Visas for Taiwan

If enrolling in the Mandarin program at Providence University, we will send your Acceptance Papers to your home address, which you can then use to apply for your student resident visa (student ARC) before leaving home.

Visa Types 

  • Visa free entry - No visa is required for stays of up to 14 days in Taiwan. Such visas cannot be extended and you will have to leave after 14 days.
  • Landing visa - A landing visa is valid for 1 month and can be applied for at Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport provided that the traveller's passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of expected departure and holds a return ticket departing from Taiwan within 1 month. A Landing visa cannot be extended within Taiwan and travellers will have to leave after 30 days.
  • Working holiday visa - Available to Australian and New Zealand passport holders aged between 18 and 30 years. Initial duration of stay shall be 180 days, which may be extended for no more than another 180 days while the visa is still valid.
  • Visitor visa - This can be a multiple or single visitor visa. This type of visa is only issued in your home country. If you are teaching English, then we will get your visitor visa changed to a work permit. Extendable visitor visas are valid for stays up to 60 days and may be extended up to 6 months without leaving Taiwan if you are studying Mandarin. If you decide to stay longer than 6 months, you can then apply for a resident visa. In order to receive a 60 day extendable VISA from your local Taiwanese Consulate, you will need to have official documentation with you upon application.
  • Resident visa - There are 3 types of ARC: 1) Marriage ARC ; 2) Work ARC ; 3) Student ARC. The Student ARC can be applied for after 4 months of study on a visitor visa. You may then stay in Taiwan indefinitely as long as you are studying at Providence University or an accredited ARC issuing institution.

    If arriving on a visitor visa and you then decide to stay longer than 6 months (maximum allowable on a visitor visa) you can then apply within Taiwan for a resident visa. It's a very simple process taking about 10 days. Requirement is that you have first completed 4 months of Mandarin study at Providence University or an approved ARC issuing institution.

    Note you cannot 'piggy-back' anyone on your student resident visa (student ARC). 'Piggy-backing' is only allowed on a work-permit (work ARC).

Visa Extensions

We suggest you apply for a 60-day extendable visitor visa at your local Taiwanese Consulate. After 60 days, we will provide you with a set of papers to take to the local police station where you will get another 60-days without having to leave Taiwan. If you intend staying for 6 months then it will not be necessary to apply for a resident visa, however should you decide that you want to stay longer then you can change your visitor visa after 4 months to a residents visa (4 months is the government requirement for qualifying for a resident visa).

Non-Extendable Visitor Visas

There is the occasion when applicants receive non-extendable 30-day or 60-day visitor visas. If you have been offered an English teaching contract, then you may change these type of visas into extendable visas or a work permit within Taiwan without leaving - we will provide you with the necessary paperwork to allow you to change these type of visas at the local Foreign Affairs office. If enrolling in our Mandarin program, then you will need to show a bank statement of US$3,000 to have your visa extended.

Getting The Proper Visa Before You Come

Before you leave your home country to come to Taiwan, you will need to apply for a visa at your local Taiwanese Consulate.

You will be required to take the following with you to apply for your visa:
  1. Acceptance documents - we will send these to you
  2. Valid passport
  3. 2 passport sized photographs
  4. An application processing fee - varies country to country
  5. A statement showing that you have enough funds - approx. US$2,000
  • We suggest you first call your local Taiwanese Consulate and inform them that you intend going to Taiwan to learn Chinese and ask them which documents you require etc - the above is a guideline only.

Important Notice

It is important that you stick to ONE reason for coming to Taiwan throughout your entire application at your local Taiwanese Consulate. Visa Offices do not accept applications when more than one reason is mentioned for coming to Taiwan. If you intend teaching then we suggest you make no mention of that - you can apply for a work permit whilst in Taiwan but if you mention that you intend working then you will have to provide official documents to prove that you already have a work permit before you come.