Does it seem roughly accurate that after they request additional information and you supply that additional information, it takes about 30-37 days?
Early July.
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Mine took just under a month (economic category). I have been in passport verification for a week, but I understand that other TECOs do this step faster.
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Sounds like theyâre catching up on the backlog then. Which would be good news for everyone still waiting.
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Yes. But in my area the passport verification step is taking a long time. And then more time if you have a spouse and dependents coming along. Probably a couple months from what they are telling me, which shoots our near-term plans.
When did you submit your passport for verification and when did they tell you itâll take a couple of months? Was that estimate for people with spouses & dependents?
Last week. Including dependents, I hope. But I hear that some representative offices are much faster, so it will depend on where you are.
Another update (context here):
I got my passport back on July 23rd but it was stuck there for 2 weeks. I was concerned so I called earlier and they just said âyeah, you just gotta waitâ. But my family urged me to dig deeper. What ended up was a gruelling 3+ hours on the phone. I first called the customer support, who redirect me to BOCA. The person told me to talk to the immigration office but that person told me that they are waiting on BOCA. So I called BOCA back and the person this time knew to ask for my passport pickup receipt number (and also my passport number). The person on the phone finally told me they will get back to once they find out more information. Well, they didnât call me back but I got an email saying the IC card is being prepared.
Let me tell you, when their dial tone is busy you end up getting redirected or it hangs up. So that took me half an hour just to get into the queue, which itself took 15+ minutes.
What all this reads to me is that they didnât hit the ânextâ button, metaphorically speaking. Most other people get this email within a few days of getting their passport back. So if youâre stuck in the âpassport submissionâ status stage, give them a call. I called BOCA at (02) 2343-2888. I think the numbers you press are 7 (for English) and then either 921 or 852 (itâll tell you the 2 numbers, itâs under the 2nd option: Visa). Tell them you already gave them the passport and have picked it up; insist on giving them the passport pickup receipt number and/or passport number.
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Just update my status, for those who is still waiting/ would like to change category:
01 Jul 2020 - Submit Under Technology
10 Jul 2020 - Discover this forum and found that the easiest way is to submit under Economic.
12 Jul 2020 - I email Mr. Huang whether I can change my status after rejected. He said that I could wait for them to reject my application, and then I can change the category and resubmit. But I am afraid it will take a long time, so I withdraw the application and submit a new one.
13 Jul 2020 - Withdraw old application
13 Jul 2020 - Submit application, with one year tax statement, the tax statement canât even identity my working company and title, it state only my income for 2019.
17 Jul 2020 - Professional Review by Workforce Development Agency
5 Aug 2020 - Under Inspection
6 Aug 2020 - IC Card in Process and approved email received. The card will be sent to Teco in HK after 21 days.
Looking forward to it and this thread is really helpful 
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You mean August, right?
So the professional review took less than three weeks for you, right?
Did you also submit your passport first?
Yes, thank you, i have updated the post.
Almost 3 weeks for the professional review.
I didnât submit my passport as I am a HK resident.
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Ah, maybe that also gives you preferred treatment during the review then. Not sure - but would explain why it went so fast for you.
Just picked up my gold card today! It took almost exactly one month from the date of application. I applied under the Education category from within Taiwan.
7/6: Submitted Application
7/29: Passport submission notice
7/30: Submitted my passport to BOCA.
8/6: Received email saying my application was officially approved.
8/7: Received email saying my card was ready. Picked up my passport from BOCA and then headed over to the NIA to pick up my Gold Card!
Some notes for others applying under Education: I only had to upload a picture of my PhD diploma, and no in-person verification was required; however, I did upload a screenshot from my schoolâs website showing that I had completed the degree requirements. I also uploaded a copy of my C.V. with a list of my publications and a link to my dissertation.
I did not realize that BOCA actually keeps your passport, so be prepared for that.
taiwangoldcard.com was a HUGE help to me for this, and I honestly wouldnât have applied otherwise because I thought I didnât qualify. The âDo I Qualifyâ wizard was great!
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But this is only if you are earning the required 160k. If salary isnât that high, they ask for proof of 8 years of experience in the field, which is a bit problematic to get proof of⌠Iâm still struggling to be sure of what kind of document they would expect to be honest.
Probably a really basic question, but Iâve done a fair amount of reading and havenât seen a clear answer yet:
Does anyone have experience working for a US based corporation remotely with this gold card? Is it even permitted? Generally, whatâs the approach to taxes?
If thereâs a good thread on this, Iâd appreciate a link - and thanks for any help!
I am trying to find out a similar thing: Working remotely for a self-owned foreign company without an office in Taiwan - legal?
Not sure if itâs really legal - the ârightâ way would probably be starting a branch office in Taiwan. Or using a âPEOâ (which charges about 15% of your salary), but provides you with a local employer.
On a related note, I just received my passport submission note today 
Submitted my additional documents on 07/20 - so exactly three weeks of professional review this time. Hope the others still waiting will also receive a response soon!
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Itâs permitted, but because there is no double taxation agreement between Taiwan and the US, you would be liable for taxes in both countries.
Does having the Gold Card allow one to hire a domestic helper (legally)? I asked an agent and she said âno,â but I think itâs because they donât know what a gold card is. Any foreigners have experience hiring a domestic helper?
Do you have any information on how this double-taxation works? I work remotely as an independent contractor for a US company. I recently applied for a gold card, and itâs now in the second stage of review. So if itâs approved, Iâll be required to pay taxes on my 1099-MISC in Taiwan?
How would that work? I should bring my tax form to the Taiwan tax office every year? When I file my US taxes, Iâm able to claim a massive amount of deductions. Can I also claim those deductions in Taiwan? When will I be asked to show that I paid taxes in Taiwan for my USA income? I certainly donât want to have to pay taxes twice, and may have to cancel my application if thereâs no way around that.
I did read this here:
https://www.ntbt.gov.tw/multiplehtml/e4591ae68b83403eb8282d746614311f
If the foreign professional obtains overseas income set forth in the provisions of Subparagraph 1, Paragraph 1, Article 12 of the Income Basic Tax Act in such tax year, such income shall be excluded from the basic income.
You go to the tax office every year and tell them how much you were paid. You might need to
be able to back it up in some way.
There are some deductions here too, but probably substantially less than what you get to deduct in the US.
Youâll probably be asked to prove payment of local taxes when you go to renew the Gold Card or if the tax authorities have a reason to believe that you are underreporting.