Entrepreneur Visa

When a foreign national applies for an Entrepreneur Visa, the examination of the applicant's qualifications for the issuing of an Entrepreneur Visa shall be conducted by the Investment Commission, Ministry of Economic Affairs (hereafter referred to as "the Investment Commission, MOEA"), in consultation with other relevant industry authorities; other agencies may be invited to participate in joint review as necessary.

For more information, please visit: Examination Directions of Entrepreneur Visa Qualification for Foreign Nationals, International Entrepreneur Initiative Taiwan (IEIT)

Employment PASS Card

I. The Operation Directions are enacted by the Ministry of the Interior to implement the issuance of the 4 in 1 Employment PASS Card to foreign professionals which include the permission for the Resident Visa, Work Permit, Alien Resident Certificate and Multi-Entry Permit.

II. Any foreign professional working in the Republic of China pursuant to subparagraphs 1 to 6, paragraph 1, Article 46 and subparagraph 1, paragraph 1, Article 48 of the Employment Service Act in one of the occupations detailed below, may apply for the Employment PASS Card in accordance with the Operation Directions:

(1) Professional having an occupation within a highly specialized or technical field;

(2) Overseas Chinese or foreigners invested in Taiwan with governmental approval, or a supervisor of an established business;

(3) School teachers, under the following conditions:

a. Teaching at a public or legally registered private school at college level or above; or teaching at a school for foreigners;

b. With proper accreditation, teaching foreign language courses at a public or legally registered private school at high school level or below;

c. Teaching at the bilingual department of a public or legally registered private experimental high school; or teaching at a bilingual school.

(4) Professional foreign language teachers working in a supplementary education school registered and established pursuant to the Supplementary Education Act;

(5) Coach or athlete;

(6) Professional having a profession within the field of religion, art, or performing arts;

(7) Researcher or consultant in an academic research institution subordinate or affiliated with government authorities at all levels.

For more information, please visit: Operation Directions for Foreign Professionals Applying for the Employment Pass Card

Resident Visa for Foreign Students

Student resident visas are available for full-time PhD, Master's, Bachelor's program, or senior high school students.

For more information and application notices: Resident Visa for Foreign Students

Resident Visa for Internship Purposes

Under the guidelines, candidates can stay up to six months in the country, but those who need to stay longer can apply for a single extension up to half a year. In May, foreign student internship guidelines were expanded to cover the telecommunications and financial service industries along with science and technology internship positions.

For more information and application notices: Resident Visa for Internship Purposes

Alien Permanent Resident Card (Plum Blossom Card)

Any foreign national applying for the Alien Permanent Resident Card (Plum Blossom Card) under the terms of an investment of over NT$15 million in a for-profit enterprise in Taiwan that has generated five or more job opportunities for R.O.C. nationals for over 3 years, or under the terms of an investment of over NT$30 million in Taiwanese government bonds for over 3 years is required to have held an Alien Resident Certificate which is still valid at the time when the application is submitted, and the applicant is not subject to the requirement that he/she must have resided in Taiwan for at least 183 days annually.

Any application for the Alien Permanent Resident Card (Plum Blossom Card) under the terms of having made special contributions to Taiwan or being a senior professional needed in Taiwan is not subject to the requirement regarding the period of residency. Instead, prior to the meeting held by the Exit, Entry, and Immigration Case Evaluation Committee, the applicant shall request the competent authority in charge of related business to provide review comments that will be compiled and forwarded to the review committee under the National Immigration Agency, the Ministry of the Interior. If the review finds that the applicant's qualifications are satisfactory, the Alien Permanent Resident Card (Plum Blossom Card) may be granted.

For more information and application notices: Submission Directions for Senior Professionals and Investment Immigrants Applying for the Alien Permanent Resident Card (Plum Blossom Card)