Employment Gold Card

The Employment Gold Card is Taiwan's flagship talent visa, designed to attract highly skilled foreign professionals without requiring employer sponsorship. Established under the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (enacted November 2017, most recently amended September 2025), the program is administered jointly by the National Development Council, the National Immigration Agency, the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Gold Card is a 4-in-1 document combining a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), and re-entry permit. As of January 2026, over 15,700 Gold Cards have been approved since launch in February 2018, with approximately 8,300 currently valid.

• Foreign national with specialist professional skills in one of 12 designated fields: Science & Technology, Economy, Education, Culture & Arts, Sports, Finance, Law, Architecture, National Defense, Digital, Biotechnology, or Environmental Protection
• Must meet at least one field-specific qualifying criterion (salary threshold, professional experience, academic credentials, awards, patents, or startup/VC track record)
• Valid passport with at least 6 months remaining validity
• No prior job offer in Taiwan required
• No age restriction
• No criminal record check for initial application (required only for permanent residency)

Common pathways across fields include: a most recent monthly salary of at least NT$160,000 (approximately USD 5,000), 8+ years of professional experience in designated sectors, a doctorate from a top-1,500 globally ranked university (expanded from top-500 as of January 2026), international prizes or national academy membership (Nobel, Tang Prize, Wolf Prize, Fields Medal), significant patents or technology transfers, or senior executive experience at startups or venture capital firms with demonstrated track records.

• Color copy of passport with 6+ months validity
• 2-inch color passport photo taken within 6 months
• Field-specific supporting documents (employment certificates with salary details, annual tax statements, academic credentials, patent certificates, technology transfer contracts, award documentation)
• All non-English/non-Mandarin documents require certified translations
• Documents from mainland China require Executive Yuan verification

The card is issued for 1, 2, or 3 years, chosen at application. Extensions of up to 3 years per renewal are available starting 4 months before expiration via the online platform. Applicants must still meet qualification criteria at renewal. Extension fees: NT$1,500 (1-year), NT$2,500 (2-year), NT$3,500 (3-year).

• Open work permit — freely seek employment, change jobs, take part-time work, freelance, or be self-employed without restriction
• 50% income tax reduction on salary above NT$3 million annually for the first 5 years (extended from 3 years as of January 2026; requires 183+ days of residence per year)
• Accelerated permanent residency — eligible for APRC after 3 years of continuous residence (1 year for earners of NT$6 million+ annually, effective January 2026)
• Immediate National Health Insurance eligibility — qualifying specialist professionals and dependants may be exempt from the standard 6-month waiting period
• Unlimited re-entry — leave and re-enter Taiwan freely throughout the card’s validity

• Non-US passport holders: NT$3,700 (1-year), NT$4,700 (2-year), NT$5,700 (3-year)
• US passport holders from abroad: NT$7,790 (1-year), NT$8,790 (2-year), NT$9,790 (3-year)
• Hong Kong/Macau residents: NT$3,100 (all durations)

Spouses, minor children, and adult children lacking self-care capacity may obtain Alien Resident Certificates. Spouses can directly apply for open work permits without employer restriction (as of the 2025 amendments). Parents of Gold Card holders may obtain one-year visitor visas with no cumulative annual cap (as of January 2026). Once the holder is enrolled in National Health Insurance, dependants may enroll immediately with no separate waiting period.

Gold Card holders residing in Taiwan 183+ days per year become tax residents subject to progressive income tax rates (5–40%) on worldwide income. The 50% income tax exemption applies to the portion of annual salary exceeding NT$3 million for the first 5 years, and overseas income is also exempt from basic income tax calculations during the same period.

Gold Card holders are eligible for an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) after 3 years of continuous residence with 183+ days per year. High earners (NT$6 million+ annually) may apply after just 1 year. Requirements include good character, sufficient financial means (average monthly income exceeding twice the minimum wage, or NT$5 million in assets), and contribution to national interest. Taiwan doctorate holders can reduce the requirement by up to 3 years; master’s degree holders by up to 2 years.

The entire application is completed online via the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform. Applicants register, complete the form, upload documents, and pay fees online. Overseas applicants must have their passport inspected at a Bureau of Consular Affairs office or ROC overseas mission. Processing takes approximately 3–5 months end-to-end (1–2 weeks initial check, 1–2 months qualification review, 1 week passport inspection, 1–2 weeks final review). The physical card is collected at an NIA Service Center or, for overseas applicants, within 30 days of arrival in Taiwan.

Applicants may select only one professional field per application (except Architecture, which permits multiple fields). Within each field, only one qualifying criterion may be chosen. The NT$160,000 salary threshold refers to pre-tax salary demonstrated through tax documents. Certain visa types (ABTC, FL, FO, FR, IM, M, WH) cannot be converted to a Gold Card while in Taiwan. No minimum presence requirement exists for maintaining the Gold Card itself, but the tax exemption and APRC pathway require 183+ days annually.