Residency and Visas

Question 1: How many types of visas are issued for foreigners entering the ROC for business purposes?

Answer:

Business visas for foreigners are divided into two categories: Short-term Visas and Long-term Visas.

Question 2: What are the visa application procedures for foreigners entering Taiwan?

Answer:

The applicant may go to ROC overseas missions, consulates and embassies with a letter of invitation, tax receipts, bank deposit notes (other documents dependent upon the case in question). The visa will be issued by the foreign missions.

After applying to the overseas missions, consulates, and embassies, the applicant will then send the visa application number to the contact person in the ROC, who will then complete the guarantee process with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, MOFA.

Required documents are as follows:

• Letter of guarantee for foreign visa applicants (which requires the personal stamp of the guarantor and company stamp of the employing organization or company, plus a copy of the guarantor's ID card). The guarantee form will be provided, free of cost, by the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
• Company License and a copy of the Certificate Verifying Business Operations. Photocopy of business correspondence and trading document (e.g. L/C, invoice, receipt and other correspondence, etc.)
• Letter of Explanation (explaining the purpose of the visit and detailed history of the relationship with the applicant).

Assessment results will be released by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which will notify the overseas mission. In total, it should take about two to three days. In addition, depending on the nature of the case, the Bureau of Consular Affairs may ask for other documents.

Question 3: How do foreign nationals coming to Taiwan for investment purposes apply for Alien Resident Certificates?

Answer:

Foreign investors include chairmen, directors and supervisors, its representatives or its juridical or non-juridical persons. If they have resided in Taiwan for more than six months, they may apply to an overseas mission for an Alien Resident Certificate with an approval letter from the central competent authority. If an investor enters Taiwan with a visa issued by an overseas mission, he or she should apply for a Alien Resident Certificate, with the letter approved by the Competent Authority, on the date of expiration of the visa. For more information, please consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

Question 4: What are the related regulations for foreign professionals and skilled laborers entering the ROC?

Answer:

Foreign professionals and skilled laborers, after receiving a work permit, should apply to the foreign missions of the ROC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For more information please visit the websites of the Bureau of Consular Affairs and the National Immigration Agency.

Question 5: What are the related regulations for Chinese nationals entering Taiwan for business purposes?

Answer:

Foreign professionals and skilled laborers that are citizens of mainland China are subject to the regulations of Statute Governing Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. Some regulations for Chinese nationals entering Taiwan for business purposes have been revised recently in order to simplify the application process. For more information please visit the website of the Investment Commission, MOEA.

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