Passport Atlas
Taiwan

Passport Atlas

Taiwan travel, immigration and PR

Taiwan uses visitor visas or visa-free entry for trips, and work permits, the Employment Gold Card and an ARC to stay. Mainland Chinese residents use a different document set.

TravelImmigration

Openness rank

#145

Entry openness

74

Visa free

67

Briefing updated

2026-09

Country profile

Capital

Taipei

Population

23.3 million

Area

35,980 km²

Currency

New Taiwan dollar TWD

Languages

Chinese

Time zone

UTC+08:00

Ethnic groups · 2021

  • Han Chinese95%
  • Indigenous peoples2.3%
  • Other2.7%

Foreign-born counts are UN international migrant stock via the World Bank (mostly 2024). Ethnic groups follow each country's published categories — most do not census by skin colour. Indicative only.

Entry visas and immigration pathsPassport visa-free listPaperwork and passport photosVisa siteImmigration site

Who this handbook is for

For tourism, semiconductor and tech jobs, Gold Card talent, and ARC holders looking at family or settlement.

How to visit, and for how long

Many passports are visa-free for 14–90 days. Mainland Chinese residents generally need an Exit & Entry Permit, not visa-free entry. Visitors cannot work; overstays can mean a ban.

How to work or reside

Ordinary work needs a labour permit then an ARC. The Employment Gold Card combines work and residence for high earners or listed professions. Study and family have their own ARC grounds.

PR and citizenship

Settlement or permanent residence usually needs continuous residence plus day-count rules. Gold Card holders have a distinct PR path. Mainland Chinese residents fall under Cross-Strait rules, not the foreign-national track. Confirm with the National Immigration Agency.

Time to PR：Usually 5 years

How popular passports enter

FAQ

Is the Gold Card a work visa or PR?

The Gold Card is time-limited work-plus-residence and eases employer changes. PR or settlement is a later application on residence and travel history.

Can Mainland residents use the foreign visa-free list?

No. Mainland residents generally apply for an Exit & Entry Permit, separate from the foreign visa-free list.

Does a Chinese passport need a visa?

On this site’s matrix the result is “Visa required”. confirm length of stay with the destination. The port and mission are authoritative.

Does a US passport need a visa?

On this site’s matrix the result is “Visa free”. typical stay on the matrix is 90 days. The port and mission are authoritative.

Related destination guides

Handbooks summarise public sources so you can cross-check the visa matrix and policy playbooks. They are not legal advice. Quotas, stay lengths and visa-free lists move — confirm with the destination government and its missions before you travel or file.