Thirty days is the filing period for your first Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) if you enter Taiwan on a resident visa and receive residence permission. Count from the day after arrival. Immigration Act Article 22 requires the application to the National Immigration Agency (NIA), which issues the card as evidence of approved residence.
Visitors have a different starting point: they must qualify for a permitted change to residence before they can apply. Holding a valid combined document with ARC functions, such as an Employment Gold Card, removes the need for a separate card under the exception in Article 22.
Which date starts the application period?
Your visa and entry record determine the deadline. Someone who receives a resident visa while already in Taiwan uses a different starting date from someone who arrives with one.
| Entry and visa status | When to apply |
|---|---|
| Entered with a resident visa | Within 30 days counted from the day after entry. |
| Received a resident visa after arriving in Taiwan | Within 30 days from the resident visa's issuance date, under BOCA's guidance. |
| Entered visa-exempt or with a visitor visa | Before the permitted stay expires, subject to the eligibility and filing rules for the residence category. |
NIA's residence guide and BOCA's resident-visa guidance explain the first two situations. For eligible professionals, Article 16 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals permits a direct NIA residence application after visitor-visa or visa-exempt entry, with work authorization or an applicable exemption. Eligibility is specific to that route; the work, study and family comparison explains the conditions for other applicants.
Documents that establish your residence basis
An application based on a resident visa needs the form, photograph, passport and resident visa, evidence of the reason for residence, and proof of your current address, according to NIA's checklist. Bring the required originals and copies. A lease is one accepted address document.
The supporting evidence depends on why you are staying:
- Employment: the relevant work approval and a certificate of employment issued within the preceding month, or evidence of the applicable exemption.
- Degree study: an admission letter before registration, or recent enrollment evidence once registered.
- Family residence: marriage or birth records proving the relationship, together with the sponsoring family member's identity or residence documents.
For a first application through marriage to a Taiwan national with household registration, the Taiwan spouse must attend. NIA also requires proof that the marriage is registered in Taiwan and gives the first spouse-based card one-year validity. These requirements appear in the NIA guide; the Taiwan-spouse residence article covers the family documents in more detail.
Certificates issued abroad may take longer to prepare than the application form. NIA requires authentication of overseas documents and may ask for a Chinese translation verified or notarized in the prescribed manner. The Taiwan overseas mission responsible for the place of issue can explain the authentication procedure. Police certificates and health examinations depend on the particular visa or residence category; they are not required in every first-card application.
Where the application goes
NIA's residence application directory separates general residence applications from those for professionals and their dependents, students, and migrant workers. Each category has a designated online system or service-center procedure. Using the professional-worker system is appropriate only if your employment category belongs there.
Students use a dedicated online procedure. For the ordinary in-person application, the relevant NIA service center is the one covering your current address; NIA specifically directs Taiwan-spouse applications there in its residence guide.
Keep the submission record and uploaded documents. If NIA requests further evidence, retaining the request with the original file makes it clear which documents still need to be supplied.
Fees, processing and collection
Standard ARC fees are NT$1,000 for each year of approved validity, with a period under one year charged as a full year. Article 3 of the immigration permit fee standards adds NT$2,200 for applications following visa-exempt or visitor-visa entry. Its reduction for overseas compatriot students applies to that status, not to international students generally.
NIA decides the approved term. The ordinary statutory maximum is three years, while qualifying specialist professionals have a separate maximum under their legislation (Immigration Act Article 22; Foreign Professionals Act Article 8). Paying a higher fee cannot establish eligibility for a longer period.
For general applications, NIA gives a processing time of ten working days, excluding document return, requests for additional documents and interviews. The processing period starts again after the additional documents are submitted. Online categories have their own schedules, which may affect travel plans while the application is pending.
Under the student online procedure, payment is due within five working days from approval. A student collecting a smart-chip ARC must print the online payment receipt and take it to the selected NIA service center three working days after payment. That timetable applies to this student procedure; other applicants should follow the method and identification requirements in their approval or collection notice.
Check the issued card against your application. The name, passport details, address and residence expiry date should match the approved particulars; keep the receipt and decision with your immigration records.
An ARC alone does not authorize every job. Before starting work, the relevant permit or exemption must cover the actual employment under Employment Service Act Articles 43 and 48. Once you have the card, its expiry date and any later changes to your address or employment determine the next filings; travel may also require attention to re-entry permission. Those situations are covered in the renewal and changes guide.
Sources checked October 24, 2026. This procedural guide concerns foreign nationals and does not determine individual eligibility. Mainland China residents, Hong Kong and Macau residents, and ROC nationals without household registration follow separate frameworks.
Official sources
- Immigration Act, Article 22: first-card deadline, integrated-document exception and ordinary validity limit.
- NIA, residence, extension and change applications, updated April 14, 2026: documents, fees, processing and spouse attendance.
- BOCA, resident visas for professional employees: ARC timing following resident visa issuance in Taiwan.
- Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, Articles 8 and 16: specialist validity and direct residence applications.
- NIA, residence application directory: category-specific application channels.
- NIA, student online applications, updated August 28, 2026: student filing, payment and collection.
- Taiwan overseas mission directory: document authentication inquiries.
- Immigration permit fee standards, Article 3: ARC fees and specified reductions.
- Employment Service Act, Articles 43 and 48: work authorization and exemptions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When does the deadline for my first ARC start?
- For entry with a resident visa and residence permission, the 30-day period starts the day after arrival. If the resident visa is issued after you arrive, BOCA's guidance counts 30 days from its issuance. Visitors applying directly for residence must meet the eligibility and filing rules for their category.
- How much does a first ARC cost?
- The standard charge is NT$1,000 for each year of approved validity; a period under one year is charged as one year. Applications after visa-exempt or visitor-visa entry carry an additional NT$2,200 under the fee rules. Specified reductions and exemptions may apply.
- Can I start work once I receive an ARC?
- Only if the actual job and employer are covered by the permit or exemption that applies to you. An ARC records residence permission; it does not by itself establish unrestricted work rights.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice on any individual matter.
