In its efforts to attract highly qualified foreign nationals to Taiwan, the Executive Yuan has simplified the visa process. Beginning on January 1 of 2009, three visas are now being issued to qualified foreigners who want to visit or reside in Taiwan: an academic and commercial travel card, an employment pass, and a permanent residency card.
The employment pass incorporates a visa, work permit, alien resident certificate and re-entry permit, and will be issued by the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) to foreign professionals coming to work in Taiwan. Foreign nationals with visa-free entry status can switch directly to this card after entering Taiwan. In the case of foreign nationals requiring a visa to enter Taiwan, their local employer can submit an application for the card online, and after approval by the CLA, the card will be issued to the applicant by the Taiwan representative office in the applicant’s place of domicile. In situations of urgency, an applicant with a work contract can personally apply for an employment visa to enter Taiwan, and obtain an employment pass after arrival in Taiwan.
The academic and commercial travel card will be issued by the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior to persons of international renown, such as Nobel Prize laureates and important businesspeople, to use to visit Taiwan. The card will be valid for three years, and its holder may use it to enter and leave Taiwan unlimited times, may stay up to 30 days each visit, and will enjoy the special courtesy of rapid customs and immigration clearance at airports.
The “plum blossom” permanent residency card will be issued to persons who have made a special contribution to Taiwan, to immigrants with high-level professional and technical skills needed by Taiwan, and to immigrants who invest at least NT$30 million in Taiwan.
Residents of 31 countries have 30-day visa free privileges. Stays longer than that and visitors from other countries require a visa. The Visitor Visa Application Form can be downloaded from the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://www.boca.gov.tw/mp?mp=2).
