Taiwan opens subsidized long-term care to APRC holders June 30

What the long-term care expansion covers

Taiwan will open its government-subsidized long-term care system to qualifying foreign permanent residents and their dependents starting June 30, 2026, the Ministry of Health and Welfare confirmed. The change brings APRC-holding foreign professionals into the same LTC framework used by Taiwanese citizens, with subsidized home care, nursing, rehabilitation, transport and respite services.

The rule sits inside a broader amendment to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, which was promulgated Sept. 24 and took effect Jan. 1, 2026. It also lands during the rollout of Taiwan's LTC 3.0 expansion, which began in January.

Who qualifies and who doesn't

Eligibility hinges on three stacked conditions: foreign professional status, an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate and a cumulative 10 years of lawful residence in Taiwan. Recent amendments measure residence as an average of 183 days per year rather than 183 days every single year.

Once those thresholds are met, applicants can access LTC services if they are:

• Age 65 or older
• Age 50+ with a dementia diagnosis
• Any age with a certified physical or mental disability or functional impairment

Dependents covered through a qualifying professional include the spouse, children under 18 and adult children with disabilities.

The expansion doesn't reach tourists, short-term visitors or holders of Taiwan's two-year digital nomad visa, none of which confer APRC. Blue-collar migrant workers remain under separate labor rules and advocacy groups note that foreign spouses without APRC typically only gain equal LTC access after naturalization.

How to apply and what it costs

Applicants contact their local long-term care service center or the MOHW LTC hotline, then submit identity and residency documents: APRC, passport and proof of relationship for dependents. A professional assessment team then evaluates physical and cognitive function against LTC 3.0 standards before services are assigned.

Co-payments scale with income, assets and local government rules and qualifying foreign permanent residents are to be treated on the same terms as citizens. The MOHW hasn't yet published a dedicated English-language application guide for APRC holders, so the citizen pathway is the working template.

Read our full Taiwan guide for the complete picture and browse more visa updates across the region.