Foreign Special Professional Work Permit

Overview

Foreign special professionals are foreigners with expertise in fields specifically designated by central competent authorities (such as science and technology, economy, education, culture and arts, sport, finance, law, architecture and national defense) under the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals. Compared with the standard specialized or technical work permit, designated foreign professionals can be granted an employment permit for a maximum of five years and benefit from additional relaxations. An employer can sponsor the work permit through the Workforce Development Agency; alternatively, many special professionals choose the Employment Gold Card, which serves as their work permit without a new employer application.

Eligibility

Application pathway

1. 01

   Confirm designated-field status

   Establish that your expertise falls within a designated special-professional field and gather the competent authority required documentation.

2. 02

   Choose the route

   Decide between an employer-sponsored special-professional work permit through the WDA or the Employment Gold Card, which acts as a work permit without an employer application.

3. 03

   Submit the application

   For the sponsored route, the employer applies for the work permit (up to five years) through the WDA online platform.

4. 04

   Obtain residence and maintain it

   Secure the resident visa and ARC, then maintain continuous residence toward an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate.

Matches these professions

Also explored by

Compare Taiwan (Republic of China) with

• 🇸🇬 Republic of Singapore
• 🇯🇵 Japan
• 🇭🇰 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Related routes

• Taiwan Employment Gold Card

  A combined open work permit, resident visa, ARC and re-entry permit for foreign special professionals in designated fields, not tied to any single employer.

• 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.

• 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.