Living in Taiwan, explained properly.
ARC, banking, health insurance, tax and housing — written for people who actually have to do it, and sourced from the published rules.
Taiwan Visa Extension: Visitor Stay and ARC Renewal Explained
How to extend a visitor visa in Taiwan, the 180-day stay cap, the NT$300 fee, and the separate ARC (resident certificate) renewal that long-stay residents actually use.
taiwan visa extension — Read guideWhat's in this guide
- Visitor visas in Taiwan can be extended, but only if the visa granted 60 days or more and is not marked 'no extension'.
- Each extension may not exceed the original stay, and your total stay may not exceed 6 months (180 days); the fee is NT$300 per application.
- For long-term stay, the residence document is the ARC (Alien Resident Certificate), which is renewed — not the visa itself.
Recently updated
- Visa
Taiwan Gold Card: Eligibility, Salary Route and How to Apply
The Taiwan Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, ARC and re-entry permit in one. Eligibility fields, the NT$160,000 salary route, 1-3 year validity, and the online application process.
- Visa
Taiwan ARC Renewal: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Renewing on Time
How to renew your Taiwan Alien Resident Certificate without a gap — when the renewal window opens, what you bring, and which situations require a new application rather than an extension.
- Banking
Opening a Bank Account in Taiwan: ARC, Seals and Which Branch Says Yes
What foreigners actually need to open a Taiwanese bank account — the two-document rule, the personal seal question, why branches differ, and the post office fallback.
- Visa
Taiwan ARC: What It Is, Who Needs One, and How Renewal Works
The Alien Resident Certificate is the document everything else in Taiwan hangs off — banking, health insurance, phone contracts. Here is how you get one, when to renew, and what catches people out.
- Living
Taiwan NHI for Foreigners: When Coverage Starts and How It Works Day to Day
Taiwan's National Health Insurance is famously good — but foreigners' enrolment timing depends on employment status. Here is who enrols when, what it costs conceptually, and how using it actually works.
- Phone
Getting a SIM Card in Taiwan: Prepaid vs Contract, and the Two-ID Rule
How foreigners get connected in Taiwan — airport prepaid SIMs, the two-document rule, when a postpaid contract becomes possible, and why your phone number matters more here than you expect.
- Tax
Taiwan Income Tax for Foreigners: The 183-Day Line and What It Changes
How Taiwan taxes foreign residents and non-residents — why day counting decides your rate, how withholding works in your first months, and what the May filing season involves.