residents (SIR), should apply for a change to Resident Visa for studying purposes through the Bureau of Consular Affairs or the Representative Office. The application requires the submission of all relevant documents. Please refer to this link .
II. A foreign national under the age of eighteen (18) and any of his/her lineal ascendant is a national of the State with household registration in the Taiwan Area or permitted to reside in the area, or an alien permitted to reside or permanently reside in the area, or a resident of Hong Kong or Macau permitted to reside in the area, and meets one of the following conditions, may apply for a residency extension:
Having stayed in Taiwan for an accumulated 10 years in total and residing for over 270 days each year.
Having entered Taiwan under the age of 14 and stayed over 270 days each year.
Born in Taiwan, having resided in Taiwan for a minimum accumulated period of at least 10 years in total and having stayed over 183 days each year.
Foreign nationals should submit the following documents along with one photograph to the National Immigration Agency within three months prior to the expiration date of his/her residency:
Application form
Passport and Alien Resident Certificate
Documents to prove kinship
Other supporting documents
Foreign nationals should pay attention to the following points when applying for a monthly mobile plan in Taiwan:
To apply for a visa for visiting relatives, a foreign special professional’s lineal ascendant shall fill in the visa application form online at the official website of Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Along with the filled-in, printed and signed application form, an applicant shall submit their passport (valid for at least 6 months), 2 passport-size photos in color taken within 6 months with white color background, the foreign special professional’s proof of residence in Taiwan (including Republic of China Employment Gold Card Resident Authorization Certificate) and the proof documents for their relative relationship. (Please visit HERE )
If you or your spouse hold an Alien Resident Certificate(ARC) or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate(APRC), and neither of you are citizens of the ROC(Taiwan), you can apply for an ARC for your child within 30 days of the birth by bring the following documents to the National Immigration Agency (NIA):
Once obtained the passport of your child, please go to the NIA to register the passport number for the ARC. The newborn can apply for health insurance once obtains an ARC. For more information, please refer to the guideline “NHI Enrollment for Infants with Foreign Nationalities Born in Taiwan” . Or dial the National Health Insurance Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare’s toll-free consultation hotline: 0800-030-598.
Required Documents:
Precautions:
Required Documents:
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):
NOTE:
Application for Permanent Residence Information:
When registering for an account on a car rental platform, you will usually be asked to provide:
For information regarding reciprocal countries, please click here
Under most cases, your spouse must first find employment and have the employer apply for a work permit on their behalf. For information on the requirements for a work permit, please see HERE
However, your spouse can work part-time as a specialized or technical worker, or as the director or manager of an approved business that has been invested in/established by Overseas Chinese or foreigner(s), their salary or remuneration must be NT$200 or more per hour.
For Spouses of Foreign Professionals Engaged in Part-Time Specialized or Technical Work, please click HERE
For Spouses of Foreign Professionals Engaged in Part-Time Work as the Director or Manager of an Approved Business that has been Invested in or Established by Overseas Chinese or Foreigner(s), please click HERE
When submitting a resident visa application, the dependent must provide an “address of residence” as well as their plans to travel to Taiwan. Resident visas may permit stays of 1-3 months and it’s recommended that those without an address of residence in Taiwan at the time of visa application should book a hotel or decide on plans for a place to live in Taiwan, then apply with that address. Proof of address is not required when submitting the application.
For an employed Gold Card holder who has obtained permanent residency from the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of Interior, their adult children who qualify with the prescribed days of residence and eligibility criteria, may apply directly to the Ministry of Labor for permission to work in Taiwan, and need not apply through an employer. (Please find more information in: Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals - Article 15 )
Please see the attached PDF for a list of contacts at the Center of Family Childcare Service in Taipei (organized by district).
If you would like to know more information, please refer to the Social and Family Affairs Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare .
Please refer to the CDC’s list of designated hospitals in Taiwan
https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En/Category/ListContent/C4w0xUaCBCKzdd6BxDGWcA?uaid=LgG4_1kPzR7S1lAA634XJg
Required Documents:
How to apply:
As the stay period for Mainland Chinese residents in Taiwan is near expiration, they have the option to apply for an extension. Within one month before the expiration of the stay period, they can go to any service center of the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to apply for the extension. If there are no other pending verifications and all required documents are complete, the application period takes one working day.
The required documents for the extension are:
For more details on how your Mainland Chinese spouse and children can extend their stay, please check this link
In order to create a friendly educational environment for children of foreign professionals, the Ministry of Education has built a website that collects schools and programs for expat kids in Taiwan. Click the LINK for more information.
To consult with the Ministry of Education about children’s enrollment in school, please call (886)2-7736-7867 or email k12ea@mail.moe.gov.tw
The department of land administration, MOI has provided the following resources:
The import of medicine, supplements, and medical supplies into Taiwan is highly regulated. You will need to obtain permission to import these by providing documentation for the quantity and a medical prescription for the users. You can apply for this process online, however, since the platform is in Chinese only, you may need to find someone to help you to make sure you have the proper information. FDA Website .
It is worth noting that Taiwan has a very developed medical and health system; you may search the equivalent medication in Taiwan through Medicine Scan (藥掃描) APP, please refer to Overview of Drug Information Progress in Taiwan .
From one month runway to 300% growth - the US/Taiwan startup story of Han Jin & Lucid Han Jin, emigrated to Germany …
2023 Gold Card Community Survey From July to August of 2023, the International Talent Taiwan Office (previously the …
From Student to Permanent Resident: Lakshay Sachdeva’s Remarkable Journey with the Taiwan Gold Card Taiwan, with …
Are you convinced that the Taiwan Employment Gold Card will be your personal next step? Amazing - Start with your application now...