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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.
In order to qualify for an Employment Gold Card, your skills must be related to one of ten fields: Science and Technology, Economics, Education, Culture and Art, Sport, Finance, Law, Architecture, National Defense, or Digital. You must select which ministry is most relevant, and in most cases, also select a specific qualification in that particular area for your application.
Feel free to use our Gold Card Qualification Check to check your qualification.
Application is done online.
Once you have determined how you are qualified, gather the required documents:
For more info Application Process
To reset your account or password, please login to the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform and click “Forgot Account?” or “Forget Password?”
If you experience difficulties logging in, please contact the National Immigration Agency (a378liu@immigration.gov.tw) and provide a copy of your Gold Card or passport.
If any of these below are true, your application will not be accepted:
To change your email address, login to the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform , click “Account”, and then “Basic Information Maintenance”. You may directly change your email address from this page.
When filling out the Visa Application(Submit the Passport) section on the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform, the fields found under “Have you ever been issued an ROC Visa?” are not mandatory to fill in, including such information as the visa-issuing office, the last application date, and the visa number. Similarly, the start and end dates of any previous employment under “Have you ever worked in Taiwan” are also not mandatory to fill in.
In accordance with Articles 9 and 12 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals and Article 23 of the Immigration Act, holders of visas with a stay duration of 60 days or more and without restrictive annotations upon entry are eligible to convert to an Employment Gold Card. The eligible visa annotation codes include A, B, P, ES, and J. For those with the YM annotation, it should be changed to category A in Taiwan before they can apply for the Gold Card.
For detailed visa annotation regulations, please refer to this link
If you are planning on applying under this regulation, you should provide:
If this is the case, it likely means that you have used symbols in your account username/password or your email address has not been recognized by the National Immigration Agency (e.g., you may be using a Mainland Chinese mailbox or encrypted mail). In both instances, your account/password will not be accepted by the Online Application Portal .
To proceed, you should select ‘Create an Account’ to make a new account, with a username/password that does not include any symbols. Please see the image below for reference.
Please confirm whether you currently hold or have previously held a position as a chair professor, professor, or associate professor in a university, or as a researcher or associate researcher in a research institution, and within the last three years have important academic contributions or important specialist works or have published internationally recognized research. Please note that experience as an assistant professor or assistant researcher does not meet the eligibility criteria specified for Regulation 6; only associate professors, associate researchers, and above qualify.
You must have a recent monthly salary of at least NT$160,000 and have previously held or currently hold a position in a technology industry or field, either in a company, research and development institute, or academic institution. However, it is advised to consider applying under a different field in the following situations:
There is no “general” application category. You must select a single ministry to assess your skills.
The Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform allows applicants to store their application data for one month. If the application data has been saved but the payment has not been made or the application has not been submitted, due to security settings, the National Immigration Agency will clear the stored data after one month.
You do not need to have a high salary. Some fields have a criteria where applicants with a salary greater than NT$160,000 qualify, however, this is only one criteria. To date, other than the dedicated salary criteria, no other criteria has financial requirements.
According to Regulation 13, the documents you provide regarding your expertise or experience must demonstrate your potential contribution to Taiwan’s technology industry. Such documentation includes, but is not limited to, proof of domestic or foreign academic credentials, service certificates, academic research, technical skills, technology transfer, and award certificates. As stated in Regulations 2 and 3 of the eligibility requirements, your proof of expertise documents should include a well-organized portfolio of information showcasing your personal achievements and contributions of your service, emphasizing your individual accomplishments rather than focusing on the company in which you have worked for. Competition awards, notable achievements, renowned systems, significant projects, publications, or patents are all be encouraged as demonstration of an applicant’s potential to contribute to Taiwan’s technology industry. Please refrain from submitting certificates of completed hours of courses, as they are insufficient to prove one’s potential contributions to Taiwan’s science and technology industry.
To qualify, you must hold a PhD graduation certificate issued by one of the top 500 universities listed in the most recent QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, or U.S. News & World Report Rankings. Please note that rankings based on specific subjects do not qualify for this regulation. Check the top 500 World University Rankings provided by the Ministry of Education.
Moreover, the degrees of Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), and Juris Doctor (J.D.) are not accepted by the Ministry of Education for this regulation.
Please review the “Authority-In-Charge for Various Industries” to check whether your industry is considered as under the Ministry of Culture’s jurisdiction.
Please check the Financial Examination Bureau’s List of Foreign Financial Supervisory Agencies.
If you can find your company in any of the above lists, then it would likely be recognized by the Financial Supervisory Commission.
Applicants under the Field of Law are required to provide the license of a ROC attorney or the permit of a ROC foreign legal affairs attorney. The application for the Foreign Legal Affairs Attorney’s Practice Permit can be found HERE
Please note that this application requires the applicant to provide the name and address of a local law firm, so you must find a firm who is willing to sponsor your application for this permit.
With respect to the exchange rate calculation basis, the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) current reviewing method is based on whether the Buying Cash Rate on the date of review or during the period of employment of the applicant has reached NTD$160,000, and the Buying Cash Rate from the Bank of Taiwan’s historical exchange rate will be used for valuation. Please check the currency rate for your salary.
If the currency you want to convert is not listed on the Bank of Taiwan’s exchange rate table, please first refer to the American Dollar (USD) exchange rate at your country’s public bank. Then, convert the amount you wish to calculate into USD. Lastly, use the USD exchange rate from the Bank of Taiwan to convert the amount into New Taiwan Dollar (NTD).
Please review the List of Industries to check whether your industry is considered as under the Ministry of Economic Affairs' jurisdiction.
If you want to find out if you are eligible for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card, please refer to the Foreign Talent Act website’s information page. If you have related questions, please send us an e-mail to help@taiwangoldcard.tw
The timeline for issuing the Employment Gold Card is as follows:
Information Check: The National Immigration Agency confirms your basic details (1-2 weeks).
Qualification Check: Various relevant ministries review your application (1-2 months). If you are asked to provide Supplementary Documents, it will take longer.
Passport Inspection: For overseas applicants, your local Taiwan embassy will inspect your passport (1 week). For domestic applicants, this step shall be skipped.
Secondary Review: The National Immigration Agency (NIA) performs a final review of your application and prints your Gold Card (1-2 weeks). However, if you have worked for any Mainland Chinese companies or the government, please expect at least 1-2 months for the National Immigration Agency’s final review.
There is an application fee, which is paid through the Gold Card application portal. There are no separate visa or work permit fees.
The application fees vary depending on if you have applied domestically or abroad, the duration of the visa, and your nationality. Please check the Fees for Employment Gold Card section of the application portal.
There are currently 6 online payment methods, including international credit cards, domestic credit cards, e-Bill Payment, 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-Bill Payment, 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.
If you are unable to make your application payment with an international credit card, it may be due to the following reasons:
Please try using JCB, VISA, or MasterCard. Do NOT use AMEX or China UnionPay
If you continue to have issues, please contact the National Immigration Agency at a378liu@immigration.gov.tw
Please follow these instructions to pay your application fees online.
For those who apply for a Gold Card for the first time, the card issuance date is the start date. For those who extend their Gold Card, the period of validity will be extended from the original period of stay.
Please apply online via the “ Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform (Employment Gold Card) ”. The application is reviewed by the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other specialized authorities.
All Employment Gold Cards must be picked up in-person in Taiwan. Before you arrive in Taiwan, please find your “Republic of China Employment Gold Card Resident Authorization Certificate” online and print it out. You can enter Taiwan with this certificate along with your passport inspection certificate. You must bring this certificate and your original passport to your previously selected National Immigration Agency’s Service Center to pick up your Employment Gold Card. You must pick up your Gold Card within 30 days, starting from the day after your arrival.
If your birthplace is in Mainland China, the National Immigration Agency will require you to upload the following documents:
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.
If you are Hong Kong or Macao resident, please refer HERE .
Should you have any questions regarding the required documents, please contact NIA’s service center .
To check your application status, login to the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform , click “Application Progress Inquiry”, and fill in your 12-digit application number.
If you wish to check the status of your application, please only fill in the first 3 columns and leave the rest blank.
Unfortunately, there will be no refunds once your application is submitted, regardless of the result of the application or if you revoke your application.
Please refer to the relevant regulations .
Please see the instructions below to withdraw your application.
If you have any objections to the adjudication given by the National Immigration Agency, you may file an administrative appeal to your designated NIA Service Center (where you have chosen to pick up your Gold Card) within 30-days of receiving this adjudication. Your appeal will then be forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior.
If you have any questions about filing an appeal, please contact the NIA’s Service Center or write to NIA’s Director .
Please be aware that, once your application has been rejected, you will not be able to resubmit or continue the application process. However, you may reapply for the Gold Card on the Online Application Portal. To reapply for the Gold Card, please see the instructions below.
If the Gold Card holder acquires or restores their R.O.C nationality during the period of residence in Taiwan, the NIA shall revoke or repeal the Gold Card in accordance with the Act 7, The Regulations Governing Employment Gold Card Permit for Foreign Special Professionals, “During the period of residence in the State, the Employment Gold Card holder falls into one of the situations described in various paragraphs of Article 32 of the Immigration Act”.
If you need to choose a year before 2012, please click 2012 and scroll up. If you have forgotten the date that your ROC Visa was issued, please contact the Bureau of Consular Affair.
Please follow the steps below or the attached photo to fill in your ARC number. Case Status Check → The List of Supplemental Documents → View → Modify → Resident → ID No. (optional)
Please select the city and district from the drop-down menu, and type in the rest of your address in Chinese (do not type in the city and district).
Please refer to the photo attached below.
If you continue to have issues, please contact the National Immigration Agency at a378liu@immigration.gov.tw
If you are planning on applying under the salary qualification, see below. You must provide ALL of the following:
Aside from the document(s) stated above, you must provide ONE of the following:
Any annual tax statement issued within 3 years of the application date (e.g., Australia PAYG Payment Summary, Canada T4, Israel 106 Form, Poland PIT-11, Russia 2-NDFL, UK P60, US W-2) to prove that your monthly salary was at average above NTD$160,000. If such certification cannot be presented owing to provisions of tax law, it may, after explanation of the tax law provisions preventing its presentation, be replaced by an employer’s certification. (The Certificate of Employment should specify the period of employment, job content/position, and the actual salary received. If the Certificate of Employment does not specify the salary, it should be accompanied by a salary slip to support it).
If your annual salary reaches 1,920,000 NTD, “salaries and wages” shall include salaries, stipends, wages, allowances, annuities, cash awards, bonuses, and all kinds of subsidies. Whereas the money received for performing duties for the employer, such as traveling expenditures, daily allowance and overtime pay (not in excess of the prescribed amounts) shall be excluded. If these qualifications are met, you may be eligible.
You can choose any one year within 3 years of your application date for your tax return. The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) will take the amount on your annual tax form, divide it by 12, and see if the average monthly salary is at least NTD$160,000. With respect to the exchange rate calculation basis, the WDA’s current reviewing method is based on whether the cash purchase rate on the date of review or during the period of employment of the applicant has reached NTD$160,000, and the buying cash rate from the Bank of Taiwan’s historical exchange rate will be used for valuation. If you want to check the exchange rate, please refer to the Bank of Taiwan’s exchange rate .
Furthermore, the NTD$160,000 monthly salary refers to salary ‘before tax’. Bank receipts from your account balance, cryptocurrency, funds (as in pension funds, welfare funds, etc.), stocks, property income, etc. cannot be used as proof.
If your annual salary has been adjusted and now meets the requirement of an average monthly salary of NT$160,000, but you are unable to provide a tax return as proof as it is not yet time to file your tax return, you shall submit all of the following documents to support your application:
The employment contract of your intended future employment in the ROC (the starting date of the employment contract must be more than 1 month after the Gold Card application.) Your employment must be based in the ROC, Taiwanese companies and multinational companies in Taiwan are both acceptable.
If you are required to attach proof of domestic or foreign service, you will have to provide a Certificate of Employment (or Proof of Resignation) with your full name, company’s name, position, actual duration of employment, and company’s stamp, seal, or signature. You may refer to the samples below.
Please note that the company name on your Certificate of Employment (or Proof of Resignation) must be consistent with the company name on your Tax Return. If you are a freelance worker or self-employed business owners, you may provide your own proof of service stating your job type, who you worked for, and when you worked.
The salary requirement as stated relates to salary and not income in total.
Most recent monthly salary of at least NT$160,000 means a monthly salary or average monthly salary of NT$160,000 or above within the three years preceding the month of the application; documentary proof of salary or tax payment means one of the following:
When you apply for the Gold Card, please fill in the UI number printed on your ARC. If the National Immigration Agency approves your Gold Card application, the system will automatically cancel your ARC.
If your documents are issued by the following countries/regions, additional verification is needed: 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. However, there are some exceptions:
The official statement can be seen HERE.
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.
If the documents were issued in Mainland China, they must be verified by an institution established or designated by the Executive Yuan, or by a private organization commissioned by the Executive Yuan (e.g. the Strait Exchange Foundation) in accordance with Article 7 of the “Regulations on Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area”. The procedure for verification of Mainland documents is further explained at: Application Process for Document Authentication
Please contact the Straits Exchange Foundation for more information.
If the provided documents are not in English or Chinese, please attach a translation to English or Chinese. If you wish, you may translate the documents by yourself and attach the original documents.
Please note that once you have submitted your application, you can no longer upload any additional documents unless you are required to do so by the relevant authorities reviewing your application. If you receive notification to upload additional documents, please do so in a timely manner.
Case Status Check → The List of Supplemental Documents → View → Modify → Upload Document
Case Status Check → The List of Supplemental Documents → View → Modify → Profession
(Please confirm that you have uploaded the correct documents. Currently, the preview option only shows your old documents, so please ignore the preview option, click “Next Step” continuously, then click “Send” to submit)
If you switch to a new Field or regulation, or there are new regulations for the Field of the previous application, the platform will not be able to transfer your documents from your previous application.
Please review in detail the regulations in each of the Fields and pay attention in particular to the notes on the required documents. Most people are better off choosing the regulation that they can provide the most proof and documents for.
If the relevant authority that is reviewing your application finds that your documents are insufficient, they will return your application and request additional documents. At this time, you can choose to submit additional documents or to change to another Field. However, if the relevant authority believes that your chances are low, they also have the ability to reject your application instead of returning it.
Since you are now in Taiwan, you will be exempted from verifying your passport overseas and your application will be reviewed by the National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior. Please refer to this FAQ to see how to update your passport inspection location information.
If your Gold Card application is approved, you can print out your Resident Authorization for Overseas Applicants (found under the download section of the application portal) and present it upon entering Taiwan. After entering Taiwan, please bring your Resident Authorization for Overseas Applicants, electronic payment receipt (also found under the download section of the application portal), and your passport to your selected National Immigration Agency (NIA) service center to pick up your Gold Card.
NIA is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 17:00 through the lunch hour, please refer to the link to find your chosen NIA service center: https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/5478/141386/127061/127076/
You can still enter Taiwan, but you must present your new and old passport, and Resident Authorization Certificate.
Please also remember to update your new passport number through the online application platform after you pick up your Gold Card.
Login to the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform → Application → Apply to Change Passport Inspection or Card Collection Location.
Please note that:
The passport inspection location can be changed on the online platform before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) finishes reviewing your application. If you want to change to enter Taiwan with a visa for domestic inspection, you need to change the passport inspection location after entering Taiwan. If you have not entered Taiwan, but chose to undergo domestic inspection, your application will be returned due to the lack of entry documents.
After you pass the MOFA’s review, you can no longer change the passport inspection or pick-up location.
It is not possible to change the location of the overseas passport inspection to Taiwan during or before the review stage of the Workforce Development Agency.
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:
Please refer to attached instructions to download your application receipt and resident authorization certificate.
Should you have any concerns about pickup process, please contact your local National Immigration Agency’s service center .
Please log into the Online Application Portal , go to the Download Menu –> select Download the R.O.C (Taiwan) Resident Authorization for Overseas Applicants and Receipt Download. Next, print out your R.O.C. Resident Authorization Certificate in color to use it for entering Taiwan, then bring the Resident Authorization Certificate, receipt, and your passport to pick up your physical card at your designated National Immigration Agency Service Center 30 days of entering Taiwan.
Regulation 4 requires a review of the applicant’s work experience and achievement awarded in sports industry, such as having been a sports coach, the performance of students who have participated in competitions, or having been an athlete who has participated in various international competitions.
Additionally, the reference letter(s) issued by a university or tertiary college in the ROC may be written by the head of the department.
If you are applying for a Gold Card overseas for the first time and do not have a Taiwanese address, you can leave this question blank. However, you must update your address on the application platform within 30 days of moving into your new house.
Gold Card applicants from these designated countries will be asked by the overseas missions of the R.O.C. to provide Letter of Guarantee for Visa Application to the Republic of China.
Login to the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform → Case Status Check → Preview → Location of Collection
Please refer to THIS link for the list of National Immigration Agency’s Service Centers
Please contact the Ministry that is currently reviewing your application and ask them to return your application so you can edit your passport number.
For example, if your application status is Review by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), please ask the WDA to return your application so you can edit your passport number on the application portal.
If your application status shows “Passport Inspection at the Bureau of Consular Affairs or Overseas Missions of R.O.C. (Taiwan),” kindly request the Overseas Mission to return your application. This will allow you to update your passport number on the application portal. It’s important to note that during the the stage of Passport Inspection, if there is a change in your passport number, the passport submission notice cannot be updated with the new passport number.
To update your passport information, you need to fill in your new passport number and validity period on the application platform. Please select your passport validity period by clicking on the calendar icon as shown in the photo(s) below.
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