Taiwan Employment Gold Card

Overview

The Employment Gold Card is a four-in-one card combining a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate and re-entry permit, created under the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals. It is open to foreign special professionals who qualify in one of the designated fields, and unlike an employer-sponsored work permit it is not tied to a single employer, so the holder may work for any employer, change jobs freely, or be self-employed. The card is issued for one to three years and time held counts toward the continuous residence needed for an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate.

Eligibility

Application pathway

1. 01

   Identify the qualifying field

   Determine which designated special-professional field you qualify under and review the specific criteria the competent authority sets for that field.

2. 02

   Apply online

   Submit the Employment Gold Card application through the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform, uploading evidence of your qualification.

3. 03

   Multi-agency review and card issuance

   The relevant field authority assesses your special-professional qualification and the National Immigration Agency completes the visa and residence review before the card is issued.

4. 04

   Activate and maintain residence

   Enter Taiwan and use the card as your work permit, resident visa and ARC; maintain continuous residence toward eligibility for an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate.

Matches these professions

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Compare Taiwan (Republic of China) with

• 🇸🇬 Republic of Singapore
• 🇭🇰 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Related routes

• Work Permit for Specialized or Technical Work + ARC

  The standard employer-sponsored route for foreign professionals: the employer obtains a work permit from the Workforce Development Agency, then the worker applies for a resident visa and Alien Resident Certificate.

• Foreign Special Professional Work Permit

  An enhanced work-permit route under the Foreign Professionals Act for designated special professionals, allowing employment permits of up to five years and additional incentives.

• Permanent Residence (Alien Permanent Resident Certificate, APRC)

  Permanent residence for foreign nationals who have legally resided in Taiwan continuously for five years, granted by the National Immigration Agency under the Immigration Act.