Taiwan: Overstay Ban and Fines Restricted; Extension Policy Relaxed, in New Immigration Policy Updates

New visitor visa extension rule. Foreign nationals under a visitor visa with permission to stay for 60 days or more, whose visa does not state ‘no extension will be granted’, can apply for an extension (which costs TWD 300) that cannot exceed the original permitted stay, and the cumulative stay cannot be more than six months.

Previously, extensions were not allowed for visitor visas.

Visitor visa holders benefit from the ability to extend their visas in Taiwan instead of having to leave once their 60-day stay expired, and applying for another visa if they needed to re-enter.

Address/employer change notifications. Foreign nationals who change their residential address or employer during the period of their residency now have 30 calendar days to notify the government, up from 15 days.

Affected foreign nationals benefit from the relaxed government notification responsibility.  

Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) application changes.

• Foreign nationals who entered Taiwan under a resident visa on or after January 1, 2024 have 30 calendar days to apply for an ARC, up from 15 calendar days.
• Foreign nationals can apply to extend their ARC and residency rights up to three months before their ARC expiration, up from one month.

These relaxed rules benefit resident visa holders, who face several administrative hurdles when seeking to apply for an ARC or extend their stay.  

Entry ban rule change.

• The maximum duration of an entry ban for foreign nationals who overstay in Taiwan has been increased from three to seven years.
• The biological children of foreign nationals who are banned from entering Taiwan due to working illegally or overstaying their right to stay in Taiwan can apply to have their own entry ban reduced in half.
• To be eligible for this relaxed rule, the child must be Taiwanese (with or without a registered household in Taiwan), or a foreign national with permanent residence rights in Taiwan.

The overstay ban increase shows the Taiwanese government’s intention to deter overstayers.

Increased fines. Foreign nationals without household registration or who overstay their authorized period of residence are subject to a fine of TWD 10,000-50,000 (up from TWD 2,000-10,000), depending on the duration of the overstay.

The fine increase shows the Taiwanese government’s intention to deter overstayers.