Invest in TaiwanDepartment of Investment Services, MOEA
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Foreign investors who wish to invest in Taiwan are required to first submit an application to the Investment Commission under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in accordance with the Statute for Investment by Overseas Chinese or Statute for Investment by Foreign Nationals.
After obtaining approval, they must register their company with the competent authority in charge of company registration in accordance with the Company Law. Those who wish to set up a branch company must seek approval from the MOEA Department of Commerce.
For more information on the application process and procedures related to foreign investment, please refer to Investment Commission's website and make applications in accordance with the investment procedures for foreign investors and the Statute for Investment by Overseas Chinese or the Statute for Investment by Foreign Nationals. You may also use the Investment Commission's fax-on-demand system by calling (886-2) 2395-9505. (The code to receive the six-page fax on new investment projects is 104; and the code to receive the 11-page fax on the negative list for investment by foreign nationals and overseas Chinese is 103; please note that all information is provided in Chinese.)
Overseas Chinese or foreign nationals who have questions should call the Accountant Service Center or the 1st Department of the Investment Commission, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The telephone number for the Investment Commission is:
Documentary proof of investor's identity
Original copy of authorization letter of investor representative and photocopy of representative's identity card.
The representative should be a citizen of the Republic of China. However, civil servants in the ROC government, teaching personnel employed at public schools, or persons employed by state-owned corporations or serving in the military may not act as the representative of an investor.
If the investor is a corporation (juridical person), a representative must be nominated.
The authorization letter of the investor's representative must be certified by an ROC overseas representative or the mission (embassy, consulate, visa or trade office) to the ROC of investor's place of origin. The content of the authorization letter should clearly state the name of the investor and the name of the representative and should clearly stipulate the obligations designated therein to the representative. In the event that a local ROC mission is not present in the investor's place of origin, the authorization letter may be certified by organizations authorized by the ROC government or by the local government or court of the investor's place of origin.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Investment Commission, MOEA, website; you may also call the fax-on-demand system at 02-23959505 for other relevant information.
An investor must, in accordance with regulations, prepare and file an application, including relevant documents, with the Investment Commission. After the official letter of approval has been obtained, the investor must set up a Taiwan bank account and instruct their banking institution to remit the investment funds into that account. After the remittance has been completed, the investor must prepare original copies of the remittance notice and foreign exchange receipt and apply to have the invested capital amount confirmed by the Investment Commission. After the official letter of confirmation has been obtained, the investor must register the company with the competent authority in charge of company registration.
Approximate investment application review periods:
For more detailed information, please refer to the Investment Commission website.
Apart from some investment items listed on the negative list, which are subject to total ownership restrictions for foreign investors, investment items not listed on the negative list do not have any limits on foreign ownership.
Investments may be made with the following instruments:
For more detailed information, please refer to the Investment Commission website.
According to Article 9 of the Statute for Foreign Investors, investors shall submit the entire approved investment amount within the required period. If the investor is unable to remit the investment amount, in whole or in part, within the required period of time, the application will be revoked upon the expiration of the prescribed time limit. However, if good cause is shown, the investor, prior to expiration, should apply to the competent authority for extension of the prescribed time limit. In principle, the period can be extended for a six-month period each time. For more detailed information, please refer to the Investment Commission website.
After setting up companies in the ROC, overseas Chinese and foreign nationals should apply for a work permit with the Executive Yuan Council of Labor Affairs with the relevant information.
For detailed information on applying for a work permit, visit the website of the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training or call 0800-808011.
The third item under the work qualifications and review standards section in Article 46, paragraph 1, items 1 to 6 of the Standards for Reviewing the Employment Qualifications for Foreigners stipulates : "In order to safeguard the work rights of ROC citizens, and on the principle of reciprocal treatment among countries, the central competent authority may negotiate with related the competent authority on government businesses regarding the domestic employment market situation, an employer's business area, business scale, employment plan, operational efficiency and its contribution to the development of Taiwan's economy and society, and approve the number of foreign workers Taiwan companies may hire.
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