Does anyone have the specifics of how to apply for a musician’s performance permit?
a little background… I have just moved to Taiwan to take a year off of work and study Mandarin full-time. I’ve been a performing musician for years and am planning to work up some shows while here… planning to do them for free so that I won’t need a work visa. After reading the forum, it seems that I will also need some performance permit from the Ministry of Education.
Are there any other musicians out there that know the specifics of this beyond going to the MOE website’s front page?
This information is mostly in Chinese. Maybe you can get someone to help you read it. The permit application is 500NT and you can download it here: culture.gov.tw/frontsite/per … d=NDgxMg==
There’s an association of buskers in Taichung. Address and some websites here:
Taiwan Busker development Association at 04-24717187
台灣街頭藝人發展協會 busker.org.tw
協會地址：台中市南屯區文心路一段182號14F-3
協會電話：04-24717187
[quote=“bradsmithdba”]Hi, Does anyone have the specifics of how to apply for a musician’s performance permit?
a little background… I have just moved to Taiwan to take a year off of work and study Mandarin full-time. I’ve been a performing musician for years and am planning to work up some shows while here… planning to do them for free so that I won’t need a work visa (I’m on a multi-entry 5 year tourist visa and doing the HK visa run every 60 days) after reading the forum, it seems that I will also need some performance permit from the Ministry of Education.
Are there any other musicians out there that know the specifics of this beyond going to the MOE website’s front page?
Regards,
Brad[/quote]
Well Brad even working for free can get you deported here. Good thing to get a permit though if you can
Thanks for the reply and info. If I’m reading that link right, it is for street performers. Is the performance permit requirement just for street performers or for all performers? I haven’t been able to find anything with clear distinctions.
I am not planning to do any kind of street performances, just club shows or renting out concert halls.
I think you have to get a work permit from the club you want to play at. According to the CLA: cla.gov.tw/cgi-bin/siteMaker … e=432f7d3f
At least this site has some English.
[quote]Foreign professionals employed to work in Taiwan are limited to the following jobs: (Paragraph One, Article 46 of the Employment services Act)
Specialized or technical work.
Director/Manager/Executive of a business invested in or set up by overseas Chinese or foreigner(s).
Teacher of public or registered private school.
Foreign language teacher of remedy class.
Sports coaches and athletes.
Religion, art and performance work.
Crew of merchant ship and work ship. (please directly apply to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for this job)[/quote]
Performance is under item number 6.
[quote]Basic Principle
Any foreign may not work in the territory of Republic of China unless the application filed by the employer is approved. (Article 43 of the Employment services Act)[/quote]
It says only certain people can apply for a permit for themselves.
[quote]3. Applications may be filed by foreigners themselves (Subparagraphs 1, 3 and 4, Paragraph One, Article 51 of the Employment services Act)
a. Displaced persons approved to reside in Taiwan.
b. Those who are approved to live together with their linear blood relatives domiciled in the territory of Republic of China.
c. Those who have acquired the right to reside in Taiwan permanently.[/quote]
It’s probably a good thing to find this CLA office and ask them.
Location: cla.gov.tw/cgi-bin/siteMaker … e=43324f51
Thanks! Ill do that. I’ll probably need to go find a local lawyer as well. I suspect that I will be met with disbelief…
It will go something like this:
“Well, youre working here you’ll need a work visa too…
…What do you mean youre not going to be paid?
Obviously, you must get paid for performing so you must be working and need a working visa
…What do you mean youre performing for free?”
The irony is that I’ll likely be the one paying the other musicians out of my own pocket
[quote=“bradsmithdba”][quote=“Dr. McCoy”]
It’s probably a good thing to find this CLA office and ask them.
Location: cla.gov.tw/cgi-bin/siteMaker … e=43324f51[/quote]
Thanks! Ill do that. I’ll probably need to go find a local lawyer as well. I suspect that I will be met with disbelief…
It will go something like this:
“Well, youre working here you’ll need a work visa too…
…What do you mean youre not going to be paid?
Obviously, you must get paid for performing so you must be working and need a working visa
…What do you mean youre performing for free?”
The irony is that I’ll likely be the one paying the other musicians out of my own pocket [/quote]
:roflmao:
Trust me, pal, about 99% of all the foreign musicians who play here are playing for free, or durn close to it.
Filipino folks not included.
If you’re wanting to rent a hall for a performance? I think you’ll be shit out of luck. Those kinds of places are usually booked solid for a few years at a time, plus, you’d have to give solid assurance that you’d be able to fill it. You might want to play for free, but the management will want their box offices, and they will be very unwilling to pay their staff to work a gig with just 100 or so people showing up.
Otherwise, you’re looking at places like maybe Taipei Artist Village, which is a very cool venue that can hold probably a couple hundred people, and face it, as a complete unknown, you’ll be lucky to get an audience that size. You could rent that place as a private party kind of deal, no problem. We’re doing a show there this Saturday, in fact.
Huashan Culture Park is another very cool venue, except I believe they’ve put a ban on live performances there for some reason, the pricks
As for permits, yeah, sure, you’re supposed to go to the copshop nearest the venue and get some kind of permit off them. Trouble is, nobody actually does it, so the cops will likely have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
The irony is that I’ll likely be the one paying the other musicians out of my own pocket [/quote]
:roflmao:
Trust me, pal, about 99% of all the foreign musicians who play here are playing for free, or durn close to it.
Filipino folks not included.[/quote]
Yeah. I’m just thinking about the response of a govt official to me saying that I’d be doing something for free… I’m used to any govt official assuming that since I am foreign I must be trying to work an angle or do something Illegal
… oh and if you know any of those “foreign musicians who play here” for free… send them my email address. I’d love to ‘hire’ them
What’s your schtick, anyway? All-woman concertina bands? Marching kazoos? Death-metal lesbian ensembles? What do you do? I’m sometimes up for a musical soiree, depending on the genre.
What’s your schtick, anyway? All-woman concertina bands? Marching kazoos? Death-metal lesbian ensembles? What do you do? I’m sometimes up for a musical soiree, depending on the genre.[/quote]
I’m primarily a guitarist but play whatever the gig requires, I’ve been playing for 20+ years in a variety of bands but they have tended to center around rock and blues. My initial thought was to work my way into the scene in some blues session or open mic nights until I either find a band to join or find the right people to put together something interesting, then organize some decent sized live events to work out the bugs and get some exposure
Well a lot of them are married and have residency here, so they aren’t going to get deported. However if you ever get raided, bye bye. And yes a american musician was deported for performing, for free, without a work permit.
Is it possible to play guitar in Kaohsiung on the streets? My friends are here, one has an ARC with a buxiban, and the other has an Australian Working Holiday Visa for a year. Both are musicians looking to busk around Kaohsiung City. What are the possibilities of being able to do this without hassle? Any logistical nightmares? Or is it a doable thought? Any suggestions would help. Thanks!
I was informed there may be a bit of a crackdown on foreigners performing (and making $$$ from it) without permits.
And rumours were the authorities are using Facebook to look for events. Some suggestion was made about possibly using FB as evidence.
A friend of a friend was busted in Taipei for performing at a venue in a band.
No permit of course.
Much like what happens at schools when busted, he signed the paper written in Chinese that was presented in front of him by the authorities. It was sign that or go to the Police station.
The venue told him to sign it and not to worry as they know legislators etc. and will help him (were they threatened with a fine, so they pressured him to sign I wonder?).
The guy is waiting to find out what happens next and the venue are apparently trying to help him.
[quote=“cake”]I was informed there may be a bit of a crackdown on foreigners performing (and making $$$ from it) without permits.
And rumours were the authorities are using Facebook to look for events. Some suggestion was made about possibly using FB as evidence.
A friend of a friend was busted in Taipei for performing at a venue in a band.
No permit of course.
Much like what happens at schools when busted, he signed the paper written in Chinese that was presented in front of him by the authorities. It was sign that or go to the Police station.
The venue told him to sign it and not to worry as they know legislators etc. and will help him (were they threatened with a fine, so they pressured him to sign I wonder?).
The guy is waiting to find out what happens next and the venue are apparently trying to help him.[/quote]
Update:
The guy apparently got a fine or warning, but he had to go the official route with a lawyer. There was a threat of a deportation and 5 year ban.
[/quote]
