Taiwan

Employment Gold Card. Taiwan has no retirement or digital-nomad visa, but the Gold Card bundles an open work permit and residence card for qualified professionals, freelancers, or high earners.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Employment Gold Card

A combined open work permit, resident visa, and residence card (ARC) for 1 to 3 years, chosen by the applicant; holder may freelance or start a business freely. Spouse and minor children get dependant ARCs, and since a 2026 amendment the spouse also gets an open work permit.

Who qualifies

Average monthly pre-tax salary of at least NT$160,000 (about $5,000), shown on an official tax document from any of the past 3 years earned anywhere, or a future Taiwan-based contract starting more than a month out.
How do I meet the salary requirements of the Gold Card application?
Alternatively, meet the professional criteria for one of the Gold Card’s fields (science and technology, economy, education, culture and arts, sports, finance, law, architecture, national defence, digital, biotechnology, or environment) — generally a relevant degree plus 4–5 or more years of experience, or comparable achievements.
Gold Card qualification criteria

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

One question, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: At least $5,000 a month, steady and documented.
Time: About 4–8 weeks.
Cost: NT$3,600 (1-year card) to NT$5,100 (3-year card), about $110–160, plus NT$1,000 per dependant; a consultant is optional and typically $500–2,500 if used.
The hard part: Without a tax-documented NT$160,000-a-month salary, the field-specific professional criteria involve a subjective, documentation-heavy review.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2033.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
3 years, renewable for 3 years at a time.
2030
Permanent residence
Five consecutive years of legal residence with at least 183 days in Taiwan each year, good conduct, and income above twice the minimum wage or enough assets. Student time does not count. Foreign professionals can apply after 3 years, and after 1 year with NT$6 million income.
2032
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2033
Citizenship

Language: Basic proficiency in the national language, tested with the knowledge test below.
Civics: A basic test of language and of the rights and duties of citizens.
Time away: Legal residence of more than 183 days in each of at least five consecutive years.
Two passports: It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.

Permanent residence after three years with 183 days a year in Taiwan; citizenship after five, and only a ministry-recommended high-level professional can skip giving up the old passport.
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.
Whether you can keep your current citizenship depends on the rules at the time and your home country.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax: 183 or more days a year makes you a Taiwan tax resident; a first-3-years incentive excludes half of income above NT$3,000,000 a year, subject to conditions.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Apply for the Employment Gold Card.Open goldcard.nat.gov.tw ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $5,000 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

Which state do you live in?

Tell us which state you live in. Postern runs this application through Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu for passport inspection or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam for passport inspection, for residents of NY, NJ, PA, CT, DC, MD, VA, WV, DE, ME, NH, MA, VT, RI, OH, MI, IA, IN, IL, WI, MN, WA, MT, WY, ID, AK, OR, NV, UT, CA, NM, AZ, CA, GA, KY, TN, AL, NC, SC, MO, KS, ND, SD, CO, NE, TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, FL, PR, VI, HI, AS, GU, MP.

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