Visa information

If you wish to study or work at Taiwan Tech, you will have to apply for a visa at a Taiwan R.o.C. representative office in your home country. Please visit the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for details on visa application.

Visitor’s Visa: If you plan to stay in Taiwan for no more than 6 months.
Resident Visa: If you plan to stay in Taiwan for more than 6 months.
Visa free entrance: If you plan to stay in Taiwan for no more than 3 months. Nationals from certain countries can enter Taiwan visa-free for 30 - 90 days per entry (no extension available.)
Alien Resident Certificate (ARC): If you will stay in Taiwan for more than 6 months, you have to apply for an ARC within 15 days from the day after arrival at the National Immigration Agency.

Applying for an Alien Resident Certificate after Arrival in Taiwan

The Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) serves as a temporary ID card for foreign residents in Taiwan to prove their resident status in Taiwan.

Foreign nationals are permitted to stay in the ROC as long as the Alien Resident Certificate remains valid, please pay attention to its expiration date!
You have to apply for the Alien Resident Certificate at your local office of the National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior, within 15 days from the day after your arrival.

Foreigner who have legally and continuously resided in Taiwan for five years and for more 183 days each year, may apply for a Permanent Alie Residence Certificate.

Required Documents
1. Application Form (download)
3. 2-inch photos (2 photos for first-time applicants; 1 photo for applicants for ARC extension.)
4. Original Passport and Resident Visa and one photocopy of each.
5. Original Student ID Card or Certificate of Enrollment and one photocopy.

News students you have not yet received their student ID card, may use the NTUST Letter of Admission for verification.The National Immigration Agency will then grant a temporaray ARC with one month’s validity. As soon as you have completed registration and received your student ID card, the ARC wil be extended to one year’s validity.

Online Application
Please access the National Immigration Agency Online Application System for Foreign Students. You have to create an account in the system and upload required documents to apply for your ARC.
Fees: NT$1,000 (Valid for one year)

Important Information

Alien Resident Certificate holders who need to leave and re-enter the ROC within the valid period of their ARC, should apply for a Re-entry Permit with their ARC application.
Over-staying foreigners who did not apply for an ARC extension will have their residence permit terminated by the authorizing agency, and may be expelled from Taiwan.
If your ARC card gets lost or damaged, you have to apply for re-issuance of the ARC with the Nantional Immigration Agency (processing fee: NT$500)
If there is any change of information that was used to apply for the ARC, e.g. a new passport number, change of address, etc., you have to report the change to the National Immigration Agency within 15 days from the date of the change. Fines will apply if you fail to infrom the NIA about the changes.
For Master’s and Ph.D. students: If the oral defense exam for your thesis is scheduled in July, you may not receive your diploma before July 31. Please contact your department office before July 15 to make necessary arrangements for the extension of your ARC. For any questions, please inquire with the Office of International Affairs.
To check the validation of your Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), please visit this website.

Local Office of the National Immigration Agency (NIA)
Address: No.15 Guangjhou Street, Jhongjheng District, Taipei City
Business Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. through the lunch hour, from Monday to Friday
Main Telephone Line: (02) 2388-9393
Automatic Answering Telephone Line: (02) 2370-2797
NIA 24-hour Information Hotline (Chinese, English, Japanese): 0800-024-111
E-mail: boi@immigration.gov.tw