Taiwan permanent residence (APRC) in 2026

Taiwan's Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) has different pathways. There is no single universal residence period for every foreign national.

Foreign professionals and special professionals

Under the current Foreign Professionals Act:

  • a foreign professional generally needs 5 years of continuous residence;
  • a foreign special professional generally needs 3 years;
  • certain qualifying high-level special-professional cases can apply after 1 year.

The presence framework generally uses an average of 183 days per year for the relevant continuous-residence period.

Qualifying Taiwanese higher-education study can reduce the residence-period calculation by 1 to 3 years, depending on the person's professional category and degree.

Gold Card guidance likewise uses three consecutive years of Gold Card residence and an average 183 days/year for the ordinary special-professional APRC pathway.

Investment-immigration APRC is different

NIA regulations separately provide permanent-residence eligibility for specified investment immigration, including:

  • investment of more than NT$15 million in a for-profit enterprise and creation of at least 5 jobs for ROC nationals for more than 3 years; or
  • investment of more than NT$30 million in central government bonds for more than 3 years.

Those figures are not the same as the US$200,000 threshold used for the ordinary investor resident-visa basis.

Permanent residence removes the need for a separate work permit for covered foreign professionals and qualifying dependents under the current Act, but citizenship remains a separate legal status.

Official guidance: Foreign Talent Act overview, NIA APRC guidelines, and NIA permanent-residency regulations.

Related: investment residence, Employment Gold Card, Taiwan hub, legal disclaimer.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Taiwan, Province of China