Taiwan Digital Nomad Visa

Taiwan's digital nomad visa is a multiple-entry visitor visa for people who work remotely for employers or clients outside Taiwan. The Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) launched it on Jan. 2, 2025, and since Jan. 1, 2026 it has been written into Article 14 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals.

• Status: active
• Who: Nationals of countries eligible for visa-exempt entry to Taiwan only
• Income: $40,000 a year for applicants aged 30 or older, $20,000 a year for ages 20 to 29, or a digital nomad visa already issued by another country
• Savings: an average bank balance of $10,000 a month over the last six months
• Length: 6 months at first, extendable to 2 years in total
• Fee: $100 at an overseas mission, or NT$3,200 in Taiwan

It is a visitor visa: holders cannot work for Taiwanese businesses and the time does not count toward residence. The Taiwan guide covers costs, cities and the resident route through the Employment Gold Card.

• Nationality: Nationals of countries eligible for visa-exempt entry to Taiwan only (BOCA). The visa-exempt list covers most of Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, among others.
• Remote work: work done by digital means for employers or clients outside Taiwan, backed by a résumé or portfolio and a current work contract.
• One of three qualifying conditions:
  • a digital nomad visa already issued by another country;
  • aged 30 or older: an annual salary of at least $40,000 or the equivalent in one of the last two years;
  • aged 20 to 29: an annual salary of at least $20,000 or the equivalent in one of the last two years.
• Savings, for every applicant: an average balance of at least $10,000 or the equivalent each month over the six months before applying.
• Insurance: Proof of health and full hospitalization insurance for the entire planned stay.

Amounts are in US dollars or the equivalent in another currency.

Family allowed: Yes. Since Jan. 1, 2026, a spouse, minor children and adult children who cannot care for themselves because of a disability can apply with the main applicant (Article 14).

BOCA lists (BOCA):

• A completed and signed application form from the online visa form.
• Two identical color passport photos, 45 by 35 mm, taken within six months, on a plain white background.
• A passport valid for at least six months with blank pages, plus a copy of the photo page. Temporary and emergency passports are not accepted.
• Proof of remote work: a résumé or portfolio with education and work history, a valid work contract (the employer contract, or current contracts for freelancers) and the Description of Intended Activities form.
• Proof of the qualifying condition: a tax certificate (such as a W-2, P60, T4 or PAYG summary) or an employer salary certificate, or proof of another country's digital nomad visa.
• Bank statements for the last six months showing the average balance.
• Proof of international health and full hospitalization insurance for the whole planned stay.

Applicants already in Taiwan add copies of their latest entry stamp and any visitor visa. Missions can ask for more documents case by case.

• Visa fee: $100 per application at an overseas mission, or NT$3,200 when applying in Taiwan, the rate for a multiple-entry visitor visa (BOCA fee schedule).
• Reciprocity: nationals of countries that charge Taiwanese passport holders extra pay a matching surcharge, so some nationalities pay more.
• Fees are not refunded if the visa is refused.

Insurance for the whole stay, translations and document certification add to the total and vary by applicant. The fee for an extension at the National Immigration Agency is not published on the BOCA page.

Outside Taiwan: a Taiwan overseas mission. Already in Taiwan on visa-exempt entry: BOCA in Taipei or its Central, Southwestern, Southern or Eastern Taiwan offices, at least 10 working days before the current stay expires. Fill in the online form at visawebapp.boca.gov.tw first.

1. Fill in the online form at visawebapp.boca.gov.tw, print and sign it.
2. Submit it with the documents at a Taiwan overseas mission, or, for visa-exempt visitors already in Taiwan, at BOCA or a Ministry of Foreign Affairs regional office at least 10 working days before the current stay ends.
3. The mission or office sends the file to the National Development Council, which reviews the applicant's qualifications and returns the result for the visa decision. An interview may be required.

No official processing time is published. Applicants in Taiwan who are refused must leave before their current permitted stay expires (BOCA).

The visa is valid for six months with multiple entries and allows a stay of up to 6 months (Article 14).

Extensions: Before the stay expires, apply to the National Immigration Agency for an extension of up to six months at a time without leaving Taiwan; total stay up to two years. The two-year cap took effect on Jan. 1, 2026; before that, the stay was limited to six months.

Residence. None. It is a visitor visa; time on it does not build toward residence. Switching to a resident route such as the Employment Gold Card needs a separate application. The Employment Gold Card, one such route, combines a work permit, resident visa and residence in one card for qualifying professionals.

There is no special tax regime for digital nomads.

Taiwan taxes income from Taiwan sources, and pay for work done while physically in Taiwan counts as Taiwan-source income even when it comes from abroad. The one exception is pay from a foreign employer to a non-resident who stays no more than 90 days in the tax year (Income Tax Act, Article 8).

A person without a home in Taiwan who stays 183 days or more in a calendar year is a resident taxpayer (Income Tax Act, Article 7). With stays of up to 2 years, many holders cross that line, so the Taiwan tax position, and any treaty with the home country, is worth checking before arrival.