Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts.
To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said.
Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in the same period.
Photo: CNA
Applicants must also provide “proof of bank deposits” averaging at least US$10,000 for the previous six-month period as well as “proof of health and full hospitalization insurance for the entire duration of stay,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Only nationals from the ministry’s list of visa-exempt countries are eligible for the new visa, which includes citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the UK, the US and several EU countries, including France and Germany.
Applicants must also provide a “personal resume or portfolio, including academic background and work experience,” a valid work contract from an employer or contracts for current freelance projects, and complete a “description of intended activities” form.
The new visa was launched on Wednesday last week by the National Development Council (NDC) in conjunction with the ministry, apparently in an attempt to attract financially independent foreign nationals to spend overseas-earned money in Taiwan.
The NDC in July last year said that it hoped to attract 100,000 “digital nomads” — referring to people who work remotely, sometimes for a company in one country while living in another.
However, nearly a week after applications were first opened, neither the NDC nor the ministry announced or promoted the new visa category on their Web sites in any language.
It is also unclear how the digital nomad visitor visa might differ practically from other visitor visas already offered to people from countries on the ministry’s visa-exemption list, except for offering a longer stay of up to six months.
Foreign nationals from the majority of Taiwan’s visa-exempt countries can already visit Taiwan for 90 days without providing proof of income, while British and Canadian nationals can extend their three-month stay to six months in total, the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Web site says.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS