Entrepreneur Visa (Startup Visa)

Year establishedUnknown

Unknown

Governing lawPublished

Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals; Employment Gold Card / Entrepreneur Visa review directions administered by the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, MOEA

Responsible authorityPublished

Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMESA), Ministry of Economic Affairs, with the National Immigration Agency (NIA)

What the program providesPublished

Launch or invest at least NT$1 million in a qualifying Taiwan startup and hold a renewable resident visa with a path to permanent residency and citizenship

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Minimum ageUnknown

Unknown

Clean criminal record requiredUnknown

Unknown

Local health insurance requiredUnknown

Unknown

Nationality restrictionsPublished

No

Basic eligibilityPublished

Secure venture capital/government startup funding or crowdfunding of at least NT$2,000,000, OR personally invest at least NT$1,000,000 to establish a qualifying innovative enterprise in Taiwan; alternative routes via incubator placement, patents, or startup/design competition awards

Employment statusPublished

Self-employed

Generational limitPublished

Not applicable

Family sponsorshipPublished

Yes

Spouse includedPublished

Yes

Children includedPublished

Yes

Child age limitPublished

18 years

ChildrenPublished

Spouse and children under the age of majority (18, per Taiwan's 2023 Civil Code amendment) enter on a Resident Visa for Spouse/Children then obtain their own ARC; children unable to live independently due to disability remain covered past 18

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Processing timePublished

Up to 4.3 weeks

Can apply without travelingPublished

Yes

How you applyPublished

Online via the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform (apply from within or outside Taiwan)

Required in-person stepPublished

Passport verification at the Bureau of Consular Affairs (in Taiwan) or an overseas ROC mission, then collect the resident visa/ARC at an NIA service center

What the processing time measuresPublished

NIA's published 30-working-day (~4.3 week) processing benchmark for the Entrepreneur/Resident Visa, excluding passport verification wait time

Official application routePublished

https://coa.immigration.gov.tw/coa-frontend/four-in-one/entry/

Minimum investmentPublished

$31,600

Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Published

None required

Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published

$31,600

Processing feeUnknown

Unknown

Application feeUnknown

Unknown

Total cost to applyUnknown

Unknown

Monthly income requiredUnknown

Unknown

Monthly pension income requiredUnknown

Unknown

Monthly rental income requiredUnknown

Unknown

Savings requiredUnknown

Unknown

Proof of sufficient fundsUnknown

Unknown

Local bank deposit requiredPublished

No

Minimum local bank depositPublished

None required

Fees paidPublished

Visa fee paid at application (before approval); no separate post-approval issuance fee published

Cost notesPublished

NIA's general foreign-national visa fee table shows NT$2,000-4,200 before entry and NT$2,800-5,000 after entry (~US$63-158), but no single figure specific to the Entrepreneur Visa was found; residence extension fee NT$1,000-2,000

Stay required to keep statusUnknown

Unknown

Physical presence requiredPublished

Yes

In-country visit requiredPublished

Yes

Move-in windowUnknown

Unknown

Length of residencyPublished

24 months

Residency is lifetimePublished

No

RenewablePublished

Yes

Maximum durationUnknown

Unknown

Maximum duration is lifetimePublished

No

Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published

No published day-count to keep the 2-year visa itself; renewal instead depends on the business meeting sales-revenue, operating-expense or local-employment thresholds set by SMESA, which requires the holder to actually run the company in Taiwan

Tax residency rulePublished

Residents staying more than 183 days per year will be considered tax residents

Personal income taxPublished

range between 5%-40%

Time to permanent residencyPublished

5 years

Time to citizenshipPublished

5 years

Work for a local employerUnknown

Unknown

Start a businessPublished

Yes

Remote or freelance workUnknown

Unknown

Local healthcare accessPublished

Yes

University accessUnknown

Unknown

Can buy landUnknown

Unknown

Local bankingUnknown

Unknown

Permanent residence timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Citizenship timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Plan B note (Sept 2026)Published

Entrepreneur Visa is an active residency track, not a dormant one: the holder must actually operate the funded startup in Taiwan. Initial term is 2 years, renewable up to 2 years at a time if the business meets SMESA's revenue/expense/employment thresholds; continuing 5 years with an average of 183+ days/year in Taiwan opens eligibility for APRC (NT$10,000 fee, 3-6 month processing) and, separately, for naturalization (5 years continuous residence, generally requiring renunciation of original nationality except for recognized high-level professionals).

Official program websitePublished

https://www.sme.gov.tw/article-en-2618-7911

Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published

https://www.sme.gov.tw/article-en-2618-7911 | https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/5478/141465/141469/367189/cp_news | https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4935-Taiwan+APRC+Explained%3A+Requirements%2C+Costs+and+2026+Rules | https://goldcard.nat.gov.tw/en/tags/aprc/

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.