What is the Taiwan Employment Gold Card?

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.

• Science & Technology (National Science and Technology Council)
• Economy (Ministry of Economic Affairs)
• Education (Ministry of Education)
• Culture & Arts (Ministry of Culture)
• Sport (Ministry of sport)
• Finance (Financial Supervisory Commission)
• Law (Ministry of Justice)
• Architecture (National Land Management Agency)
• National Defense (Ministry of National Defense)
• Digital (Ministry of Digital Affairs)
• Biotechnology (Ministry of Economic Affairs)
• Environmental Protection (Ministry of Environment)
• Special cases that, with consultation, are recognized by the NDC

Benefits

• This card is an open work permit issued to employment-seeking individuals that require neither pre-confirmed hiring by nor application through any employer.

• 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.

• The spouse and children may apply for dependent residence. In addition, the maximum stay period for lineal ascendants visiting on a Visitor Visa may be extended to one year.

  • Definition of lineal ascendants: the applicant’s and spouse’s parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents.
  • Visitor Visa for visiting relatives: Multiple‑entry with an initial stay period of up to six months, which may be extended. The total length of stay per entry may be up to one year.

• Eligible to apply for permanent residency after three years (excluding Hong Kong and Macao residents). Those who have obtained a doctoral degree from a Taiwanese university may offset two years of the required residence period, while those with a master’s degree from a Taiwanese university may offset one year.

• 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.