Simple Immigration Solution

Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), is a country located in East Asia with a unique natural beauty that boasts beaches, mountains, valleys, and dormant volcanoes. Taiwan has a highly developed market economy, ranking 8th largest in Asia.
This Asian country also offers high living standards and a low cost of living compared to other Western and Asian countries. This has made Taiwan an attractive place for expats from all over the world, becoming home to over 500,000 foreigners.
It is the perfect place if you want to move somewhere safe with great living and working conditions, especially for digital nomads and students.
1. Do I Need a Visa to Move to Taiwan?
Anyone wishing to move to Taiwan for a period longer than three months needs to apply for a visa to enter the country. In this case, you will need to apply for and obtain a Taiwan resident visa. There are several resident visas that you can apply for depending on the reason why you want to move to Taiwan.
The Taiwan resident visas are issued for long-term stays in Taiwan.
2. How Do I Move to Taiwan?
To legally move to Taiwan permanently, you are required to apply for a visa that allows you to stay for a more extended period of time, for example, for one of the following reasons listed below:
– Moving to Taiwan to work.
– Moving to Taiwan to study.
– Moving to Taiwan for family reunification.
After you retrieve your visa, you will also need to apply for a residence permit, known as Alien Resident Certificate (ARC). A residence permit is required to allow you to remain in the country for a more extended period of time and can be issued for one, two, or three years. The applications for residence permits are submitted at the local service center of the National Immigration Agency.
Moving to Taiwan to Work
Individuals that want to work in Taiwan and already have a job offer from an employer in Taiwan need to get both a work visa and a work permit to be allowed entry into the country.
Before applying for a Taiwan work visa, you need to complete the following:
– You must check if your profession belongs to the specific categories the Workforce Development Agency of the Taiwan Ministry of Labor has specified for work visas.
– Your employer must apply for a work permit before you can apply for your visa.
If your profession belongs to one of the categories eligible for work visas, and your employer applies for your work permit, you can continue to apply for the work visa at a Taiwanese embassy or consulate in your country of residence.
Moving to Taiwan to Study
Foreign nationals who wish to move to Taiwan to pursue their studies in a Taiwanese educational institution need to get a student visa. However, before starting the application process for a student visa, you must already be accepted by a Taiwanese university.
Taiwan issued different student visas that you can apply for depending on your case:
– Taiwan student visa for full-time foreign students (Ph.D., MA, BA, high school or below).
– Taiwan student visa for international exchange students.
– Taiwan student visa for overseas Chinese students wishing to study in Taiwan.
– Taiwan student visa for foreigners wishing to learn Mandarin Chinese.
Once your student visa is approved, you are allowed to travel to Taiwan.
However, since your student visa will only be valid for three months, you will also need to apply for a residence permit (Alien Resident Certificate) within 15 days of arriving in the country.
Moving to Taiwan for Family Reunification
If you have a family member residing in Taiwan and want to join them, you need a Taiwan join family visa. This type of visa is issued for long-term stays; however, not everyone is eligible for this type of visa.
You can apply for a join family visa if you are the spouse of a Taiwanese citizen or a minor child/grandchild of a Taiwanese citizen. The applications for a family visa are submitted at the Taiwanese diplomatic missions (embassy or consulate) in your home country.
After arriving in Taiwan with a family visa, you need to apply for a residence permit. You will also be allowed to work and study in Taiwan.
3. How Long Do I Need to Live in Taiwan to Win Citizenship?
Foreign nationals that are current holders of the Alien Resident Certificate can be eligible to apply for Taiwanese citizenship only if they have resided in the country legally for at least five consecutive years (three if their partner is a Taiwanese) and more than 183 days per year. If this requirement is fulfilled, you can get a Taiwan Alien Permanent Certificate (APRC).
This process of winning citizenship is known as citizenship by naturalization. However, there are multiple pathways to Taiwanese citizenship, such as:
– Citizenship by Birth.
– Citizenship by Descent.
– Citizenship by Marriage.
4. Does Taiwan Allow Dual Citizenship?
Taiwan recognizes dual citizenship, but only for Taiwanese-born citizens. This means that you can keep both the Taiwanese citizenship and another citizenship without having to renounce one of them, only if you are born to ethnic Taiwanese and mainland Chinese origin.
If you win citizenship by naturalization, you will be required to renounce your current citizenship unless you work in a reserved occupational field.
5. Can I Bring My Personal Belongings to Taiwan?
When importing personal goods purchased overseas to Taiwan, you must go through the Red (Goods to Declare/Customs Service) Channel. There is no limit on the amount of goods you can import to Taiwan.
You can bring your personal goods to Taiwan duty-free. However, if the items exceed the amount required for duty-free importation, you need to declare your goods. To bring your goods duty-free in Taiwan, your personal items must be in a reasonable quantity, and their value must be less than NTD20,000.
Items listed below are prohibited from entering Taiwan:
– Alcoholic beverages.
– Ammunition.
– Indecent books, magazines, pictures, and other articles.
– Communistic material.
– Drugs, Prescription, and Non-Prescription.
– Electronic equipment.
– Fabrics & fabric samples.
– Films: 8mm, 16mm & 35mm.
– Laser discs.
– Medical samples.
– Military equipment.
– Phones/modems.
– Radioactives.
– Tapes, audio, and video cassettes.
– Others.