In early March, we were enjoying a stress-free and relaxing life in a gorgeous villa we stayed at for an entire month in Ubud (Bali). Life was abundant, safe, and shared with people we shared similar values with.

But on March 11th, 2020 everything changed as the WHO declared COVID19 a pandemic. We went from looking forward to extending our stay in Ubud by another month to realizing that this place we loved, enjoyed, and cherished for the past few weeks did not meet our expectations in terms of medical infrastructure or leadership and we needed an exit plan. 

As of 8/22/2020, Indonesia has 6,594 deaths due to COVID19 (or 568 cases per 1M people). This put Indonesia as the 20th country with the least number of deaths and the 133rd country with the lowest number of cases per 1M people. Bali is doing quite well with only 51 death (source).

As nomads, we take advance of our ability to live anywhere and decided to come to Taiwan based on how the country was handling the pandemic so far. Little did we know Taiwan was going to be the best place we could have chosen!

To learn more about our decision process to come to Taiwan, check out our escape plan from Bali

As of 8/22/2020, Taiwan has only 7 deaths due to COVID19 (or 21 cases per 1M people). This puts Taiwan as the 20th country with the least number of deaths and the 7th country with the lowest number of cases per 1M people.


Over the past few months, we truly felt in love with Taiwan and were impressed by how that country managed to keep the virus away. After completing our 2 weeks quarantine, our life pretty much stayed the same as it was back in Bali. We’ve been going out to many restaurants, enjoyed countless crowded street markets, met with a few nomadic friends, went on dozens of hikes, enjoyed some scuba diving & snorkeling, went ocean kayaking, discovered river tracing, biked through wonderful scenery (like Sun Moon Lake) and pretty much anything you would be dreaming of doing in a place without COVID19

To learn more about what we’ve been doing in Taiwan during the pandemic, check our getting “Stuck” in Taiwan monthly reports).

Since life has been really good in Taiwan for us and we can’t think of any better place to be right now with the virus since it affects most people’s lives on a daily basis, we looked at the option of becoming Taiwanese residents through the Taiwan Employment Gold Card 

And today we are finally happy to announce that my application has been approved which means that both me and Mrs. NN will be able to stay in Taiwan for the next 3 years (summer 2023) without needed to work!

Since the program we found is not very known and other like-minded people would likely be able to qualify, we decided to write extensively about it so you can benefit from all the research we’ve done and hopefully you can come to join us here! In this post, we will explain what this visa program is about, who it is for, what are the benefits you get from it, what are the requirements to meet and a step by step guide if you are interested to apply which has been based on our experience. We will cover how to bring your spouse or even your parents in a later post as we are still going through these steps, so make sure to sign-up for our newsletter to not miss it!

Are you ready to learn more?

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER (REMINDER):
The content on this site is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute either professional financial or legal advice. This post is based on our own experience with the Gold Card application process as of the time of publication. Please refer to the Official Gold Card Application Instructions for Foreign Special Professionals in Foreign Countries as your source of truth. We won’t be held responsible for any actions you might have taken based on the content of this post. For more information please review our disclaimer page.

What is the Taiwan Employment Gold Card (aka Gold Card)?

The Taiwan Employment Gold Card is part of the Act for the Recruitment of Foreign Professionals, which was implemented in February 2018. As of June 30, 2020, only 872 Gold Cards have been issued (source) which indicates that this program hasn’t been very well publicized, especially for all the benefits you get from. (we will cover that in a little bit).

The goal of this program is to help Taiwan attract more highly-skilled foreign talent in several professions which are deemed of importance to the economy, under which qualified foreigners can apply for. These professions are the following: 

  • Architectural Design
  • Culture & Arts
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Finance
  • Law
  • Science & Technology
  • Sports

Who generally applies for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card?

If you want to find a job in Taiwan, you usually identify a company in the country, go through the interview process, and – if hired – have your employer apply for a work permit for you. You then get a resident visa that is tied to your employment status with this employer. This means that if you lose your job, you need to leave the country. (This is very similar to the H-1A Visa in the USA).

The Taiwan Employment Gold Card (also known as the gold card) is a great alternative for people that want to stay in Taiwan for at least one of the following reasons:

  • you want to work for an employer that is outside of Taiwan
  • you want to work for multiple employers
  • you want to freelance

What are the benefits of the Taiwan Employment Gold Card?

The Taiwan Employment Gold Card acts both as a work and resident permit valid for 1, 2 or 3 years. It includes the following benefits:

  1. a resident visa – Your right to reside in the country
  2. an Alien Resident Certificate (or ARC) – This is the physical card that acts as your proof that you can legally reside in Taiwan
  3. multiple-entry permits – This allows you to leave and enter the country as many times as you need to (even during COVID19)
  4. an open work permit – This gives you the option to apply for any job in Taiwan without needing to be sponsored
  5. ability to apply for National Health Insurance – This lets you utilize the very good and affordable healthcare system that Taiwan offers. 
  6. ability to bring your spouse & kids to Taiwan under your resident visa
  7. ability to invite your parents/grandparents (your lineal ascendants) to visit you during your stay – This is pretty useful during COVID19 since foreign travelers are not allowed inside the country
  8. ability to enjoy discounted income tax (on any revenue earned in Taiwan)

What are the requirements to apply for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card?

Each profession has its own set of specific requirements (check Do I qualify for the Gold Card?) and this is where things can become complicated since each applicant needs to provide specific documentation to support his/her skills in that specific profession.

BUT we found a straightforward way to not have to go through such documentation and this is where it becomes much more attractive! 

Pro-Tip #1: The easiest way to apply is to submit your application under the “Economic” profession because the only qualification required is not skill-based but salary based. This requirement is that you make the equivalent of a monthly salary of 160,000 NTD for a full calendar year (or 1,920,000 NTD a year which is about $65,000 USD at today’s conversion rate). You can submit any proof of salary within the last 3 years (so 2018 as of this writing).

If you made at least ~$65,000 USD in W-2 income in either 2018, 2019 or 2020 you have enough to qualify for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card  

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT APPLYING UNDER ECONOMY
(as of February 2021)

“Recently, there have been many applications that have been made under the salary condition. Though most applicants fulfill the NT$160,000 average monthly salary condition, they do not work in an industry specified under the Field of Economics. In order to comply with the principle and spirit of the Gold Card initiative, we will check that the industry in which the applicant works in is the under the specified Field of Economics, which will also serve as the basis for approval. To speed up the application review process and reduce the chances of returned applications or needing to provide additional documents, applicants are requested to provide their full CV and employment contract.”.

For more information please refer to this page for more details about this recent adjustment: https://goldcard.nat.gov.tw/en/qualification/field-of-economy/

How long does it take to get your Taiwan Employment Gold Card?

Short answer: About a month if you apply within Taiwan and between 2-3 months if you apply overseas due to additional processing times.

Here is my timeline as I applied within Taiwan (early summer 2020): 

  • (a) Day 1: Submitted my application online and paid for the application fee.
  • (b) Day 21: Passed the skill assessment test & received my passport submission notice.
  • (c) Day 22: Dropped my passport at the Taipei Bureau Of Consular Affairs (BOCA) for verification.
  • (d) Day 28: Received an email from the immigration that my application has been approved.
  • (e) Day 29: Received an email saying my gold card is ready for pick up at the Taipei National Immigration Office (NIO).
  • (f) Day 30: Picked up my gold card. Success! 🍾 

This is a month from start to finish which is quite fast.

If you apply overseas you should expect further delay at the following stages:

  • Passport verification stage (step c) – This has to be done at your local Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO). (Due to COVID19, we heard that some offices have significantly increased their processing time or are requesting documents to be mailed to them – vs being dropped off in-person. So make sure to check your local TECO office for details).
  • Card pick-up stage (step e) – When you apply you can decide if you want your gold card to be sent to your local TECO or if you want to pick it up in Taiwan. It takes about 21 days for the card to be sent from Taiwan to your local TECO. (Due to COVID19, we heard additional delays).

Pro-tip #2: We suggest that you ask to pick up your card once in Taiwan. Once your application is approved, you will be able to download a PDF that you can use to board your plane and enter Taiwan while the border is still closed to foreigners.  

How to apply for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card? Our Step by Step Online Application guide

The application is done online via the Gold Card Online Application Portal.

Since there are a lot of moving parts, we created a nice step by step guide that goes through the application process where we share screenshots of the application portal as well as each email we received to help you apply as easily as possible without making a potential mistake that might significantly delay your application. 

If you are interested in receiving a FREE copy of our guide, please provide us your email address so we can send it to you as soon as possible.

Mini-FAQ about the Gold Card

Do I need to be already in Taiwan to apply for the Gold Card?

No. You can apply within Taiwan (as we did) but also from overseas, which is actually how most of the people applied.

What about my spouse and kids? Can I bring along with me?

Certainly and we did write a follow-up blog post that covers the process. Please read How to get multi-year resident status in Taiwan through the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Part II: Spouse application for more details.

How much does the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Cost?

Fees are subject to change, but as of today they are the following and depend on whether or not you are a US passport holder and how long you want the card to be valid for (1, 2, or 3 years).

  • Holders of U.S. passports applying abroad – one-year validity: NTD 6,460 (~220 USD); two-year validity: NTD 7,460 (~250 USD); three-year validity: NTD 8,460 (~290 USD).
  • Holders of foreign passports other than the U.S. applying abroad – one-year validity: NTD 3,700 (~125 USD); two-year validity: NTD 4,700 (~160 USD); three-year validity: NTD 5,700 (~200 USD).

As you can see, being a US citizen isn’t the cheapest option but at less than 300 USD for a 3 years period, this visa is still really cheap compared to other countries. 

Pro-tip #3: If you are American with dual-citizenship, apply using your other citizenship as this will make you save some money on the application fee.

Can I get local health insurance if I am a freelancer/don’t have an employer in Taiwan?

Yes, but you will have to wait 6 months from the day your gold card has been issued.

Do I need to find a job once I am in Taiwan?

Please refer to this page for more information.  

Additional Resources

Here are further resources that we have been been using when we went through this process you can check out as well: 

And to start your application: Gold Card Online Application Portal

Our Bottom Line

If you have earned at least the equivalent of 1,920,000 NTD (~65,000 USD) in one of the past three years, you are eligible to apply for the Taiwan Gold Card which provides you with massive benefits to come to Taiwan for less than $300 USD (this include a resident visa, multi-entry visa, open work permit, great health care, ability to bring your family along and much more).

We feel really grateful to have discovered this program and are thankful for Taiwan to have provided me with the opportunity to become a Gold Card holder. We feel that other people should be aware of this program and in this unprecedented time, they might prefer coming to Taiwan than staying in their respective country if they have the flexibility that we do.

And because the process can be really confusing at first, we hope that this blog post (& our step by step guide) will help you get up to speed and go through the application process in a smooth fashion! 

Now you may ask, what about Mrs. NN? Well, we are still going through the process of getting her visa. We have two options that are currently running in // and should be able to report on her status pretty soon. This has also been a learning curve, so I am considering publishing a dedicated post about getting your spouse on your Gold Card. Please let us a comment if you would be interested and make sure to sign-up to our newsletter to get notified once this post will go live.

Did you know about the Taiwan Employment Gold Card? Would you consider applying for it? What additional questions do you have about it? Please feel free to share any questions you might have as we will be happy to answer from what we learn by going through the process ourselves.


Mr. Nomad Numbers

We are a couple who travel the world and want to inspire people to think differently about the life they can design for themselves through our journey.

124 Comments

Xavier Bourdeau · August 24, 2020 at 12:39 pm

Great article! Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 24, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    Thanks Xavier! It took us a while to figure these thing out so happy to see that you are enjoying it!

Our Freedom Years · August 24, 2020 at 1:07 pm

Congratulations on securing your Gold Card residency status! This is a really smart response to the current situation of closed borders and limited travel options for all of us nomads. We’ll have to keep this option in mind once we’re ready to make our way back to Asia…

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 24, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    Thanks you! Yeah it’s all about having options as nomads, right? The more the better 🙂 Keep in mind that it will take between 1-3 months for your application so don’t wait last minute.

Eric @ BonusNachos.com · August 25, 2020 at 8:14 am

Good stuff. I didn’t realize the program was so new. Nice that you were able to find it.

Since you applied under the Economy designation, was there a spot on the application for your occupation? And if so, did you put retired (or if not do you think retired would work)? Just curious, as I haven’t registered in order to see the full application, but I have to imagine that’s one of the fields.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 25, 2020 at 8:31 am

    Hi Eric. We cover the details of the application process on our step by step guide that include your occupation. I did applied under “Unemployed” and apparently that hasn’t been an issue since I got approved. Yeah the program is quite new! Are you considering applying and come join us? We are secretely recruiting nomads to come join us as life here is quite good and should hopefully remain as good in 2021 🙂

Eric @ BonusNachos.com · August 25, 2020 at 8:40 am

Whoops, guess I should’ve downloaded that before asking!

We are kicking the idea around, yeah. We’d have to apply soon as we would use our 2018 W2s to qualify (which I also have to find). We’re mostly fine here in Vietnam, but after being here a long time, I think a change would be nice. The price is so reasonable that we might apply even if we don’t actually show up though, just to make sure we have it as an option going forward.

I’ll let you know if it happens. Thanks for all those links.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 25, 2020 at 8:56 am

    Yeah keep us posted Eric! It’s is indeed a cheap option for a 3 years resident visa and this is why we wanted to share this with our community as I’m sure many could benefit from in these unprecedented times. If you guys manage to overlap with us in Taiwan, we will be happy to introduce you to the cool people we’ve met and all the great things to do!

Michael Lewis · August 26, 2020 at 1:37 am

Nice! Now you can visit Kavalan all the time!!!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 26, 2020 at 5:43 am

    Hey Michael. Do you have any recommendation if we make it to the distillery?

Skip · August 26, 2020 at 9:33 am

Hmmmmm….
This is definitely food for thought. Thanks for sharing.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 26, 2020 at 9:57 am

    Hi Skip. It is all options during the unprecedented times right?

Jimmin · August 26, 2020 at 6:22 pm

Thanks for sharing this! I didn’t know this visa even exist!
Do you think this visa is renewable after the 3 years?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 27, 2020 at 5:26 am

    Hi Jimmin. The gold card isn’t renewable unfortunately. If you want another 3 years you need to go through the entire application process again.

Michael Lewis · August 27, 2020 at 6:01 pm

The Kavalan Vinho Barrique won whisky of the year in 2017. Dark blue label, super dark color whisky. It’s glorious stuff. Generally the soloist line is great whisky. I reviewed the Manzanilla Solosist a few months back: https://drunkendiplomacy.com/blog/2020/01/26/review-93-kavalan-manzanilla-solist/

I think they have a free tour and tasting which is great. Kavalan does a lot of small lines of stuff that’s really hard to track down, and they probably have some distillery exclusive stuff which is always great to try. Their whisky is generally really expensive, but you can usually sell it for 30-50% more on the secondary market in the US.

Jolly Hobos · August 27, 2020 at 7:35 pm

Big Congrats to you both! That’s really a smart decision and move to secure the Gold Visa. Thanks for sharing all the details and with us previously! We are considering it and will make a decision about the application soon.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 27, 2020 at 11:08 pm

    Hi JH! Keep us posted if you decide to apply! It would be wonderful to meet you in Taiwan!

Jolly Hobos · August 29, 2020 at 6:56 pm

So, we just completed our application for the Gold Visa! If we are lucky enough to get approved too, then we would likely make the move over once our 3 months in Portugal is up in early December. So we’ll certainly check in closer to the time to see where you are based and plan a meetup and a hike!

We were able to apply with Mr Jolly Hobo’s details.

A question that your great article raised is about Mrs NN and subsequently Mrs Jolly Hobo. The visa states that it can cover a spouse, but in your article you talk about going through that process now. Does that mean it isn’t an automatic approval of the spouse and you need a full, separate application process?

Thanks again for the great tips!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 30, 2020 at 1:17 am

    Hey Jolly. Glad to see you decide to apply for the gold card. I think if you can come here you are truly gonna appreciate life in Taiwan!

    I’ll write about the spouse application process most likely in a week to share the details. It isn’t automatic indeed and it require you to file a spouse visa.

    Under normal circumstance getting a spouse under the card holder require to get your wedding certificate authenticated at the local Taiwanese office, enter Taiwan and apply in the country with that document. But since borders are closed to foreigners you need to apply from outside. And the post will share the details.

    Honestly if both of you qualify for the visa I’ll suggest that you both apply as it will go much much faster.

Jolly Hobos · August 30, 2020 at 5:41 am

Thanks for that.

Yes, looks like the spouse part is a bit more complicated than the actual application.

Look forward to your update on that!

Thanks again.

Shannon and Sergio @ScrewTheaverage · August 30, 2020 at 11:25 pm

Thanks for sharing guys, fingers crossed all goes well with Mrs. NNs!

Shawn · September 13, 2020 at 5:48 pm

Hello! This is a great article! I’m also a recent gold cardholder 😉 A few of us in the community have put together this website https://taiwangoldcard.com with all details about Application FAQ + Gold Card Holders FAQ. Feel free to share any content on your blog if you find something useful there!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · September 15, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    Hi Shawn. Thanks for calling this out. We did actually stumble upon this website while researching the application process but I forgot to mention it for some reason 🙂 I’ve fixed this by adding a link to this post as well as our follow up post about the spouse application. Good job on putting this great website together btw!

Cody · September 25, 2020 at 5:47 am

Hey there, amazing article – thanks so much! I just had a few quick questions if you could help out!

1. If I’m currently employed, but plan to quit when I go to Taiwan should I fill out my current employer, or put unemployed?
2. I’m not sure when exactly I would leave for Taiwan even if it was approved today, do I have to pick it up and enter Taiwan within a certain period of time?
3. How am I supposed to know exactly where I’ll be staying in Taiwan when filling out the application?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · September 25, 2020 at 2:39 pm

    Hi Cody. Thanks for finding our article useful! Please find answers to our questions which are purely based on our experience.

    1. Put your current employment status at the time if application. (We out unemployed for our application and still got approved so not sure if this is an important field for the application review process).
    2. No you can come when you want but once approve your residency permit will start on your approval date.
    3. This can be left blank and once you come to Taiwan (or close to come) you can update that field later. Actually you need to keep this I formation up to date and might need to update it if you move around Taiwan.

      Cody · September 25, 2020 at 4:41 pm

      Thanks Mr. Nomad, very useful – this gives me one (hopefully last) question: I generally move around a lot and won’t likely have one set location for long so it’s not like any mail would get to me before I’m gone potentially. And I may leave the country to visit other nearby countries with maintaining/paying for an apartment (since I’ll likely be Airbnb-ing.) So my question(s):

      * Do they have any equivalent to P.O. Boxes over there, or something like Virtual Post Mail where I have my mail sent to a specific location for me and scanned? This makes it so I can check my mail anywhere as I’m moving about. Worst case, maybe I could use a set friend’s address who would hold onto all my mail? I don’t have to actually update it as I move around constantly do I? Thanks again!

Oli · September 25, 2020 at 12:40 pm

Great piece, thanks guys!

My situation is a bit tricky, I actually sitting in central Europe now, but i am Australian citizen, if i pass the skill assessment but none of the TECO here in Europe can verify my passport. Do you happen to have any idea about this? also, how long does it take to apply ARC for dependent children if you are aware? thanks so much!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · September 25, 2020 at 2:44 pm

    Hi Oli. Did you ask your local TECO (in Central Europe) if they can help you with that? They might be able to sen me your passport to another office. We had good experience talking with our local TECO in California with our questions.

    No experience with ARC for dependent children so I’ll encourage you to ask that question in the forum we link on our post as it has been a good source of information and there might actually be a thread on that topic. Hope this helps! And hopefully you can get approved and come join us here!

Florian · September 27, 2020 at 3:02 am

Might be a stupid question, but are we speaking 160k NTD/month net or gross income?

Julie E · October 4, 2020 at 11:13 am

Hi there, great article! We are currently working in New Zealand but will expire in Jan/Feb and don’t want to go home to US yet! I was born in Taiwan so can possible reactivate my TW status, however, the Gold Card app seems like a straightforward option for my husband & myself. Do you know about dependents? We have 2 kids – would they need to be under a separate visa application? I know you published a spouse one, but anything about children? Thanks so much for sharing by the way, love your site!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 4, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    Well we don’t have children so can’t go in depth about the experience but as a gold calf holder we know you can actually grant access to Taiwan to both your ascestry (ie. your parents / grand parents) and your decent (ie. your kids). You will have a file an application for them but can probably send all the document for your husband and your kids at the same time. You can get more information via your local TECO (back in the USA). I hope this helps!

    Also why do you need to apply for the gold card if you already have a Taiwan passport? Maybe you never requested one and this is why your are implying the GC process would be easier? Because it is my understanding that if you are Taiwanese you can still bring your family with you in Taiwan. Not sure about the length of the visa you will get for them though. Please correct me if I’m wrong 🙂

Cody · October 8, 2020 at 4:11 pm

Hey man, I applied on 9/30 but my status is still “Under Inspection” but you said it should move statuses within about 2 days. Any ideas what’s up or if I need to do something else? I checked and they’re not requesting anymore documentation or anything and i used your guide to fill it out to a T!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 9, 2020 at 5:07 am

    Hi Cody. At the time we applied for our application we went from « under review” to “Professional Review by Workforce Development Agency” in a couple of days. We mentioned this in our step by step guide because we heard that people would get stuck at this stage if some of the information they submitted weren’t correct (for instance, for ppl applying within Taiwan – like us – people got rejected at this review stage for not providing the right visa they use to enter the country with). Only the website was updated to provide them with the next step, hence us encouraging checking their application status at this point TK make sure they move to the professional review stage.

    Also, and you might not know that but last weekend and this weekend are two long weekend in Taiwan (moon festival weekend & national holiday weekend) and public offices tend to close during that time so the review process might be delayed if this.

    Also, I’ve heard that there has been a surge of GC delivered in September so I won’t be surprise if the agency is building of backlog of application due to post like this one that contribute to promote the gold card program further.

    My suggestion would be to check you status again toward the end of next week and by then you should definitely see an update. (Unless the agency has changed the status workflow and combine both statuses under one.)

    Ultimately the government agency you have been in touch is your main point of contact if you have question about your specific application. You are the first person reporting this to us so if other people are in your situation hopefully they can chime in here as well. I hope this helps!

      Cody · October 13, 2020 at 9:40 pm

      Dang, thanks for the info! Hope I didn’t apply too late and they don’t reach capacity or something due to this surge in applications…mine has finally changed status to the one you described, I think as you say the holiday slowed things down. I meet all the requirements so I’m not sure how strict they are since I don’t have a college degree but make double the required income (also I’m ‘older’, at 36 and they seem to prefer young applicants.) A friend didn’t send me this article until a month after you’d posted it.

        Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 14, 2020 at 3:35 am

        We had the chance to hear directly from the minister in charge of this program and he told us (current gold card holders) to promote the program to our friends and network as they clearly want more people to come to Taiwan! So as if this writing I’m not worry about your application. As long as you qualify you will get your card. We applied as « unemployed » and solely under the salary requirement and were approved so don’t worry about your degree. Good luck & keep us posted though!

Joie · October 14, 2020 at 4:04 pm

Great Article, Mr. NM! Do you know by any chance what’s the approval rate? It sounds like as long as you meet the criteria, you are good to go..but do they really approve everyone who is eligible?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 15, 2020 at 2:14 am

    Hard to say. But everyone we talked to that went through the process never had an issue going to Economy route with a W-2 as a proof of salary for Americans. So I’ll say it’s pretty high 🙂 And for all the benefits you get the application fee isn’t really that high. Are you considering applying? And so what would be the reason for you to come to Taiwan?

      Joie · October 15, 2020 at 2:48 am

      I applied earlier last month, but they came back and asked me for additional information so I ended up sending in everything around mid sept. My partner applied at the same time and got approved in 3 weeks. We both applied under economy+w2 and applied for a year. I’m getting nervous because 1.it’s been a while and 2. I make more than $65k but not a lot more than that. So…hopefully it’s because of the surge. 🤞🏽 My partner has been in contact with some organization in Taiwan who could use both of our expertise and help if we could be there in person. I explained that in a letter with my application so hopefully that helps. 😬

        Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 15, 2020 at 11:58 am

        Hi Joie. Thanks for the details and it’s good to see that you partner has already been approved in the expected timeline. I’m assuming you guys aren’t married so you won’t be able to come as a spouse. The rule stipulate the salary using the NTD currency so they might convert it when they review it. They will need to get back to you with the reason and if it’s on the salary you will know. May I ask what kind of additional documents they asked? It’s the first time we heard about requiring additional document then the salary requirement when applying under economy. You might unveiled a specific case for when additional doc might be necessary. (Note. It’s okay not to share this info if you’re don’t want. I’m asking as this might be useful for others reading comment on this post). Again I hope you will hear back before the end of the month! I know the wait can be stressful…

          Joie · October 15, 2020 at 4:13 pm

          Yeah no problem, happy to share, and I appreciate how detailed your post was and it will help a lot of people! 🙂 I was asked for additional information because I was a Chinese citizen before. Funny enough, “China” was not even a country listed under “Place of Birth” and I had to put “Others”. So they asked for my past travel record back to China.

          And yes, we are not married so we have to apply separately. We’ve been planning to go to Taiwan since the beginning of the year because of his work and connection, and of course COVID decided to join our plan and make it difficult. 🤷🏽‍♀️ We just heard about this program last month and immediately applied!

          I just came across your blog yesterday and love your stories and posts! Maybe if we make it to Taiwan successfully, we can connect in person. 🙂

          Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 16, 2020 at 1:30 am

          Thanks for the details. I don’t know in anyone personally that has applied under Chinese citizenship so keep us posted about the outcome!

          If you guys make it to Taiwan we should definitely meet up!

          Mengdi Lin · October 16, 2020 at 2:26 pm

          Hi Joie,

          I am running into the same issue. They are asking for my old US passport that has a travel history back to China but I have lost that passport. What documents did you provide for your past travel record back to China?

Joie · October 17, 2020 at 9:26 pm

Hi Mengdi, there’s no reply button to your comment, so hopefully you see this.
Thankfully I had my old passport so I took pictures of the stamps and made a cover letter with a list of trips (destinations, dates and durations.) and signed the letter. I don’t know if you have any email record of the old itineraries or maybe if you remember the sites you booked those trips and if they have a history of your trips? I’m not sure of the best course of action but I would suggest you to write a letter to explain it if you have lost your passport and you think the information provided might not be complete. It’s kinda annoying that you can’t look up the travel history on the Chinese Customs website, unlike in the U.S. you can just pull up the I-94 records.
Anyways, It’s seems like the administrators for this program are pretty willing to work with you throughout the process. Maybe you can give them a call to explain?

    Jason · October 22, 2020 at 2:24 pm

    Hi Josie, did you have to submit any additional documents or did the cover letter work out ok? I’m a former chinese citizen so I will probably have to submit additional documents.

      Joie · October 24, 2020 at 5:06 am

      I submitted photocopies of my old passport, the stamps that showed my travel records to China and a cover letter.

Kathy · October 20, 2020 at 12:04 am

This was a great article. I’m wondering if you had any issues with the portal. I have applied, but it appears or looks as though I’m not in the system and I’m not sure if I should apply again or that may prolong the process. Is there any kind of agency anyone has used to speed up the process or a phone number to call and ask? Thanks.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 21, 2020 at 6:37 am

    Hi Kathy! The only portion of the portal that was tricky for us was to submit the picture as we had to redo it a few times. If you have downloaded our step by step guide (linked at the end of the post) we go over exactly the steps we had to follow. Once you submit successfully you will get an application number that you can use to look up your application. You can look up your application using the “Case Status Check” options from the navigation toolbar on the application portal. As for using an agency, we haven’t used one as people told us that it wasn’t really necessary as the steps were quite simple so we don’t have anyone to recommend. Again check out our step-by-step guide we linked on this post and let us know if you are still having trouble with your application. Good luck!

Gokhan · October 27, 2020 at 5:46 am

Hey guys,

Thank you so much for writing about this! This is an incredible opportunity and I really appreciate how detailed your article is. I have been researching for safe destinations/travel restrictions in the world for a while. After reading your article, I applied for the Gold Card and got approved within a month! I bought my ticket right away and I’m in Taiwan now 🙂

I would love to meet up and grab drinks together sometime if you guys are available. I’m here because of you, thank you very much again!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 27, 2020 at 10:00 am

    Hey Gokhan! Glad that you have found this post useful and that you already made it to Taiwan! That was pretty fast.

    Are you still going through the quarantine? Please reach out via our email address or contact form so we can chat more privately!

Oli · October 27, 2020 at 10:01 am

Hi Mr. NN

One more question about using the salary based requirement under ‘economy”, what kind of document did you guys provide?

thank
Oli

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 27, 2020 at 11:43 am

    We provided a W-2 as proof of income. If you are working in the USA and apply under “economy” this is the document to add to to your application, not your pay stubs

    Jess · November 4, 2020 at 6:28 pm

    Hi Mr. NN,

    Great article! When you submitted your W-2 could you redact your social security number? I’d be worried about privacy concerns but I also understand they might require it.

    Thanks!

      Mr. Nomad Numbers · November 5, 2020 at 10:38 am

      Hi Jess. We’ve submitted the document as-is so I can’t comment about that. If you are not in a rush you can try to submit your w-2 with your SSN redacted and see if they ask for it during the review processes. Submitted such redacted w-2 should not invalidate your application but can cost roughly another month in processing time. Also check out the ressources we linked in this post and especially the forum as people might be able to know more about this topic. Good luck!

Raviraj · October 28, 2020 at 3:41 pm

Hi Mr NN,

Thank you for helping people understand in details how the Gold Card works.

I had one question: (I am a US citizen working for a French company)
If I apply for the Gold Card and continue working for the company that I am currently working for after moving to Taiwan (which is not based in Taiwan), will that be ok (or) do I need to find employment in Taiwan in a taiwanese based company?
Thanks again.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · October 29, 2020 at 12:14 am

    Hi Raviraj. The beauty of the gold card is that you are allowed to work in Taiwan for any company you want. You might be subject to Taiwan taxes though as you will become Taiwan resident but beside that you should be fine.

Felix Hartmann · November 11, 2020 at 3:16 pm

I have tried with several browser and over the last 3 hours to get forward on the payment page. No matter which option I select (most convenient for me would be international credit card, but I also tried the in store payment – as I could ask a friend in Taiwan to pay it for me) – it times out. Sometimes I get: 系統維護中
— Anyone else having this problem?
I will call the number on Monday (guess it’s not open on weekends) and drop them a mail to, to ask what is going on there…

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · November 16, 2020 at 6:42 am

    Sorry for the late reply. Could this have been a glitch? Did you manage to find a way to submit your payment?

Felix Hartmann · November 16, 2020 at 6:48 am

Yes they fixed it next day. Their payment site integration seems to be a bit unstable. So if someone else has this Problem, drop them a mail or try next day.

Chris · November 28, 2020 at 12:58 pm

Great information. A few questions if you have time.
1. Can you have more than one income taken in consideration or does the salary need to be from “one” company or institution? I assume my pension from the military is a no go as well.
2. If pay stubs are not the way; I will have to wait for my W-2 for 2020 in January
3. I saw a copy of someone’s application and it asked information about friends/family in Taiwan; while I do not have family there, I do have a few friends from visits over the years, is this needed on the application?

I appreciate all the good info you wrote about and the questions you’ve answered .

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · November 30, 2020 at 5:38 am

    Hi Chris. Thanks for reading our post. Please find my answers below:
    1. We, unfortunately, don’t know the answer to that question. Your best luck would be to ask on the forum we link to our article
    2. You will be definitely more successful with a W-2 than paystubs. We read stories of people sending their paystub and lost 4 weeks of processing time because the immigration asked them to provide an alternative proof of income.
    3. Don’t worry about this. You can totally submit without it.

    Hope this helps! Keep us posted if you get your card and come join us to Taiwan!

HPC · December 1, 2020 at 8:16 am

Hi Mr. NN, would you please provide a post for applying visa for spouse / family once you get the gold card?

Rai · December 3, 2020 at 12:08 am

Any info on how Taiwan taxes gold card holders for assets held abroad (dividends & capital gains?)

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 3, 2020 at 3:07 am

    Hi Rai. We are not tax specialists and tax rules might be different based on factors like citizenship and residency status. We are currently looking at our tax situation as we will need to file our tax in Taiwan in 2021 (as Taiwan resident). We might report about it on our blog once we go through the process.

    As part of our research, we recently attended a presentation about taxation for Gold Card Holders. You can find a similar version of the presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ESdfmdBNDc. TL;DR; if you earn a lot, you can claim a nice tax break for 3 years.

    This Wikipedia page is also a good source of information about taxation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_taxation#Individuals

    Maybe people can reply to your comment about their personal experience?

      Raj · December 4, 2020 at 1:26 am

      Thank a lot for the links Mr. Nomad
      Will wait for an update once you file the taxes for 2021.

Michael · December 7, 2020 at 2:44 am

Hi,

Really good article 🙂

I have some questions about this process. I am french, living in Montreal, working as a Java developer, waiting for the canadian permanent residence. My wife is taiwanese, she went back to Taipei last July.
I want to join her ASAP but my T4 (in Canada it is the equivalent of the US W-2) for 2019 is less than 1 920 000 TWD (but it doesn’t show my annual bonus, which included will go over the required amount, maybe it can work…). My T4 2020 will be over this amount but will be available in January or February and i would like to go Taipei by end of January. My last salary slip already shows a number over the required one but it seems to not be the way to go according to what you wrote on Nov 30.

Here are my questions :

1) Does the criteria of 1 920 000 TWD make it sure that i can have the gold card or is there any limited spots or random selection ? I can go to Taiwan using family visit, family gathering, maybe job and maybe looking for job visas. Family visit is really easy and if i am sure to get the gold card by applying it in Taiwan (quicker than applying it in Canada according to what you say due to the covid) i will go this way. Some people may ask why i dont apply for a family visa then an ARC mariage. I think it will take way more time to gather all the documents and translations than applying to the gold card. So the ideal plan would be, family visit visa, gold card, then take our time to gather all the documents to apply for family ARC. I am considering applying from Canada and pick up in Taiwan but i am not really confident about canadian administration. Moreover, the closest TECO is in Ottawa, not Montreal.

2) Maybe a stupid question but i guess the 1 920 000 TWD is a gross amount, not net amount right ? Since every countries has different tax policy.

3) I read that : If qualifying under one of the the ‘salary’ criteria, the MoL will review your financial data (basically, your yearly tax return). If you do not pass the review, your work permit can be cancelled. (Source: Application Portal).
Does it mean that even if i apply for a 3 years gold card, if the MoL reviews my financial data after one year, i can loose the gold card ? Or this check will be done after 3 years ?

4) Same type of question, it seems to have a minimum salary requirement for gold card holders (https://taiwangoldcard.com/goldcard-holders-faq/at-work/). Really curious to know what is the reviews frequency of the Ministry of Labor.

Thanks.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 7, 2020 at 5:48 am

    Hi Michael. Glad you found our post useful and excited that you have plans to come to Taiwan! Please find answers of your questions below

    1) So far, there hasn’t been a quota on the number the gold cards being issued. And from hearing from the minister leading this program in person, they clearly want more people to come to Taiwan than less so you should not have to worry about the time being. It is interesting to note though that word of mouth is starting to spread as 2020 is on track to become a record year for the program. As for your strategy, if you can come here on a family visa, then it makes sense to come this way and then, later on, convert to a gold card. Most people unfortunately don’t have this option.

    2) Yes, it is a gross amount.

    3+4) The page you are referring to since to have the most “unofficial” information I know about the topic and keep in mind that we are neither lawyers, migration agents nor have any relationship with the government :-). I can also add that so far no existing gold cardholders we have been in contact with know some or has a personal experience of getting their gold card revoked because of a financial review. Please keep us posted if you know more on that note from official sources!

    Hope this helps!

      Michael · December 7, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      Hi,

      Thanks for the answers. I don’t really want to come with a family visa. I know I am lucky to have this option but I may need the taiwanese mariage transcript (need to do in Canada and need few documents and translations), a medical check (not PCR but a real medical check), and a police certificate from Canada (I feel this one can take few weeks to get too and it’s certainly not free, France one is really easy it takes 20min total). If I can, I will do the opposite, gold card first then if we stay in Taiwan, family visa then resident visa then family ACR.
      I called the TECO in Ottawa but they cannot really can help me because they don’t do the validation process of the gold card application but they said :
      – Salary stubs can work
      – I need to go in person in Ottawa for the submitting passport part (I was stupid, I didn’t ask if I need to go twice, one time to give them, one time to take it back, or they can do this part in few minutes or hours and I just need to go there one time)
      – Like you said, I will have a kind of visa if I choose to pick up the gold card in Taiwan (I wanted to double check)
      – They don’t know anything about hypothetical annual financial review from Ministry of Labor for gold cardholders
      – They don’t know if there is any quota or hidden criteria behind the “easy” economy criteria way

        Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 8, 2020 at 10:24 am

        Thank you Michael for sharing your experience. This will be valuable information for our readers! For the passport application, our friends who did it in the USA were able to do it in one appointment. Here in Taiwan, it was different as they had to keep the passport for a week. Hopefully, you can call them again to clarify this point.

        Florian · December 8, 2020 at 1:38 pm

        Hey Michael, I’ve been to the Ottawa branch of the TECO last week for the validation of my passport. It took me <5 minutes. They just took a photocopy and I was done. You might want to bring at least a printout of the email mentioning that you should bring your passport for validation.

        They told me I've to obtain a visa as I'm planning to pick the card up in Taiwan. I'm slightly confused atm, but I will wait for the next step in the process before doing more research on this. I thought, that I'll get some kind of PDF file allowing me to enter Taiwan to pick up the card.

          Michael · December 12, 2020 at 4:17 pm

          Hi Florian,
          This information will change a lot of things in my process lol. I called the french embassy in Montreal to check the different visas they said i need to deal with Taiwan’s embassy because i am a (temporary but still) canadian resident. I called Taiwan’s embassy in Ottawa and they want a mariage authentication in Taiwan (even for a visit family visa) because even if Montreal is under Ottawa’s TECO’s jurisdiction for visa, since we got married in Ontario (which is not under Ottawa TECO’s jurisdiction), they want a legalized marriage in Taiwan. I feel weird but i planned to begin to do the marriage authentication process in Toronto’s TECO to apply after a visit family visa in Ottawa. I thought ow well the gold card (even if i may need to wait February if they really want my T4) may be easier and it is another way i can do in parallel to have more chance to go to Taiwan.
          I am pretty happy to read that one round trip to Ottawa and 5min to check my passport will be enough (not sure with the pandemic if i can travel between provinces though). But yes, you are supposed to get a visa directly once you got the gold card, at least it was like that last Summer when Mr Nomad Numbers wrote this article right ? I am pretty confused too now. The point of the gold card is the easy way to get in Taiwan, if i need another visa i better apply the visit family i am doing now and apply for the gold card later since my main purpose is to visit my wife during few months.
          Please let me know if you have more informations about this PDF visa stuff you are supposed to get with the gold card ! Thanks !

          Florian · December 13, 2020 at 1:59 am

          Hey Michael,

          I’m a temporary resident of Canada (with a German passport) living in Montreal as well. Until now I don’t get any feedback, neither from the Ottawa TECO nor from anyone in Taiwan directly. My application is still stuck at “Passport Submission by Bureau of Consular Affairs or Overseas Missions of R.O.C. (Taiwan)”.

          I’ve to check this next week, to make sure everything is like it should. Unfortunately, the lady working in the TECO wasn’t too familiar with the process for the gold card. I’ll keep you posted.

Michael · December 13, 2020 at 2:24 am

Ok thanks, Florian. I planned to apply tonight but I am still considering picking up in Taiwan or not now.mDid you apply under economy category ? Did you give your 2019 T4 and/or salary stub as documents?

    Florian · December 13, 2020 at 3:12 am

    Yes, I applied under the economy category. But used my German tax return papers (moved to Canada this year, so I don’t have access to a Canadian tax return yet). Besides a little effort with creating some translation, it worked like a charm.

      Michael · December 16, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      Hi Florian

      Anything new about this PDF visa linked to your gold card thing ?

      I still didn’t apply, i am waiting my HR department to let me know if they can give me a T4 before february or a letter saying how much i earn during this year. If they cannot i will apply with my salary stubs.

      Thanks !

        Florian · December 17, 2020 at 5:54 pm

        Hey Michael,

        I finally got the PDF file, inside it says: “Upon arrival, the holder is required to present his/her valid passport and this resident authorization (within the valid time period) for immigration inspection. Failure to present the required documents will result in refusal of entry. This resident authorization is valid for single entry.”

        &

        “This resident authorization can only be used for entry into Taiwan and conversion into an
        ARC (Employment Gold Card) after entry (and not for any other purpose).”

        It sounds promising to me.

Eric @ BonusNachos.com · December 13, 2020 at 4:36 am

I’ve got an update for you and any readers who get this far in the comment section. This is applicable to anyone traveling with a partner.

My wife and I were approved and will pick up our Gold Cards here in Vietnam tomorrow. However, when I started to look into quarantine measures after arrival in Taipei, I learned that there is no option for couples traveling together to quarantine together (assuming you don’t have a residence). They expect every person to have a separate hotel room for the quarantine period. There are some exceptions for minor children or people with disabilities, but none that we’d qualify for. So that means that we’d need to pay for two rooms and be separated, alone, for 15 nights. That’s quite the sour note for something I was initially pretty excited for. I don’t understand why they would do that. Quarantine itself is pretty miserable, but doing it alone has to be 10x worse. So I’m not sure if we’re coming or not at this point. The pain might not be worth it since our situation in Vietnam is still fine.

Here are the links that I found backing that up. They are in Chinese, but Google Chrome has a handy translate function.

https://health.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=416BCB37CFFAC913&s=0E6215EC59AD4335

https://health.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=416BCB37CFFAC913&sms=87415A8B9CE81B16&s=4D4A54E2134C2E58

Hopefully this helps anyone else traveling as a couple make an informed decision.

Eric

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 17, 2020 at 8:39 am

    Hi Eric. Thanks for sharing your experience. It seems like the quarantine measures have increased as the flu season is in full swing and that we are approaching the holiday season and the Chinese New Year. I’ve been in touch with you since you published that comment and it seems that you have additional avenues in your arsenal. It might be worth have you write a follow-up comment if any of these will let you come here without having to separately quarantine with your partner. Hope you can come soon so we can finally hangout in person! Stay safe.

      Eric @ BonusNachos.com · December 23, 2020 at 2:38 pm

      A quick update – as we discussed, it was possible that different cities might handle the quarantine differently. I reached out to multiple hotels away from Taipei and all of the responses I received were the same – one person per room. Apparently this is a country-wide restriction for now. Booo!

      (Here’s a list of all hotels, including ones outside of Taipei just in case anyone else needs it.
      https://taiwan.taiwanstay.net.tw/covhotel/)

        Robert · February 20, 2021 at 7:00 am

        Mr. NN & Eric – Thanks for this important callout. Do either of you know whether the individual room per person is currently still in effect (or if there is a planned end date that reverts to the previous policy of couples being able to quarantine together?

        Also, @Eric – did you happen to ask if a suite with two separate bedrooms could meet the criteria?

        Thanks!

          Mr. Nomad Numbers · February 20, 2021 at 8:44 am

          Hi Robert. Unfortunately, as I am writing this, individual rooms per person are still in effect. I am hoping that the government will reverse this once the situation will get better.

          Robert · February 22, 2021 at 2:23 am

          Ah, bummer. Thank you for the response! Keeping track of any rule/policy changes is challenging given there seem to be a number of different websites (e.g., Taiwan’s CDC page, Gold Card page, etc.). Is there one in particular you’d recommend as being the closest to a single source of truth?

          Mr. Nomad Numbers · February 25, 2021 at 1:17 am

          Hi Robert. The Immigration website should be the source of truth. The https://taiwangoldcard.com/ website is also a good source of information but keep in mind that it is maintained by Gold Card Holders and not affiliated with any government departments. Always seek professional advice :-).

angie · December 13, 2020 at 6:00 am

Thanks for your post. I have a few questions for you:
#1 – I submitted an application and haven’t paid the fee yet but i decided to delay going for a few months. do i have to apply again later? would it be a red mark against me when i re-apply later? can i even re-apply later? thanks.
#2 – Would they deny if I meet the salary requirements for Economic, but don’t have a resident address or know/have any personal contacts in Taiwan?
#3 – Is it true that if my application is somehow denied, I won’t get a refund of the visa fee? so if it’s not approved I just lost the visa fee? if they’re missing docs, would they request them or just deny my application?
#4 – If I get approved for the gold card and pick it up in my local city TECO office, is there a specific time that i have to travel to taiwan by?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 13, 2020 at 6:14 am

    Hi Angie. Please find the answer to your questions below:
    #1 – You should be totally fine. After a few weeks, if you don’t submit your payment your application will get rejected. Also, keep in mind that it will take between 4-12 weeks to complete the process (based on your personal situation and delivery option for the card) so it might be useful to get the process going asap if you do plan to come to Taiwan in the next 6 months as you never know if the process might change in the future or take more time.
    #2 – You won’t get denied if you don’t have a resident address or any personal contacts in Taiwan. You will need however to update your application as soon as you figure out where you will be staying in Taiwan.
    #3 – It is true that you won’t get a refund on the application fee (the only fee request for the application process) if your application is not approved. If additional documentation is needed, you will get notified to submit them and won’t have to submit a new application.
    #4 – There is no specific time period by which you need to come to Taiwan, once your application is approved.
    Hope this helps!

David · December 18, 2020 at 6:41 am

Hi there,

Thanks for posting this, super useful! I had 1 question, not sure if you know the answer or not.

I previously lived and worked in Taiwan (had an ARC). In my last year working in Taiwan, I overstayed my ARC expiry day by 2 weeks. I paid my fine and have since been able to travel back to Taiwan several times with no problem.

On your guide, you mentioned ticking “Yes” to questions 2 to 8 may negatively affect the application. Have you heard of any cases where people previously overstayed and were denied a Gold Card?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 19, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    Hi David. We haven’t heard about any personal cases where people previously overstayed and were denied a Gold Card. If you do decide to apply, please let us know how this goes for you!

HangMan · December 18, 2020 at 10:50 pm

Hi Mr. Nomad, Thank you for your guidance, I received my Gold Card! I need to buy you a drink when I see you. I’m getting my spouse and kids the visa. Just wondering, do I need to provide my health exam results before I can enter Taiwan? Thanks, Hangman

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 19, 2020 at 12:52 pm

    That is awesome news HangMan! For your spouse and kids, since the border is still closed to foreigners (& unless they are Taiwanese), you will need to complete the visa application process before entering Taiwan and I do believe that this includes the health exam you mentioned. Since we haven’t been through that process ourselves, I’m sure the people that have been through this process and that have left comments will be able to confirm this. And if you guys plan to come to Taipei, definitely reach out as we will be happy to meet!

Michael N · January 3, 2021 at 11:22 pm

1) My most recent W-2 is from 2018 – have I just missed my window by a few days or do I have until December 2021 to apply? If that’s ok ten:
2) I was in Taipei in 2019 as a tourist on US passport, for a week or so. Do I check “Yes” next to “Have you ever been issued a R.O.C. visa”?
3) I have dual US/EU citizenzhip but my EU passport just sits in the drawer – I live in the US. If I use the EU passport for this application, would I have to use it for traveling in and out of Taiwan later? Also wouldn’t I get red flagged since I used US passport to enter Taiwan previously?
4) How “permanent” would my first address need to be? I don’t really want to commit myself to one place for a long time. At least not initially.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 4, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    Hi Michael,

    Happy New Year.
    Here are my answers to your questions:

    1) That is tricky since technically they would not accept W2 which are from income that is more than 3 years old. You can take your chance if you apply quickly. Worse case you lose your application fee.
    2) If you have entered as a tourist on a US passport you should have enter exempt of a visa (since tourist visas are considered as “exempt free” visas). Check the stamp of your passport. If this is the case, then I believe you don’t have to check this checkbox.
    3) You should definitely enter with the passport you apply for otherwise, they will definitely ask you why you are using a different passport.
    4) You can change it at any time so don’t worry. You can actually leave it blank during the application and change it later on the website. Once your card is issued if you move, you will have to still update your address and request a new card to reflect that new address.

    Keep us posted if you plan to apply as it would be interesting for other to know if you can use a slightly old W2 to apply!

      Michael · January 4, 2021 at 3:34 pm

      I wanted to wait for the vaccine and apply as soon as I get my first shot. We’ll see…

      So you’ve been exchanging your residency card every time you changed your airbnb? Seems like a lot.

        Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 5, 2021 at 2:27 am

        Hi Michael. You can always apply and come to Taiwan on your own schedule as there is not an entry date requirement upon being approved for the visa. Of course, if you wait an entire year, you would only have 2 more years of residency left (assuming you apply for 3 years), but this might be relevant for people that will lose eligibility in the future. As for the address, we have been staying in the same Airbnb since we receive our gold card and became Taiwan residents last summer, so we actually haven’t done an address change yet. Also, most people coming to Taiwan like to sign a year-long lease as it is usually much cheaper than Airbnb (unless you are good are negotiating great Airbnb deals as we do).

Bijun · January 4, 2021 at 12:18 pm

Thanks for this article! It’s super helpful. I was wondering if you know of people who brought their family along to Taiwan before reaching the 183 day resident status? Are people allowed to travel to Taiwan just for a month and bring their family along? Thank you!!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 5, 2021 at 2:37 am

    Hi Bijun. Thank you!

    As of now, only Taiwanese residents/nationals are allowed to enter the country. If you get approved for the gold card, you then become a Taiwan resident and will be granted a multi-entry permit which means you can come and exit and re-enter as you wish. As for bringing your family, you need to apply first for their (spouse + children) visa before they can enter the country since all the paperwork for them must be submitted to your current country of residence. As for the 183-day resident status, I am not sure how this is relevant as long as Taiwan keeps its border closed to foreigners as they won’t be able to enter until you provide them with a visa based on your gold card status. Does this make sense? Please feel free to expand about the 183-day point of your comment in case I’m missing something.

      Florian · January 5, 2021 at 2:48 am

      ” If you get approved for the gold card, you then become a Taiwan resident…” -> So this means I’ll be able to enter Taiwan under the current limitations even if I selected to pick up the Gold Card in Taipeh as long as I carry the fancy PDF file I downloaded from the application website?

        Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 5, 2021 at 2:57 am

        That is 100% correct Florian.

          Florian · January 5, 2021 at 3:25 am

          Perfect. Thanks a lot for your answer. So I’m all set, the flight is booked. Only a quarantine location missing to complete my plan.

Ray · January 11, 2021 at 9:11 pm

Very useful content! Does anyone know if we need to fill out the Health Check form to enter Taiwan as ARC holders?

This is what I am referring to.
https://www.cdc.gov.tw/File/Get/cG-fk8TGQs1xVQ-HcKEarg

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 18, 2021 at 11:04 am

    Hi Ray. I personally don’t know for sure as we entered Taiwan before these measures were put in place. But maybe someone who commented on this post will know more about this.

Edward Fu · January 12, 2021 at 12:31 am

Hi there,
Thanks for posting this information — so helpful!

You mentioned: “When you apply you can decide if you want your gold card to be sent to your local TECO or if you want to pick it up in Taiwan.”

I’m in the process of filling out my application now, but I don’t see where to select the pick-up location? I’ll be doing passport verification process through TECO Los Angeles since they accept mail-ins, but am thinking about picking up the actual Gold Card in Taiwan.

Would you mind pointing me to where I can select the pick-up location?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 18, 2021 at 11:05 am

    Hi Edward. Glad that you like our post. If you download our step by step guide, you should be able to see the screen that mentioned that. IF this has changed, please let us know so we can update our guide accordingly. Also as the default is for the Gold Card to be mail to your TECO office, you can always fly to Taiwan with the PDF that you will receive upon approval of your visa and later use the application website to have them print a new card for you in Taiwan for a very small fee.

Nathan · February 5, 2021 at 5:01 am

I’m planning to enter Taiwan later this year on a spouse visa, but the gold card is plan-B. Both require the health check/certificate. Has anyone done this in the US before entering Taiwan? I’ve seen the documents about what’s required, but I hope to hear someone’s personal experience.

Jessica Chen · February 16, 2021 at 6:12 am

Hi there, I submitted my application in early January (Jan 4/5) and it’s still under “Professional Review by Workforce Development Agency”. I also saw your note about the Feb 2021 announcement about submitting a resume/CV. Have you heard about whether they are denying applicants because of the new messaging? Do you recommend we supplement our application or contact them to see if it’s helpful (or just wait until we get a response)?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · February 16, 2021 at 1:46 pm

    Hi Jessica. From our experience when we applied back in summer 2020, you will likely stay under “Professional Review by Workforce Development Agency” for 2-3 weeks and there isn’t much you can do at that stage. I can’t comment about the resume portion but if you need additional information you should definitely get notified. Keep us posted as it will be interested to see how the updated rules are being enforced. And good luck with your application!

Andrew · February 18, 2021 at 3:03 pm

Thanks for the really informative article!

My gold card application has just been approved. I am not currently living outside of Taiwan and my current thinking is to move to Taiwan with my family this summer. After relocating to Taiwan, my intention is to actually start a small restaurant business there (which has always been my dream, and the cost barrier is really low in Taiwan).

My question is: does gold card visa allow me to start my own business in Taiwan? (instead of being employed)

So far I haven’t been able to find any official source which explicitly say it is / is not allowed.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · February 18, 2021 at 3:24 pm

    Congrats on getting your Gold Card. Yes, you can start your own business once you get to Taiwan by using your Gold Card status. You will need to do some paperwork but that is totally possible.

      Ro · April 1, 2021 at 6:58 am

      Can you work as a freelancer on a gold card? Or do you still need to form a company?

        Mr. Nomad Numbers · April 1, 2021 at 1:50 pm

        Hi Ro! You can work as a freelancer under the Taiwan Employment Gold Card.

Jim · November 16, 2022 at 3:33 pm

Get article very helpful. I guess some specific situations like being able to remote work and take advantage of a cheaper cost of living would make sense but in general if you are a valuable, highly educated/trained worker, and make more than 67k a year why would you leave that job, to move a place where the salary is likely 1/3 and the market is more competitive? I guess trying to figure how how they would convince a doctor or enginee, etc that makes 100k-500k a year to move and help build up Taiwan while having to work longer hours for 1/5th of the salary and then not even qualify in 3 years for the card Bc they now make less than 67k a year.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · November 17, 2022 at 3:38 am

    Thanks for the comment Jim. I think people who got the gold card that we met were either self employed or manage to have their company allow them to work remotely and keep their pay the same. Also when I wrote this article covid19 was blowing everywhere and Taiwan was a pretty nice heaven to be in since we never got affected by any lockdowns actually. Which made it from a quite nice heaven during these though times.

Wilson · January 24, 2023 at 6:12 am

hey! I just applied for the Taiwan Gold Card last week.

Hope to see you there!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 27, 2023 at 6:41 am

    This is amazing and congratulations! We will be there from May until September! When are you coming?

JJ · March 14, 2024 at 5:25 am

How could self-employed and freelancers around the world who do not have a tax statement qualify for economic qualification?

The link below is not working. Could you email me a good link?
https://tw.forumosa.com/t/employment-gold-card-for-some-foreigners

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