Visa programme for digital nomads

Taiwan plans to issue visas for digital nomads for up to six months as part of a programme to attract foreign professionals. At a press conference on 18 July, Minister Paul Liu said the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased remote work, and the government will now focus on attracting digital nomads to expand the country's talent base. Liu noted that countries such as South Korea, Japan and Thailand have already developed their own programmes for digital nomads, making the recruitment of foreign professionals particularly relevant.

Taiwan aims to attract 120,000 foreign professionals by 2028. Paul Liu also announced that the next session of the Legislative Yuan will amend the Law on Attracting and Employing Foreign Professionals to relax restrictions on permanent residency for highly skilled professionals. The bill will be based on the experience of Japan, which introduced a visa programme that allows professionals with an annual salary of at least NT$6 million (US$184,021) to obtain permanent residency one year after arrival.

Liu also emphasised that Taiwan could benefit from Japan's visa model for digital nomads as it is non-renewable. The minister added that Taiwan aims to retain 10 per cent of digital nomads, which he believes will boost domestic tourism and the region's economy. Currently, the visa for digital nomads in Taiwan allows them to stay in the country for up to three months, and the government is considering extending this for another three months without changing the law, subject to approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The minister said that of the 120,000 foreign professionals expected, 60,000 would be professionals, 50,000 would be foreign students and 10,000 would be digital nomads. The National Development Council drafted the Foreign Professionals Attraction and Employment Act to make Taiwan more attractive to foreign professionals by simplifying visa rules and creating incentives for long-term residency.

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