The Employment Gold Card Super-Thread

[Andrew]

@tando

Example 2: no need of permission. University most probably request you to give them estimate and bill, and receipt.

If your monthly sales is more than 40k NTD, you should register yourself as a business entity at taxation office, and they require you to issue receipt.

Thanks once again for your help @tando. Could I please clarify something here? Does the 40k TWD/registration/receipt requirement you mention refer exclusively to sales within Taiwan or both inside and outside Taiwan? That is, do I really need to register and issue fapiao for clients outside Taiwan?

I’ve looked through the two acts you posted, and some of the language here seems to indicate (at least to me) that many of the articles specifically refer to goods/services sold inside Taiwan. In particular,

Value-added and Non-value-added Business Tax Act
Article 1: Value-added or non-value-added business tax shall be levied, in accordance with this Act, on the sale of goods or services within the territory of the Republic of China (R.O.C.) and on the import of goods.

Article 4: Any of the following circumstances is a sale of services within the territory of the R.O.C.:

1. Where services sold are supplied or utilized within the territory of the R.O.C..
2. Where passengers are boarded or goods loaded within the territory of the R.O.C by an international transportation enterprise.
3. Where a foreign insurance enterprise accepts reinsurance policies from an insurance enterprise within the territory of the R.O.C…

Am I reading that wrong?

Also,

Article 7: The business tax rate is zero for sale of the following goods or services:
[…]
2. Services relating to export or services provided in the R.O.C. but used in a foreign country.

Would this not apply here?

Article 8: The following goods or services are exempted from the business tax:
6. Publication which are textbooks authorized by education authorities for use at various levels of schools and important specialized academic writings awarded by the government according to the law issued by the publishing industry.

Could this also not apply here for specialized academic publications (though I’m not exactly sure what the “awarded by…” part refers to)? Probably not, I guess?

Regarding the “Regulations Governing Taxation Registration” act, I’ve looked through that…and I get the impression that it would seem to mean that any individual doing work on a freelance/contract basis, whether for Taiwanese or overseas clients, would need to register as a business entity. Am I wrong, or is that really the correct interpretation?

Surely this type of situation, i.e., doing freelance/contract work for one or two clients outside Taiwan, is one that would apply to quite a number of other gold card holders here? I might not have explained myself clearly above - what I intend to do, initially, is essentially provide a regular service to two foreign companies, send each one an invoice every month, and get paid (can be either to a foreign account or Taiwanese one, whichever is easier).

Do I really need to register as a business entity, issue fapiao, and file taxes every two months for this? I know the concept of “freelance” isn’t so common in Taiwan, but I honestly thought I would just need to do something simple like file a personal tax return once a year and pay.

How have other gold card holders in this thread handled this? Surely I’m not the only one in this kind of situation…?

@tando

I think editing isn’t included in gaofei, unless your name is put on the published documents. Maybe science writing by your name is.

Ah okay, thanks. I thought I’d read somewhere that translation and similar services were included, but I must be wrong then.

[tando]

@Andrew

. I thought I’d read somewhere that translation and similar services were included,

now I remember, I’ve read so somewhere on this forum too.

BTW, taxation office is providing professional English taxation consultation, I think for free.

https://www.ntbt.gov.tw/english/multiplehtml/dfd186f192bd4b669352fedbd31c39cd

[andrewng]

Hi,

I’m currently living in Singapore (PEP holder) and tempted to apply for the gold card as I’m interested to relocate to Taiwan with my family. From what I have understood so far, I will be applying as an oversea foreigner.

My question is that if things go smooth and my application gets approved, will the 3 years eligible period (assume this is the duration I apply for) starts immediately? or will it only starts when I & family physical enter Taiwan?

This is quite important to me as I need to plan for quitting my job here, terminate my rental contract, arrange for my kid’s schooling, pack and move my family belongings over to Taiwan, etc. Ideally I want the clock to start ticking only when I enter Taiwan to maximize my 3 years period.

I have been reading lots of comments above but so far I don’t seem to find a definitive answer… any advice on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew

[tando]

@andrewng

if things go smooth and my application gets approved, will the 3 years eligible period (assume this is the duration I apply for) starts immediately?

short answer, yes.

This post explained.

"Employment gold card" for some foreigners

When the card is issued that determines the expiry date. If you applied overseas you will get the Resident Authorization Form (basically a paper version of the card) to show immigration at the border. Your card is printed and sits at the Immigration Center until such a time you collect it. When I collected mine the agent at the counter looked through a stack of cards to find it. To be clear, the expiry date is not counted from time of entry or pick-up. I have checked my emails and expiry dat…

[andrewng]

Thanks tando!

[lin_ts]

Thanks everyone who has provided such great info in this thread, I actually somehow read all 780 posts LOL. Very helpful to see first-hand accounts here, thanks to all who have kept this thread so informative. I am currently in the process of applying for the Gold Card, while overseas. Had some questions on details:

1. Card pickup location. In the application on the resident page, I can choose from “In person - in Taiwan” or “GETTING LICENSE IN ROC EMBASSIES AND MISSIONS ABROAD”. It seems like at least a few posters here have had luck applying from abroad e.g. @irish91 posted about applying while overseas and picking up the card in person in Taiwan in another thread with Noel above. I’m planning to do the pick up at the Taipei office, but are there any pros of having the card mailed overseas? From the post above, the Resident Authorization Certificate seems as good as the real thing. In theory, I should already have an ARC number if I have a “Resident Authorization Certificate” and I should be allowed entry, but I am slightly paranoid that it will not be seen as good as the “real” card under some interpretation of current entry restrictions. Also the nearest mission is not far from me so I don’t mind a trip there. OTOH, mailing the gold card overseas may mean things get stalled or lost too. I guess I can also find out at the passport check stage with the mission.

2. For anyone who has done this via an immigration agency, have you found those helpful, either in terms of navigating the process, speeding things up, etc.? For what it’s worth I speak passable Mandarin but nowhere near business fluency, and I’m planning to fill out the application in English since they seem to accept either English or Chinese documents.

3. In the Resident section, it seems fine to leave the addresses blank if you don’t have any. For “Name of Your Relatives or Friends in Taiwan” - does this help much to have contacts? And is it preferable that they have an ROC ID?

[fifieldt]

Hi @lin_ts, welcome to Forumosa. Thanks for reading the thread - you must be an expert by now

@lin_ts

1. I’m planning to do the pick up at the Taipei office, but are there any pros of having the card mailed overseas?

I applied domestically, and the pick-up at the Immigration Agency was very straightforward. Further, I can share the experience of leaving and re-entering Taiwan while my residence card was being updated. During that period of time, my application receipt was as good as the residence card for getting across the border in Taiwan. It was also accepted by the airlines I travelled with in other countries. I expect the Resident Authorization Certificate will perform even better than this non-gold-card application receipt I used in the past. However, if you expect any trouble with particular airlines or particular border officials, having the card in hand is an additional degree of safety. Though, the process is likely to take longer.

@lin_ts

it seems fine to leave the addresses blank if you don’t have any.

This is true. It’s entirely normal and accepted to apply with no local address. Once you get a place to stay, you can (must) update the details on your card free of charge.

[olm]

@tando

BTW, taxation office is providing professional English taxation consultation, I think for free.

https://www.ntbt.gov.tw/english/multiplehtml/dfd186f192bd4b669352fedbd31c39cd

That doesn’t look too professional to be honest

[Boubba]

Hello all,

Wondering if there are any Canadians/Brits in this forum who successfully applied for the Gold Card while on the 180 Days visitor visa with no extension?

I have such visa right now and I am unclear whether I am allowed to apply for the Gold Card or not. The immigration consultant I am speaking to seems to think not, but the website is unclear.

Excerpt from the website:
Holders of foreign passports other than U.S. who entered R.O.C. (Taiwan) visa-free, or with a visa for a stay of less than 60 days, or with a visa for a stay of 60 days or longer and with annotation by the visa-issuing authority of a restriction disallowing extension or other limitation applying domestically: For one-year duration, NT$4,500 per card; for two-year duration, NT$5,500 per card; for three-year duration, NT$6,500 per card.

Note: I entered on a visa-exempt basis and extended to 180 days my stay.

Please help and share your experience.

Thanks much!

[Andrew]

You might want to ask in the epic gold card thread.

Or failing that, you could visit or email NIA - I found them pretty quick to respond when I had problems with my application. I wouldn’t say you need an immigration consultant (whatever they are) for the gold card application, but maybe it depends on your circumstances.

Edit: Just saw your note at the bottom regarding being on an extended visa exemption. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect you can’t do this as you supposedly can’t change your visa type again after the extension. I actually did a visa run in February while my application was still pending, specifically to avoid being in the position you describe. You could still check with NIA though.

[Boubba]

Thank you so much for the prompt reply @Andrew.

I went this afternoon to the NIA, and it is POSSIBLE to apply with the 180 days visa. And someone else I had asked earlier this morning, kindly called them for me in the meantime and got the same response!

And agree, they are very helpful. Same goes for folks in this Forum.

Thank you!

[Andrew]

Oh that’s good to know. My suspicion that it wouldn’t be possible to go from the extension to the gold card was based on BOCA telling me I couldn’t go from an extension to a work-based ARC without leaving the country a couple of years ago. They might have relaxed that rule given the current situation though, or it might be something specific to the gold card.

Guess I didn’t need to do the visa run to KL after all then. Although I would have missed out on the kebabs, so it’s all good!

[jimbob132]

I’m in kind of an odd situation but haven’t been able to get clarification on this. I’m on an ARC that’s set to expire in a few weeks and I want to apply for a Gold card instead of renewing my current ARC. However due to the covid situation I’d really prefer to just apply for it in my home country (US) and go to Taiwan once I have the card in hand before going back.

If I go back to Taiwan, go through quarantine, there’s only about 2 weeks left on my ARC after that, which is not enough time for applying for a Gold card which takes about a month so I risk having to fly back. Also the plane ticket costs about $2k each way right now.

Is Taiwan still issuing gold cards to foreigners? And assuming I do get it (I meet the requirements per their website), would I even be able to enter Taiwan with just a gold card visa, since they only allow ARC/Residence card holders to enter?

There is also a non-refundable application fee for applying for a gold card, and I’d rather not pay just for them to say there’s no way to enter the country right now.

Thanks!

[fifieldt]

Welcome to Forumosa.

@jimbob132

would I even be able to enter Taiwan with just a gold card visa, since they only allow ARC/Residence card holders to enter?

Yes. The Gold Card is a type of ARC/Residence card (which also includes a visa, re-entry permit and work permit).

[Andrew]

I’m not sure I see the problem from the information given. Assuming you’re currently in Taiwan (?), can’t you just apply for the gold card with the intention of collecting it here, take your trip back to the US, and collect it when you come back? (You said you’d still have 2 weeks left on your ARC after quarantine, which seems to imply you’d have at least a month left on your ARC after entering Taiwan plus the duration of your trip to the US, which should be enough time for the application process, no?)

Even failing that, couldn’t you just extend your current ARC for 6 months under the job-seeking thing, to give you more time to apply for the gold card?

You would be able to enter Taiwan on your current ARC or your gold card, as far as I’m aware.

[Boubba]

I used to live in Singapore, KL is quite a city glad you could check it out. For me, it was the Teh Tareks. Cheers!

[elyou]

Hey there,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think it won’t be possible to get a gold card.

I also have a 180 day, no extension visa as a Canadian. I went to BOCA today to inquire about 1. getting on a spousal visa due to my husband recently getting the gold card, and 2. getting the gold card myself. I was told that to get the spousal visa, I’d have to leave the country and apply for a special entry permit to return and apply for an ARC. But in terms of getting the gold card myself, it’s not possible. At the step where I’d need to turn in my passport (this is then past the point of NIA inspection), I would be turned down due to the fact that my current visa cannot be turned into any sort of resident visa. BOCA would reject me.

My husband asked the same question to NIA, and NIA said indeed I can apply for the visa. But the gold card process also involves BOCA which has told me no.

Just wanted to pass on this information so you can plan around this sooner rather than be hit with a surprise later. You can also contact BOCA yourself to verify this information. Best of luck.

[jimbob132]

I’m still in the US, and ideally would like to apply and get the gold card here and then go to Taiwan, rather than make the trip with my existing ARC, go through quarantine, and then find out whether or not I can get the gold card.

Edit: just read further back in the thread and seems overseas applications should be fine under current conditions

[Bree]

I’ve been waiting five weeks for TECO Houston to email me and tell me I can pick it up. They assure me that NIA is still processing them and to be patient. I believe the problem is with the post, but that is speculation. Be prepared to wait.

[Cy]

I’ve been waiting 4 weeks now for review from the “Workforce Development Agency”. I guess a lot of foreigners must want gold cards now that the borders are closed.