In order to obtain a residence permit in Taiwan a foreigner must apply for a residence visa. The procedure requires the applicant to submit a large set of documents, that will be presented in this article. However, if you need further information on the legal steps that have to be followed and you want to invest in this country as well, you can always rely on our team of consultants in company registration in Taiwan, who have the necessary legal background in order to represent you.
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Apply for a residence permit in Taiwan
The need to apply for a residence permit depends on the duration of the stay in Taiwan. If you plan to stay here for less than six months, then you must make the necessary arrangements in order to obtain a visitor visa. However, for stays with a duration longer than six months, the residence visa is necessary.
This type of visa is required when you arrive here with the intention to set up a company in Taiwan, for employment or study, joining family members who live here or for other purposes that are recognized under the local law. In order to be able to apply for the residence visa, the following basic conditions have to be fulfilled:
- the passport of the applicant will be valid for at least 6 months after the date of arrival in Taiwan;
- add to the application 2 photos with a size of 45mm x 35 mm taken no longer than 6 months prior to the application date;
- present bank statements from your bank account, issued in the last 3 months;
- pay a fee of $160 if you are an applicant from the United States of America;
- the fee for applicants for other states is of $66 (issued for single-entry visas).
The resident permit in Taiwan is known as the Alien Residence Certificate, which is issued once the foreigner has obtained a residence visa. The Alien Residence Certificate is issued from the local police headquarters in Taiwan, which is nearest to the place where the foreigner lives.
Please mind that this document must be issued in a period of 15 days since the date of arrival. If you want to apply for a residence visa, please mind that the local authorities issue various types of residence visas, in accordance with the purpose of stay. According to the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), currently there are 13 types of residence visas that grant the right to a residence permit.
The visas that can be used as a way of gaining a residence permit in Taiwan are divided into the following categories: entrepreneur visas, business or work visas, joining family members and studying here. For foreigners who want to open a company in Taiwan, there is the option to apply for the Resident Visa for Entrepreneurs.
We invite you to watch a video on how you can obtain a residence permit in Taiwan:
What types of visas can grant access to residency in Taiwan?
A foreigner can obtain a residence permit in Taiwan for a wide range of purposes which requires the foreigner to stay in this country for a longer period of time. In most of the cases, the foreign applicants will first have to apply for a visa specific for their purpose of stay, after which they must obtain the residence permit.
Most of the visas that can be obtained in this country can provide the right to the residence permit, with few exceptions. For instance, the visitor visa can’t be used as a way to gain access to residency in Taiwan due to the fact that this visa type is issued only for short-term stays, which refer to arrivals in this country with a duration of maximum 90 days.
In certain cases, foreigners are not even required to obtain the visitor visa, based on their nationality (Taiwan has signed various agreements with the authorities of other countries, which grant the citizens of such countries to certain visa exemptions). As a general rule, the Taiwan visa system is divided in the following categories:
- the visitor visa – necessary for short-term stays of maximum 90 days and which do not offer the right to the Taiwan residence visa;
- the student visa – a document that can be obtained by students and other persons enrolled in tertiary studies;
- the working holiday program – a visa designed for young persons who can arrive here for the purpose of visiting the country and working in specific types of programs, training included;
- the work visa – there are various categories of visas available for employment in Taiwan;
- the family reunification visas – they allow the right to reunite with family members who live in Taiwan and who have obtained a visa or who are the beneficiaries of Taiwan permanent residency;
- visas for foreign businessmen – they provide access to company formation in Taiwan.
What is the process of obtaining a Resident Visa for Entrepreneurs in Taiwan?
For those interested in a residence permit for the purpose of Taiwan company formation, the law stipulates that one can obtain the Residence Visa for Entrepreneurs. Our team of consultants in company registration in Taiwan can provide legal representation in this process, and in the following section, our team has prepared a short description of what this process entails.
Thus, if you want to receive the residence permit in Taiwan for business purposes, you will have to fill in a standard application form (completed online) and to comply with the above mentioned requirements, which are basic requirements regardless of the residence visa one applies for.
Then, the applicant must comply with the conditions stipulated by the Examination Directions of Entrepreneur Visa Qualification for Foreign Nationals. The application will be reviewed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, along with other institutions that can be involved. In order to receive the visa, the foreigner must receive a positive answer from the competent institutions that will verify the application.
If the application receives a positive answer, then the foreign investor will have the right to open a company in Taiwan and relocate here under a residence permit. Please mind that the application for a residence permit in Taiwan must be started prior to the arrival in this country. The procedure begins with the consular missions or embassies operating in the home country of the investor.
What is the process of obtaining a residence permit in Taiwan?
On paper, the procedure of obtaining the Taiwan residence visa can seem a simple one. In practice, those interested have to prepare a large set of documents and any other papers that can be required by the local institutions, and the lack of various documents can automatically lead to the rejection of the visa application.
This will imply that the person interested to arrive in this country should start again the entire application process, and of course, it will impact the overall plans of the foreigner, regardless if the person wants to come here in order to open a company in Taiwan, to work or study or for any other purpose that is recognized by the law for long term stays.
For all the legal reasons for which a person can arrive here, the application for residency will start by submitting the application file with the Bureau of Consular Affairs. For a guaranteed successful visa application, you can always rely on our team of specialists in company registration in Taiwan, especially if you want to arrive here for business purposes.
After the application is submitted, the documents will be reviewed by the consular officer, who is also entitled to request for an interview with the applicant, in the case in which the immigration representative considers that there is a need to obtain more information regarding the application for a residence permit in Taiwan.
In the case in which the entire procedure runs as necessary, the immigration authorities will issue the visa, which will grant the right to residency in Taiwan. The other option is to reject the application, in which case, the procedure will stop here, and the applicant has to address to the institutions for a future visa application. After the visa is issued, then the foreigner will be allowed to apply for the Alien Residence Certificate, which is a document that shows the foreigner is a holder of a Taiwan residence visa.
Please mind that this document does not represent the final immigration procedure in obtaining the Taiwan permanent residency, this being an important information for those who want to become permanent residents of this country. The document simply provides the right to live in Taiwan for a given period of time, for the purpose for which the residence visa was issued.
Thus, for investors who want to open a company in Taiwan and who are also interested in becoming permanent residents, along with other categories of foreigners interested in this right, it is necessary to apply for the Alien Permanent Resident Certificate.
There are different procedures to follow in order to obtain a residence permit in Taiwan based on the duration of stay, and different rules to respect in order to receive such documents. For Taiwan permanent residency, different rules will apply in accordance with the reason for which the person is currently in the country.
It is also important to know that, according to the laws in Taiwan, the issuance of a visa is seen as an act of sovereignty. Thus, the local institutions maintain the right to reject applications without providing a reason for the respective action. This is why we highly recommend you to contact our team of consultants in company formation in Taiwan prior to starting your application, as you can receive important information and advice that can increase the chances of receiving a positive answer to your visa application.