Taiwan: Overstay Ban and Fines Restricted; Extension Policy Relaxed, in New Immigration Policy Updates
March 21, 2024
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At a Glance
The Taiwanese government adopted several key changes to its immigration policy, particularly regarding entry bans, related fines, extensions of right of stay, and government notifications, including:
- Allowing extensions for visitor visa holders;
- Extending the amount of days by which foreign nationals must notify the government if they change their address;
- Extending the time by which foreign nationals must apply for an Alien Resident Certificate from their date of entry; and
- Extending certain entry ban durations.
The situation
The government adopted several key changes to its immigration policy, particularly regarding entry bans, related fines, extensions of right of stay, and government notifications. All changes were effective March 1, 2024.
A closer look
Key changes include the below:
| CHANGE | IMPACT |
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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.
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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. |
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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.
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Affected foreign nationals benefit from the relaxed government notification responsibility. |
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Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) application changes.
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These relaxed rules benefit resident visa holders, who face several administrative hurdles when seeking to apply for an ARC or extend their stay. |
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Entry ban rule change.
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The overstay ban increase shows the Taiwanese government’s intention to deter overstayers. |
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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.
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The fine increase shows the Taiwanese government’s intention to deter overstayers. |
Background
This rule demonstrates the government’s intention to allow longer stays and reduce administrative hurdles for foreign nationals, while also deterring overstayers.
Looking ahead
The government of Taiwan is likely to continue to relax rules regarding length of stays and government notifications for foreign workers, while remaining strict about overstays and related fines and entry bans.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
