Taiwan digital nomad visa (2026)

Who can apply

Only nationals of countries that have visa-free entry to Taiwan.

• National of a country with visa-free entry to Taiwan
• Remote work with a valid contract (employee or freelancer)
• Income threshold by age, or a digital nomad visa from another country
• Average monthly bank balance of at least USD 10,000 over 6 months
• International health and hospitalisation insurance for the whole stay

Income requirement

You need to show at least USD 40,000 per year (age 30+); USD 20,000 (age 20–29). Annual salary in one of the last two years: USD 40,000 if 30 or older, USD 20,000 if 20–29; a digital nomad visa from another country can replace the income test, and a 6-month average bank balance of USD 10,000 is required in all cases.

Documents you need

• Signed online application form and two photos
• Passport valid at least 6 months
• CV or portfolio and work contract(s)
• Description of Intended Activities form
• Tax or salary certificate, or proof of another country's nomad visa
• 6 months of bank records and insurance proof

How to apply, step by step

1. Fill in the online form at visawebapp.boca.gov.tw and print it
2. Apply at a Taiwan overseas mission, or at BOCA in Taiwan at least 10 working days before your visa-free stay ends
3. Wait for the National Development Council review; an interview may be needed
4. Extend your stay at the National Immigration Agency before it expires

Where and how to apply

Applicants outside Taiwan file at a Taiwan (ROC) overseas mission, usually a Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, after completing the online form at visawebapp.boca.gov.tw. The mission forwards the file to the National Development Council (NDC), which checks whether you qualify as a digital nomad; the NDC sends its result back and the mission then makes the visa decision and may call you for an interview. People already in Taiwan can apply locally if they entered visa-free or on a visitor visa for another purpose (tourism, business, social visit) that cannot be extended. They file with the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) in Taipei or one of MOFA's Central, Southwestern, Southern or Eastern Taiwan offices at least 10 working days before their current permitted stay ends, and the same NDC review applies. Once you hold the visa, extensions are not a BOCA matter: they are filed with the National Immigration Agency (NIA) at the service station of the branch covering where you live. The legal basis is Article 14 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, which limits the visa to people doing remote digital work who do not provide services to employers or businesses in Taiwan.

Timeline

1. Prepare file and online form 1-3 weeks
   Collect a tax or salary certificate for one of the last two years, six months of bank records, contracts, CV and the Description of Intended Activities form, then print and sign the online application.
2. Apply (inside Taiwan) At least 10 working days before your stay ends
   Late in-country applications are not accepted; if the visa is refused you must still leave before your current stay expires.
3. Answer document requests Within 3 working days
   If the mission or BOCA asks for more documents, they must arrive within three working days of the notice.
4. NDC review and visa decision Not published
   The NDC checks qualifications, then the mission or BOCA completes its own review; an interview may be requested.
5. Stay on the visa Visa valid 6 months; stays up to 6 months
   The visitor visa allows multiple entries during its six-month validity.
6. Extend at the NIA Within 15 days before the stay expires
   Each extension adds up to six months without leaving Taiwan; the NIA says complete files are usually handled in half a day. The total stay is capped at two years.
7. Income tax return (if 183+ days) May 1-31 of the following year
   Residents file for the previous calendar year; anyone leaving for the year should settle tax roughly 10 days before departure.

Proving your income

There are two separate tests. First, either proof that another country has issued you a digital nomad visa, or an annual salary meeting the age threshold in at least one of the previous two years. Salary is shown with a tax certificate from your home tax system (BOCA gives examples such as the US W-2, UK P60, Canadian T4, Australian PAYG payment summary, Israeli Form 106, Polish PIT-11 and Russian 2-NDFL) or with a salary certificate issued by your employer. Freelancers do not have an employer contract, so they submit the contracts for their current client work instead, together with a CV or portfolio. Second, every applicant must show bank records for the last six months with an average monthly balance of at least USD 10,000 or the equivalent in another currency; a single large deposit just before applying will not lift a six-month average. Amounts in other currencies are accepted as equivalents, but BOCA does not say which exchange rate it uses, so leave a margin. The BOCA page sets no general translation or legalisation rule and says missions may request extra documents case by case; the NIA notes that foreign-language documents filed with it may need a Chinese translation.

Bringing your family

Article 14 lets the nomad's spouse, minor children and adult children who cannot support themselves because of a disability apply for the same type of six-month, multiple-entry visitor visa through MOFA or an overseas mission, and they follow the same six-month extension steps and two-year cap. The law and the BOCA page do not set an extra income or savings amount per dependant, and the BOCA checklist does not list family documents, so expect the mission to ask for marriage or birth certificates and to check that your funds are adequate for the household. Family members hold visitor status, not residence, so they receive no Alien Resident Certificate, cannot join National Health Insurance and have no right to work in Taiwan; the spouse work permit in Article 15 is tied to dependent residence, which this visa does not give.

Health insurance

You must show health insurance and full hospitalisation cover for the entire planned stay in Taiwan, matching the period you state in the Description of Intended Activities form. Because the visa is a visitor visa, holders do not receive an Alien Resident Certificate, and Taiwan's National Health Insurance is open to foreigners only when they hold an ARC (normally after six full months of residence), so private international cover is the only option for the whole stay, including every extension. Buy a policy that starts on your arrival date, renew it before each six-month extension, and make sure it pays for inpatient care in Taiwan rather than only emergency evacuation.

Cost and processing time

The fee is standard visitor visa fee (varies by nationality); NT$300 per extension. Processing takes not published. Budget extra for translations, certified copies and health insurance.

After you arrive

• There is no residence registration: the visa is a visitor (stay) status, so you do not apply for an Alien Resident Certificate and stays are tracked from your entry stamp.
• Keep proof of where you live in Taiwan (a lease or accommodation record); the NIA lists proof of residence as the specific document digital nomads must bring for an extension.
• Apply for each extension in the 15 days before your permitted stay ends, in person or through an agent, at the NIA service station for your city or county; the fee is NT$300 and complete files are usually processed in half a day.
• Keep your private health and hospitalisation insurance valid for the extended period.
• Do not provide services to Taiwanese employers or businesses; the visa covers only remote work for clients or employers outside Taiwan.
• Track your days in Taiwan per calendar year: above 90 days, foreign-paid pay for work done in Taiwan becomes taxable, and at 183 days you are a tax resident.
• If you will leave without returning in the same year, settle income tax about 10 days before departure; the tax bureau may require an income tax certificate when you leave or extend.

Tax

Taiwan taxes by calendar year and counts days present across all entries (arrival day excluded, departure day included), according to the Ministry of Finance's tax instructions for foreigners. Staying 90 days or fewer in a year: salary from an employer outside Taiwan is exempt. Staying more than 90 but fewer than 183 days: you are a non-resident, and pay from a foreign employer for services performed in Taiwan counts as Taiwan-source income taxed at 18%, which you declare yourself with a notarised certificate of earnings (from a tax authority, notary or CPA). Staying 183 days or more: you are a resident and file a return in May, with progressive rates of 5% to 40% on consolidated income (NT$0-590,000 at 5% up to more than NT$4.98 million at 40% for 2025 income), which includes foreign-paid remuneration for work done in Taiwan. Income from outside Taiwan is otherwise kept out of the regular calculation but counts toward the Basic Income Tax (alternative minimum tax) for residents when a household's overseas income reaches NT$1 million; basic tax is 20% of basic income above NT$7.5 million, with credit for foreign tax paid. Taiwan's 50% exemption on salary above NT$3 million for foreign special professionals (Article 22 of the Foreign Professionals Act) needs work-residence status, so digital nomad visitors do not qualify.

Does it lead to permanent residence?

Time on this visa does not lead to permanent residence by itself. Article 18 of the Foreign Professionals Act ties permanent residence to five years of legal, continuous residence (with an average of 183 days a year), or three years for special professionals, and residence means holding a resident status with an ARC. The digital nomad visa is a visitor (stay) status with a two-year ceiling. Nomads who want to stay longer would need to qualify separately for a resident status, for example the Employment Gold Card for foreign special professionals, which combines a work permit, resident visa and ARC and can count toward permanent residence on its own terms.

Why applications get refused

• Nationality not on Taiwan's visa-exemption list, or an in-country application filed less than 10 working days before the current stay ends.
• Salary below the age threshold in both of the last two years, or salary evidence that is not an official tax or employer certificate.
• Average monthly bank balance over the last six months below USD 10,000, or statements covering a shorter period.
• Work that involves services for Taiwanese employers or businesses, or contracts that do not show genuine ongoing remote work.
• Insurance that lacks hospitalisation cover or ends before the planned stay ends.
• Missing the three-working-day deadline for supplementary documents; BOCA can also refuse without giving reasons, and the fee is not refunded.

Cost of living in Taipei

1-bedroom rent

NT$17,000-65,000 per month in the city centre (average about NT$31,400); NT$10,000-23,000 outside the centre (Numbeo, November 2026)

Coworking desk

Not confirmed; operators checked (CLBC, WeWork Taiwan) did not publish monthly desk prices online in November 2026

Numbeo lists home broadband (60 Mbps or more) at about NT$700-1,200 a month (November 2026).

Good to know

• Work for employers inside Taiwan is not allowed
• Extra documents requested must be sent within 3 working days
• If refused while in Taiwan, you must leave before your current stay ends

Visiting first? Entry rules for popular passports

67 passports can enter Taiwan visa-free for a short stay, a common way to try the country before applying. Check Taiwan visa requirements for your passport.

Official source

Bureau of Consular Affairs, MOFA (Taiwan)

Not yet confirmed on an official source: fee, processing time, tax. Check these with the consulate before you apply.