Foreign nationals, who have entered ROC with visas for the purpose of pursuing studies, must make for the necessary visa change into a Resident Visa at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the visitor visa expiration date.
Resident Visa holders (or ones who obtained Resident Visa within ROC by visa change) are required to apply for the Alien Resident Certificate and Re-entry Permit at their local office of Ministry of Interior National Immigration Agency within 15 days after their arrival.
1. Required Documents
- Visa Application form
- Two 2-inch photos taken in the last six months (paste on application form)
- Original and photocopy of passport (with blank visa pages and at least six months validity)
- Original and photocopy of NDHU’s Letter of Admission
- Original and photocopy of Health Certificate for Residence Application
- Other supportive documents or official certificates required by the authority
2. Application Procedures
3. Application Fee (for reference only, due to rate changes)
- For visa application fees, please refer to Standard Fees for R.O.C. (Taiwan) Visas in Foreign Passports”(pdf file).
4. Important Notice
- Foreigners who come to Taiwan with a Visa upon Arrival, with a Visa exemption, or with a Visa other than Student Status Visa can not ask for visa extension for purpose of pursuing education. Non-degree students cannot apply for student status visa.
- Foreign nationals who have entered the Taiwan with visas for the purpose of pursuing studies, must make for the necessary visa change into a Resident Visa in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the visa expiration date.
- Resident Visa holders (or ones who obtained Resident Visa within Taiwan by visa change) are required to apply for the Alien Resident Certificate and Re-entry Permit at local service of Ministry of Interior National Immigration Agency on the next day upon arrival or within 15 days of the issue of your resident visa. They may stay in Taiwan as long as the Alien Resident Certificate remains valid.
- If Alien Resident Certificate holders need to leave and re-enter Taiwan within the valid period of their ARC, they should apply for re-entry permits while applying for ARC.
5. Contact Information
Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hualien Service Center)
Address: 6F., No.371, Zhongshan Rd., Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel: 03-8331-041
FAX: 03-8330-970
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30-17:00
Website: http://www.boca.gov.tw/
For international students, the Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) serves as their temporary ID card which can prove their resident status in Taiwan. It is a very important document and international students are advised to take good care of it and pay attention on its expiration date!
Moreover, whether international students have entered Taiwan with Resident Visa or obtained Resident Visa through visa change within Taiwan, please remember to apply for the Alien Resident Certificate and Re-entry Permit at the local office of Ministry of Interior National Immigration Agency on the next day upon arrival or within 15 days of the issue of their resident visa.
Online Application System
According to National Immigration Agency, international students must apply through the Online Application System (Starting from August 1, 2021).
Introduction
In order to allow foreign and overseas Chinese students to attend college and above in Taiwan, the students shall apply for a resident visa at an overseas Taiwan embassy before applying through the online registration and certification system for a resident visa at the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior after arriving in Taiwan.
Qualification
Any student with foreign nationality but not yet approved for naturalization in Taiwan may hold an admission permit/notice or certificate of enrollment and registration to fill out an application.
Application
- Foreign and overseas Chinese students who wish to attend school in Taiwan may apply through the online registration and certification system with an admission permit/notice or certificate of enrollment and registration provided by the attending school within 15 days after arriving in Taiwan.
- After acquiring a residence permit upon arriving in Taiwan and getting enrolled, the foreign and overseas Chinese students who need to extend their stay in Taiwan due to academic requirements shall apply for a residence permit renewal online within 30 days before the residence permit expires.
- After acquiring a residence permit upon arriving in Taiwan and getting enrolled, the foreign and overseas Chinese students who need to change their residence permit content shall apply for a residence permit alteration online.
Required Documents
Please upload the following documents on the website.Files should be in JPG | JPEG | PNG | BMP | PDF format :
- 2-inch photo (Notes for uploading a photo file)
- Alien Resident Certificate (except for first-time applicants)
- Passport and Resident Visa
- Enrollment Verification or Student ID Card with the current semester registration stamp (The freshman students could use NDHU admission as verification, National Immigration Agency Service Office will grant a ARC with six month validity in the beginning. When students accomplish registration and receive their student ID cards, they should extend their ARC to one year validity.).
Inquiry
- Inquiry for Application Progress
After filling out and submitting an online application form, the foreign and overseas Chinese students may receive a set of confirmation numbers composed of 12-digit numbers. By gaining access to “application progress inquiry” under “progress inquiry”, the students may key-in the conditions for inquiry so that the system will generate the relevant information automatically for the applicant to keep track of the progress. - Inquiry for Priority
After filling out and submitting out an online application form, the foreign and overseas Chinese students may receive a set of confirmation numbers composed of 12-digit numbers. By gaining access to the “priority” section, the students may select from a wide range of services provided by the system to keep track of the progress.
Online Payment
After the online application is reviewed and approved by the National Immigration Agency, please make your payment for the residence permit within 5 working days, with application content and price listed below:
- Price of a one-year residence permit for foreign students: NT$1,000.
- Price of a two-year residence permit for foreign students: NT$2,000.
- Price of a three-year residence permit for foreign students: NT$3,000.
- Price for alteration or re-issuance of residence permit: NT$500.
The system provides multi-payment options such as “international credit card”, “ATM online”, “virtual account payment”, “e-government payment platform”, and “payment at the four major convenience stores in Taiwan”. Regarding the payment option of “International Credit Card”, this platform does not support China UnionPay and American Express, and only JCB, VISA, MasterCard credit cards are used for online payment. After the payment is completed, no refund will be made.
E-residence Permit and Receipt Download
After the application is reviewed and approved by the National Immigration Agency and after the payment is made, foreign and overseas Chinese students who file the application will receive an e-mail automatically sent by the system informing that the e-residence permit and receipt are ready for download. By signing into the system, the foreign and overseas Chinese students are able to download their e-residence permits and receipts from “e-residence permit download” and “receipt download” in the “download section”. Take the e-receipt to the service station in exchange for the IC card as a residence permit.
1.Required Documents
- Application Form (PDF)
- Alien Resident Certificate (except for first-time applicants)
- 2-inch photo (2 photos for first-time applicants; 1 photo for applicants for ARC extension.) (Notes for uploading a photo file)
- Original Passport and Resident Visa and one copy of each
- Enrollment Verification or Student ID Card with the current semester registration stamp (The freshman students could use NDHU admission as verification, National Immigration Agency Service Office will grant a ARC with six month validity in the beginning. When students accomplish registration and receive their student ID cards, they should extend their ARC to one year validity.).
2. Application Procedure
When applying for ARC, please prepare the required documents and go to the local service of Ministry of Interior National Immigration Agency. The process can be done in person or by an agent who is provided the certificate of entrustment signed by the applicant. But the first-time applicants shall apply for ARC personally.
3. Payment
NT$1,000 (One-Year Valid), NT$2,000 (Two-Year Valid), NT$3,000 (Three-Year Valid).
Applicants requesting ARC renewal due to the loss or damage of their ARC must pay NT$500 for the renewal process.
4. Notes for First-time Application
- Resident Visa holders (or ones who obtained Resident Visa within ROC by visa change) are required to apply for the Alien Resident Certificate and Re-entry Permit at the local office of the Ministry of Interior National Immigration Agency on the next day upon arrival or within 15 days of the issue of your resident visa.
- If Alien Resident Certificate holders need to leave and Re-enter ROC within the valid period of their ARC, they should apply for re-entry permits while applying for ARC.
※Notes for ARC Extension
- ARC application processing time: 10 working days (ARC can be picked up with the application fee receipt)
- There are 2 ways to extend ARC : Online application and On site application.
- For over-staying foreigners who did not apply for ARC extension, their residence will be ceased by the authorized agency, and they may be expelled from Taiwan.
- If you change your residence address or employer, you have to register the change with related documents at the service center of National Immigration Agency in your local residence within 15 days.
- If you will continue your enrollment at NDHU, you shall apply for an extension within 30 days before your period of residency expire.
- Graduate seeking employment in Taiwan are required to provide a graduation certificate to extend their period of stay. The extension period is six months, starting from the month of graduation. You can apply for extension again before the ARC expired, and it will also last for 6 months. The longest extension period for seeking employment would be ONE year. If students have postponed their graduation, they are required to provide documentation to keep or extend their ARC. Students will be granted a maximum extension of one year, according to their academic situation.
- Overstay:
- Overstay within 30 days (30th day excluded) but still enrolled: pay the fine and the application fee for the ARC extension
- Overstay more than 30 days (30th day included) and still enrolled: pay the fine and leave the country in 7 days to apply for a new visa to re-enter Taiwan
- Overstay fine:
- 1-10 days: NTD$2,000
- 11-30 days: NTD$4,000
- 31-60 days: NTD$6,000
- 61-90 days: NTD$8,000
- over 91days: NTD$10,000
- If you plan to leave Taiwan during the enrollment period, please make sure before your departure that your ARC will still be valid when you return to Taiwan. If necessary, please renew your ARC at the service center of National Immigration Agency in your local residence.
- If you apply to leave the school (suspension, withdrawal, and graduation), your ARC with the purpose of study will become invalid after you complete the related school-leaving procedure. If you would like to return to NDHU after the suspension is over, you will need to re-apply a new resident visa to enter Taiwan.
- ARC extension application form is the same as the ARC application form, see link above.
For more details, please contact the National Immigration Agency
Address: 5F., No.371, Zhongshan Rd., Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel: 03-8329-700
FAX: 03-8339-100
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00-17:00
Website: http://www.immigration.gov.tw/mp.asp?mp=2
Background and Regulation
International students are obligated to underwrite the insurance policy. If you would like to use your own insurance that you have purchased from your country, please verify it in one of Taiwan’s embassies or representative offices in your country. If not, we will enroll you into Group Medical Insurance for a fee of TWD 500 each month before joining National Health Insurance (NHI).
Process of Payment
If you wasn’t qualified to join NHI, OIA will inform you through e-mail in the beginning of the semester. Then, please come to OIA to proceed the payment . The Group Medical Insurance fee is a one-time and non-refundable payment. The cost is TWD 500 each month (according to the fee criteria by insurance company, so payment per semester is TWD 3,000 (from September to February and March to August).
Medical Treatment Procedures
If you need to receive medical treatment, please check the remarks to make sure that your medical treatment is included in this insurance and follow the procedures below:
- Go to a legal hospital or clinic for treatment.
- Claim for a certificate of your diagnosis.
- Pay the full fee for the treatment and get both the payment receipt and the certificate of diagnosis.
Compensation Application Procedures
For compensation claiming, you need to bring the following listed documents to the OIA so that we can help you submit them to insurance company:
- The original receipts of payment
- The original certificate of diagnosis
- Photocopy of your Post Office passbook cover
- Compensation Application Form
a. Download this form and fill it out
b. Click here to get English help on filling out the form. Please do not fill out on this form. Use the original one instead. - Passport photocopy
- ARC photocopy
Please note: For the same symptoms, the insurance company covers only one visit per day. The maximum coverage per visit is TWD 1,000, but does NOT include the hospital or clinic registration fee.
Insurance Coverage
Outpatient/Clinic:
– Physicians and specialists consultations, medical treatment and surgery
– Prescribed medicines and injection
– Diagnostic laboratory tests and surgical appliances
Hospitalization:
– Physicians and specialists consultations, medical treatment and surgery
– Prescribed medicines and injection
– Diagnostic laboratory tests and surgical appliances
– Basic room and board including general nursing care
– Policy Coverage:
Insurance covers accidents or sickness occurring in the Taiwan area. Accidents or sicknesses that require specialized medical care or that have occurred before the insurance policy was taken out will not be covered.
Remarks
– This policy does NOT cover medical treatment incurred by the following situation or personal behavior:
– Suicidal behavior, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, overdose, any sickness or damage result from illegal behavior and warfare
– Complication incurred by vibriosis, pregnancy, miscarriage or labor
– Health exams, optical correction, inoculation, elective cosmetic surgery, dental scaling, denture, prosthesis, ocular prosthesis
– Ambulance, diagnosis statement, the fee for assigning doctors, special nursing, any costs not relevant to the treatment
– Systemic lupus erythematosus, Hemophilia, Hyperhidrosis, AIDS-Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, sexually transmitted disease, congenital disorder, vasectomy, organ transplant, and any disease diagnosed before the insurance policy taken out
– Hospitalized patients with dental therapies, medical care, and rehabilitation
– Examination Fee for COVID-19
Background and Regulation
According to National Health Insurance Act, any foreigner staying in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) over six months is obligated to underwrite an insurance policy under NHI.
A person staying in Taiwan for full 6 months definition:
A person who has, after receiving an ARC, stayed in Taiwan for six consecutive months, or exited Taiwan ONCE for fewer than 30 days within the actual period of stay, amounting to six months after the number of days that he or she has been away from Taiwan would be deducted.
Handbook of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance
Process of Payment
The cost of National Health Insurance (NHI) should be included in the tuition fee every semester. If you are eligible to underwrite an insurance policy under NHI. The cost is TWD 826 each month (according to the fee criteria set by NHI), so payment per semester is TWD 4,956 (from August to January and February to July). Newly arrived students can underwrite an NHI insurance policy only when they have received ARC for six months. Thus, they join the group medical insurance instead at a cost of TWD 500 per month.
Guide of Insuring in NDHU
– Situation 1. For newly arrived freshmen who have NOT been in Taiwan for six months or who have been out of Taiwan for 30 continuous days in the past six months:
Once you have been in Taiwan for more than six months continuously, please follow the procedure outlined in Situation Two to underwrite the NHI policy.
– Situation 2. For newly arrived freshmen who have been in Taiwan for six months:
Please pay with the tuition fee. OIA will send the required documents to the Bureau of National Health Insurance.
The procedure will take about four weeks, and OIA will inform you once they receive your IC card.
– Situation 3. Students who have underwritten their policy to other associations or schools but want to transfer it to NDHU:
Please ask your previous agency (language school, company, or municipal administration, etc.) for an insurance policy closure document. Then bring the document to OIA for a payment form and pay at the Cashier Office. After paying, bring the receipt to transfer your NHI to NDHU back to OIA.
– Situation 4. Students who have underwritten their policy to other associations but do NOT want to transfer it to NDHU:
Please notify OIA and check the Tuition and Fees bill at the start of every semester to avoid double-paying NHI fees.
NHI Transfer from NDHU
– Situation 1. Suspension, withdrawal, or graduation: Come to OIA for your refund and to complete the insurance policy closure procedure.
– Situation 2. Transferring to another school: Come to OIA for your refund and to complete the insurance policy closure procedure. Then bring the closure document to your new school for transfer.
Renewal of NHI IC Card
If you lose or damage your NHI IC card and need to renew it, please apply to the Bureau of National Health Insurance. Renewal costs TWD 200.
NHI IC Card Application Form
For more details, please refer to The Bureau of National Health Insurance
Website: www.nhi.gov.tw/english/
Address: 97409, No. 36, Syuanyuan Rd., Hualien City, Hualien County (Eastern Division)
Tel: 0800-030-598; 03 833 2111(Eastern Division)
Office Hour: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm
As an international students who wish to work in Taiwan (either on campus or off campus), you are required to apply for and obtain the work permit before starting work. Please note that if you hold a job without applying for the work permit, you may be fined for NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 and ordered to leave the country immediately.
Work permit online application system
To apply for a work permit online, create an account on the Workforce Development Agency website and follow the instructions in the manuals to submit an application.
Manuals:
a. Workforce Development Agency EZ Work Permit Manual
b. Workforce Development Agency EZ Work Permit Manual for International Students at NDHU
Q&A for Electronic Service of Student Work Permit
- For the “Faculty” field in the form, please fill in the FULL department name.
- The OIA will inform you on NDHU- International Students Facebook group when the OIA has received your work permit from the Workforce Development Agency.
Application for a “Student Certificate”
- Website: e-Portfolio Enter the website , key in your E-mail and E-mail password, then click “Login”.
- Once sign-in, click on “Print Certification” from the side bar.
- Click “學年學期” and choose the semester.
- Click “列印在學證明書”, then “Expand Right Win” , you will see a download icon or printing icon on the upright.
Other Regulations
- The maximum work hours are 20 hours per week, except during summer and winter vacation.
- According to Employment Services Act, if you work without a work permit, you will be fined from NT 30,000 to NT150,000 and ordered to leave the country immediately.
- According to the “Regulations on the Permission and Administration of the Employment of Foreign Workers”, you can apply for the student work permit only if you are officially enrolled as a degree student in any university or have taken one-year language course in Taiwan.
- For applications made in the first semester, the work permit is valid until March 31th of the next semester; for applications made in the second semester, the work permit is valid until September 30th of the same year. The period validity of a work permit is six months at most.
- If you would like to get the permit in person, please fill in the relevant declaration form and hand in the documents at the designated counter of Workforce Development Agency. You have to bring the receipt to get the permit at the counter by the appointed deadline. The Workforce Development Agency will send the permit as a registered mail if you did not receive the permit before the certain date.
For more details and regulations, please contact Workforce Development Agency
Website: http://www.wda.gov.tw/
Address: 10F, No. 39, Chung-Hwa Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei City, Taiwan (ROC)
TEL: (02) 8995-6000, (02) 23801712
Office Hour: Monday to Friday, 8:30-12:30, 13:30-17:30
Office Hours for Application Submission in Person: Monday to Friday, 8:30-17.30
E-mail: wda@wda.gov.tw
For the complete regulation, please refer to: Ministry of Labor Employment Service Act
On-campus Information
- NDHU Campus Map MAP
- Payment Sheet Download Process (PDF) (Website)
- Course Selection Online System (PDF) (Website)
- International Student Identity Card (Online Application)
- Academic and Internship Handbook for International and Overseas Chinese Students (PDF)
Estimated Expenses
Bank Information
Student Club
Employment in Taiwan after graduating
Employment
The Ministry of Labor initiated a new point system for evaluating Overseas Chinese and foreign graduates who desire to remain in Taiwan and seek employment. All Overseas Chinese, Hong Kong and foreign students who desire to seek employment after graduating from a University in Taiwan (including students graduating this year) will be evaluated via a point system which assigns a certain number of points to the applicant per the qualifications of Overseas Chinese and foreign students as well as the criteria set for employers. The items in the point system include academic records, salary levels, work experience, job qualifications, Chinese language and other foreign language abilities as well as growth experience. In addition, the student must accommodate the eight items on the government’s industrial development policy and will be awarded points accordingly. The student applicant must accrue at least 70 points, fall within the set quota and be able to provide a valid work permit. The applicant quota for the first year of this new system is 2,000.
Employers that are applying with the Ministry of Labor for approval to hire Overseas Chinese or foreign graduates must provide the candidate’s completed self-evaluation form as well as any relevant documents, such as graduation certificates and/or diplomas, labor agreements, curriculum vitae and certificates for foreign language abilities. Further details about the items in the point system and the required documents for application can be found in the attachment below. For more detailed information, please check out the Ministry of Labor’s website and go to the special section for “Overseas Chinese and Foreign Graduates of Universities in Taiwan”.
Their contact information is as follows: (02)2380-1712 or (02)2380-1725.