- Digital nomad visa
- Yes
Overall7/10Easier visas than about 75% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- Most Western nomads (US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, NZ passport holders) get 90 visa-free days in Taiwan — one of the more generous allowances in Asia, and long enough for a solid nomad stint without needing a formal visa.
- The visa-free stay generally cannot be extended (except for UK and Canadian citizens, who can extend to 180 days) — many long-stay nomads instead do a border run (e.g. a short trip to Japan, Hong Kong, or elsewhere) and re-enter for a fresh 90-day period, though repeated back-to-back border runs can raise flags with immigration officers.
- Complete Taiwan's Online Arrival Card (twac.immigration.gov.tw) before you fly — it's now the mandatory digital replacement for the old paper arrival form, and Kaohsiung International Airport has kiosks if you forget.
- Visa-free entry never permits paid work in Taiwan, including remote work for a local Taiwanese client or informal local gigs — it's meant for tourism, business meetings, and similar non-employment purposes; working while on this status would put you in violation of your entry terms.
- Digital Nomad Visa holders cannot enroll in Taiwan's National Health Insurance, so budgeting for private international health/hospitalization insurance for the entire stay is mandatory, not optional.
- The visa only permits remote work for overseas employers/clients — taking on Taiwan-based clients or employment under this visa is not allowed and would require a separate work permit.
- Because the income/bank-balance thresholds are legally fixed in USD, the TWD amounts you'll actually be asked about will shift slightly with the exchange rate — check the current NDC figures rather than relying on a fixed TWD number.
- Time spent on the Digital Nomad Visa does not count toward Taiwan's 5-year permanent residency clock, so it's a good fit for an extended stay but not a stepping stone to settling long-term.
- If you're near the 183-day mark in a calendar year, plan deliberately — crossing it triggers Taiwan resident tax-filing obligations even if your income is entirely foreign-sourced.
Visa Free Entry
- Country
- Taiwan (Republic of China)
- Official Source
- https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-149-4486-7785a-2.html
- Allowed Purposes
- Tourism, visiting friends or relatives, attending social events, conducting business, attending exhibitions, and fact-finding/international exchanges. Activities requiring a permit under other regulations (e.g. religious work, employment) still require the relevant permit even if the traveler entered visa-free.
- Work Restriction
- Visa-free entry does not permit employment in Taiwan under any circumstances; working requires a separate work permit/Resident Certificate (e.g. via the Employment Gold Card).
Extensions
- Exception
- Citizens of Canada and the United Kingdom may apply to extend their visa-free stay from 90 days to 180 days on a reciprocity basis; most other nationalities cannot extend a visa-free tourist stay.
- Generally Extendable
- No
Arrival Process
- Step
- Complete Taiwan's Online Arrival Card before arrival
- Digital System
- Since October 1, 2025, Taiwan has moved fully to this digital arrival card system, replacing paper forms.
- Timing Note
- Official BOCA guidance says to complete it within seven days prior to arrival; some third-party guides state a 3-day window — check the official portal for the current rule before travel.
Overstay Penalty
- Unit
- per day
- Fine Starts At
- NT$2,000
- Additional Risk
- Possible detention, deportation, and future entry bans for overstaying.
Entry Requirements
- Passport valid for at least 6 months (Japanese and US passport holders only need validity covering the duration of stay)
- Proof of onward/return ticket
- Proof of accommodation or sufficient funds may be requested by immigration officers
- Diplomatic and official passport holders are NOT eligible for visa-free entry and must obtain a visa
Shorter Trial Program
- Duration Days
- 14
- Source Detail
- the trial visa-free entry program for one year for nationals of Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026
- Who Qualifies
- Nationals of Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines under a trial visa-free scheme.
- Validity Window
- Extended from August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026 — this is a temporary/trial measure, not a permanent policy, and could lapse or be renewed again after that date.
Baseline For Most Nomads
- Duration Days
- 90
- Source Detail
- Holders of passports issued by the following countries do not need a visa to visit Taiwan for trips less than 90 days
- Who Qualifies
- Passport holders from roughly 65 jurisdictions, including most nomad-relevant nationalities: the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and most EU/Schengen countries.
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Overview
- Taiwan launched a dedicated Digital Nomad Visitor Visa in January 2025 for remote workers, administered nationally by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bureau of Consular Affairs) together with the National Development Council (NDC).
- Visa Name
- Digital Nomad Visitor Visa (數位遊牧停留簽證) — applies nationwide, including Kaohsiung
- Visa Ease Tier
- moderate
- Work Restrictions
- Holders may only work remotely for employers/clients based outside Taiwan; they cannot work for or be paid by a Taiwan-based company under this visa, and cannot enroll in Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) — private international insurance covering hospitalization is mandatory for the whole stay.
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Taiwan offers a genuine, purpose-built Digital Nomad Visa extendable to 2 years on top of a typical baseline visa-free stay for many nationalities, but the income/bank-balance documentation burden, mandatory private insurance (no NHI access), 183-day tax-residency cliff, and total absence of any path to permanent residency or citizenship keep it from being classified as easy.
Fees
- Example Fee
- NT$7,090
- Note
- Fee varies by applicant nationality and entry type (single vs multiple entry); figure shown is the approximate fee for a US citizen. Expedited/rush processing carries an additional fee.
Tax Notes
- Residency Trigger
- 183 days of physical presence in Taiwan within a calendar year (Jan 1–Dec 31) makes a foreign individual a Taiwan tax resident, even without household registration; below that, the person is a non-resident.
- Resident Treatment
- Residents (183+ days) must file an annual return (normally May 1–31 of the following year) and are taxed on Taiwan-source income at progressive rates from 5% up to 40%, plus a separate Income Basic Tax (alternative minimum tax) regime that can pull in certain foreign-sourced income for higher earners.
- Non Resident Treatment
- Non-residents (under 183 days) are only taxed via withholding on Taiwan-sourced income; salary income withholding is generally a flat 18%. Since Digital Nomad Visa holders are, by visa condition, working only for overseas employers/clients, most have no Taiwan-sourced income at all, so this withholding typically does not apply to their remote income.
- Practical Note
- Because the visa restricts holders to foreign-sourced remote income, actual Taiwan tax liability is often minimal at any day count, but crossing 183 days still creates a resident filing obligation and shifts the applicable rate structure — several nomad-focused guides recommend deliberately staying under 90 or over 183 days rather than landing in the ambiguous middle band.
Renewal Path
- Initial Stay
- 6 months, multiple entry
- Extension Process
- Apply before the current permitted stay expires, with proof of a Taiwan residential address, to the National Immigration Agency (Ministry of the Interior); applicant does not need to leave Taiwan to extend.
- Extension Increments
- Up to 6 months per extension
- Maximum Cumulative Stay
- 2 years total, following a January 2026 rule change that raised the cap from an original 6-month maximum
- Path To Permanent Residency Or Citizenship
- None — this visa is explicitly temporary; time spent on it does not count toward Taiwan's 5-year permanent residency requirement. A separate work visa or the Employment Gold Card is needed for a long-term residency track.
Application Paths
- From outside Taiwan: submit to a Taiwan overseas mission (Taipei Representative Office / Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office), which forwards the application to the NDC for eligibility review before the mission issues the visa.
- From inside Taiwan (already on visa-free entry or a non-extendable visitor visa): submit at the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) or one of MOFA's regional offices at least 10 working days before the current stay expires.
- An interview may be required as part of either path.
Documents Required
- Completed and personally signed online visa application form (printed with barcode)
- Taiwan Stay Period Plan Description Form
- Proof of remote work experience (CV/portfolio, qualifications, work history)
- Annual income proof: a tax certificate (e.g. a W-2/PAYG-equivalent) or a company salary certificate, OR proof of a digital nomad visa already issued by another country
- Bank deposit certificate showing the average monthly balance requirement over the last 6 months
- Proof of international medical and hospitalization insurance covering the full intended stay period
- Copy of most recent Taiwan entry/visa page (if already in Taiwan)
Eligibility And Income Requirement
- Base Eligibility
- Applicant must be a national of a country with visa-free entry to Taiwan and intend to work remotely for an employer/clients based outside Taiwan.
- Bank Balance Requirement
- NT$321,000
A separate, additional requirement — a certified average monthly bank deposit of at least US$10,000 over the preceding 6 months is required regardless of which income path is used.
Income Paths
Age 30 and older
- Requirement
- NT$1,284,000
- Note
- Legal threshold is fixed in USD by statute (annual income of at least US$40,000 in one of the last two years); TWD figure shown is an approximate current-rate equivalent, not the legally defined amount.
Age 20–29
- Requirement
- NT$642,000
- Note
- Legal threshold is fixed in USD by statute; TWD is an approximate equivalent.
Alternative qualification
- Requirement Text
- Proof of having already been issued a digital nomad visa by another country, regardless of income.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.