Essential Employment Paperwork in Taiwan

 

 

 

Visitors from the US, Australia, Canada and a majority of the European Union countries are not required to apply for a visa for a 30-day stay but need to have a confirmed ticket for their return journey. Foreign nationals of countries that do not qualify for the visa exemption and have plans of working in Taiwan for more than 30 days are required to obtain a work permit and residence visa. 

It is best for expats to secure first a job offer from a Taiwanese company because upon landing on a job, the employer will process the work permit on their behalf. Processing an application typically takes a couple of months. It is illegal to work without a work permit, and if the employer urges an applicant to fly down and start employment, there is a high possibility of deportation once caught by the immigration authorities. There are also a select few who need not undergo this application process - namely, researchers recruited by the Taiwanese government to serve as consultants and foreign spouses married to Republic of China (ROC) nationals. 

Work Permit 

Taiwanese employers who wish to hire a foreign national should submit a work permit application at the Ministry of Labour. It takes around two to three weeks for the Ministry to process a request and some of the documents that must be submitted with the application are: 

  • Employment Contract signed by the employer and the expat
  • Copy of the expatriate’s passport
  • Academic and Professional/Work certificates of the expat
  • Two passport-sized photos
  • Details of the employer’s income tax return
  • Business or Company license 

Residence Visa 

Once the expat has received the work permit from the employer, he needs to submit it to the Taiwanese (Republic of China) Embassy/Consulate in his home country and apply for a residence visa. Residence visas are valid for three months and below are the requirements that must be submitted to the Consulate: 

  • Passport that is valid for at least six months
  • Completed application form with at least two 2x2 sized photos (taken within the previous six months)
  • Work Permit and/or Employment Contract
  • Copy of the Taiwanese employer’s company/business registration 

Alien Registration Certificate (ARC) 

Within 15 days of arrival in Taiwan, expats must go to the office of the Ministry of Interior National Immigration Agency to apply for an Alien Registration Certificate or ARC. The ARC will serve as a proof that its holder has been given the legal right to reside in Taiwan and entitlement to the National Health Insurance. The validity period of the ARC is the same with the work permit and once the permit expires, the ARC will automatically be invalid.