Hey everyone, successfully got approval of my software company but got notified of some more work.
Got a mail about legal use of land and buildings. I am renting an virtual office, so do I need to apply for “Business Premises Land Use Zoning Control and Building Management Regulation Inquiry“?
Where to submit documents for Tax registration?
Any local business association related to Software Company in New Taipei City?
Also is there any organization related to government where I can communicate about Company registrations procedure?
Yes - in every district, there is a government office where you handle these things. For example, in Datong, where my business is registered, I handle many government registration and ROC tax matters at the Datong District Office in Taipei City is located at 4F., No. 57, Changji St. in Datong District. Different offices of government - from the national to the municipal level have bureaus throughout this office.
Your official office address, i.e., the address you used to register your business, will determine what City or County office and what branch of the National Tax Bureau is responsible for your business. As @Marco noted, this is usually handled by or in conjunction with your CPA, or whoever set up the business – because they would have had to interact with this office to set up the company in the first place
Well, that depends. For a “general” software company, no mandatory certification or membership in an industry association is required. But if your software is for, say, medical diagnosis or treatment (aka Software as a Medical Device or SaMD), then you would be required to register as medical device with the TFDA and possibly have a “Medical Device Technician”, who would have to be a member of a Medical Device association in order to complete a certain number of hours of continuing education - think CME credits or CLE credits for doctors and lawyers, respectively)
If your software were to be used for the financial sector, then there may be similar requriements from the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). The point is that some sectors of business are regulated, so there may well be additional requirements, like certifications, licenses, or memberships, that government requires your business have to ensure you will be up-to-date on laws, standards, and practices
Well, I did almost all the work, without capital verification myself. Only hired a CPA to verify the capital, so no information from him. I have various question regarding last couple of steps, so I was wondering if I can maybe send a email to any govt. office related to Company registration to confirm.
From your OP, it looks like you are setting up your company in New Taipei City. The notice that you received that instructed you to join a software association would presumably be from a government agency. That is who you should seek clarification, because general software companies should still not require any special association membership. In other words, it could be a “recommended” or “preferred” action, but it is unlikely to be a legal requirement.
When I have set up companies in Taiwan, I have used an accountant or accountant/attorney to help. When we specify the type of company, we actually choose pretty broadly, and I have only been asked to join a trade association for the reasons I described above (I.e., I was aware a technician or certified practitioner would be required). So, maybe re-look at what sectors or types of business you chose when you registered and consider if it isn’t as general as you thought.
Without specific details about what you submitted, we can only guess why you are being asked this request.
I meant to say that you can figure out what District Office is appropriate for your business to get official answers by identifying the District where your business is “officially”, that is, what street address you used when you registered the business. To find the correct District Office for your business, simply use the street address you provided during registration. Your ‘official’ district determines where you should go for formal answers.
When you said it is a virtual office, I assume you mean that you are in a co-working space of some kind. Or that you are using your CPA’s office address. If you used your Taiwan residence, then presumably, it is zoned for doing business or as an office, and not only a residence.
This is based on your registered office address. You can go to the tax office in the same district and ask them questions but you may need to speak Chinese. They will assign you someone who will be reviewing your future business taxes and maybe you can introduce yourself.
If you ask too many questions they may say you should ask your CPA about it. Just go during off-peak tax season and they’ll have time to help you. I think now is a good time until CNY. After CNY they start business audits on previous year tax returns and then come the annual tax filings.
I’d recommend you get a CPA for the first year or two, write down all the deadlines, and then you can do things yourself. There’s too many deadlines to remember, VAT filings every 2 months, withholding payments, reporting deadlines for different income categories, etc. it’s a headache if you’re trying to focus on growing the business. If no CPA, then consider appointing a corporate secretary who is familiar with all the deadlines.
Yes, the mail is given form the government agency. The exact line is, “Please join the local trade association in accordance with the Commercial Organizing Act within one month of opening your business.” My company is a one person LLC and business scopes are, Information Software Service, Data Processing Service and Electronic Information Supply Service.
Well, I have tried contacting the New Taipei Tax Office, but haven’t been able to. The notification I got is, “Regarding tax registration, please submit copies of responsible person’s identification documents and approved documents of the permitted business operations to the tax authority in the business location before commencing business. For detailed documents, please call tax bureau of your region.“ I’m wondering about where should I submit the documents. Do I need to go myself or submit it online or what?
Also later at this part, I think I need a CPA after all. Although I’ve tried some but when they saw my current steps, they said at this moment I don’t need their service, so trying to finish this steps first. Apart from Marco’s CPA, do you have any recommendations?
Here is what AI advised when I asked about what you wrote about the Commercial Organizing Act
…that requirement originates from the Commercial Group Act (商業團體法)
Key Legal Requirements
Mandatory Membership: Under Article 12 of the Commercial Group Act, all licensed companies established in accordance with the Company Act or Business Registration Act must join a local commercial trade association within one month of their establishment.
Industry Specificity: For a software company, this typically means joining the Information Service Industry Association or a similar local computer association (such as the Taipei Computer Association).
Regulated Sub-sectors: If your software is specialized (e.g., medical diagnosis software), you may also be subject to industry-specific regulations from the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) or Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), which could mandate additional memberships or certifications.
Exceptions and Practical Application
General Software: While the law technically mandates membership for all businesses, “general” software companies often find that enforcement varies by municipality unless the business requires specific government permits.
Penalties: Failure to comply with the Commercial Group Act can lead to fines, though these are often only triggered if the company is specifically notified of its failure to join.
It’s based on your registered office address. New Taipei City is huge, there’s many regional tax offices.
Look on Google Maps, type “Taxation Bureau” and look for the closest one to your business address. Then call them or go in person and ask. Or if you don’t know which one it is, you can call the central tax bureau in New Taipei City and ask them.
Email is slow. You can get these questions answered in a few minutes through a phone call.
Yes, I did call and after 2 days I have managed to contact with them due to my poor language expertise. But now they asked me for an Invoice Stamp, as I have just registered the company where can I find out, can you help?