Visas, Residency and Work Permits

Overview

Foreign nationals planning on visiting or residing in Taiwan should apply for a visa for based on the length of stay and reason for visiting or residing in Taiwan. Foreign nationals who wish to visit Taiwan for shorter stays and who do not intend to take up employment should review the visa information on Visa-free Entry, Landing Visas and Visitor Visas included in the Shorter Stays section below. Foreign executives and staff planning to work in Taiwan, on the other hand, must obtain permission to work in the form of a "work permit" before undertaking employment and taking up residence in Taiwan. Foreign executives and staff who are married to ROC nationals are subject to different immigration and work rules. And, finally, the dependents of foreign nationals legally residing and/or working in Taiwan are also subject to a different set of immigration and work rules. The Longer Stays section below addresses residency and work permit applications as related to these three situations. Please note, however, the information provided herein applies primarily to work permits and residency visas for foreign executives and professional or technical staff and not for foreign nationals being hired under approved guest worker programs.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government agency responsible for issuing visas to Taiwan, and provides visa services through its ROC overseas missions. For comprehensive contact information for these overseas missions, please visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs website at http://www.boca.gov.tw. In Taiwan, the Bureau of Consular Affairs main offices are located at 3F-5F, No. 2-2, Chi-Nan Road, Sec. 1, Taipei City; and the number of their main phone line is (02) 2343-2888.

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