Taipei: Taiwan has discreetly launched a six-month "digital nomad visitor visa" program aimed at foreign nationals from countries that are visa-exempt. The program requires applicants to meet specific financial criteria and provide proof of work contracts to be eligible.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Bureau of Consular Affairs outlines that applicants must either show proof of a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings contingent on age brackets. Specifically, applicants aged 20 to 29 need to have earned at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those 30 or older must show earnings of US$40,000 or more in the same timeframe.
Additional requirements include proof of bank deposits averaging at least US$10,000 over the previous six months and proof of health and full hospitalization insurance for the duration of their stay. Eligibility is limited to nationals from MOFA's list of visa-exempt countries, which includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, and several European Union countries.
Applicants are also required to submit a personal resume or portfolio, including their academic background and work experience, a valid work contract or freelance project contracts, and a "Description of Intended Activities" form. The new visa program, initiated on January 1, 2025, by the National Development Council (NDC) in collaboration with MOFA, appears to be an effort to attract financially independent foreign nationals to contribute economically while residing in Taiwan.
The NDC had expressed in July of the previous year its ambition to attract 100,000 digital nomads, individuals who earn an income through online work while living in Taiwan. Despite the program's introduction, as of nearly a week after applications opened, there has been no official announcement or promotion of this new visa category on the NDC or MOFA websites.
A promotional event led by Minister of National Development Liu Chin-chang was held in Tainan City on December 20, as reported in a Chinese-language news release on the NDC's website. It remains unclear how this visa differs from other visitor visas, aside from offering a longer stay of up to six months. Most foreign nationals from Taiwan's visa-exempt countries can already visit Taiwan for up to 90 days without income proof, with British and Canadian nationals eligible to extend their stay to six months.