Taiwan has always been one of the most popular immigration choices for Hong Kong people. Many people are attracted by the fact that local prices are lower than those in Hong Kong, and it is easier to buy real estate and cars. In addition, the culture and language of the two places are similar, which increases the willingness of many Hong Kong people to emigrate to Taiwan. The following is a brief list of the 5 most important ways to immigrate to Taiwan, the application procedures and application conditions, so that you can more easily master the methods of entering Taiwan.

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Investment Immigration to Taiwan from Hong Kong

For Hong Kong people considering moving to Taiwan, investment immigration is a good choice. However, applicants need to write an investment plan and obtain approval from Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. According to the new regulations, applicants need to invest at least NT$6 million (approximately HK$1.55 million) in Taiwan, and open a company with actual business or invest in an existing Taiwan company. In addition, the applicant also needs to hire more than two Taiwanese employees, the operating period is also extended from 1 year to 3 years, and at the same time, a qualified accountant is entrusted to conduct the audit. Applicants also need to have lived in Taiwan for one full year before they can apply for a residence permit and obtain an ID card.

It is worth noting that under the new regulations, applicants who buy a house in Taiwan are not counted as investment immigrants. In addition, after obtaining the ID card, the applicant needs to operate for another two years. If it is found to fail during the spot check during the period, the ID card may be recovered. Applicants who have no business experience, they can choose franchise methods, such as self-service laundromats, breakfast shops, doll clip machines, etc.

Procedures and formalities for investment immigration to Taiwan:

1. To apply for investment immigration, you need to consider what type of company to open or invest in an existing Taiwanese company, and entrust a local accountant or lawyer as an agent to assist in writing an investment plan and submit an application to the Investment Review Committee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan.
2. After the plan is approved, the applicant can open a bank account in Taiwan, remit the investment amount from Hong Kong to Taiwan, and then be reviewed by the Investment Review Committee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. After successful approval, the applicant can prepare all the documents and go to the Taiwan Immigration Office to apply for a residence permit.

Taiwan Investment Immigration : settlement conditions 

• Investment amount: Applicants must invest at least NT$10 million and hold the invested enterprise for more than 3 years.
• Business operation: The invested enterprise must be legally registered in Taiwan and operate continuously for 3 years.
• Tax records: Applicants must provide tax records for the past 5 years.
• No criminal record: Applicants and their family members must provide proof of no criminal record.
• Willingness to settle: Applicants must express a sincere willingness to settle and meet the residency requirements under Taiwan’s immigration laws.

Entrepreneurship Immigrate to Taiwan from Hong Kong 

Taiwan Entrepreneur Immigration is a policy launched by Taiwan to implement the plan of the Executive Yuan to promote entrepreneur visas for those who are interested in starting a business in Taiwan. Applicants need to meet certain conditions, including the requirements of high school education and business nature and need to be reviewed by the Investment Review Committee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Eligible applicants can apply for a residence visa for a period of up to one year for the first application. After that, applicants need to meet certain performance indicators, such as the average annual operating income of more than NT$3 million in the last year or the last three years, the average annual operating expenses of more than NT$1 million in the last year or three years, or employment Employing more than 3 full-time Taiwanese employees can apply for the extension of the right of abode, and each extension period shall not exceed two years. As long as you have lived in Taiwan continuously for five years and lived in Taiwan for more than 183 days per year, you can apply for naturalization in Taiwan.

Procedures and formalities for entrepreneurship immigration to Taiwan:

1. Obtain the business ability that meets the requirements of the government and meet the conditions for entrepreneurial immigration set by the government.
2. Apply to the Investment Review Committee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and submit relevant documents, such as passports, education certificates, business plans, and financial certificates. Applicants are also interviewed and assessed.
3. The Investment Review Committee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs reviews the applicant’s application documents and business plan, and conducts interviews and evaluations.
4. After being approved by the review committee, the applicant can apply to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office for a residence permit.
5. The maximum period for the first application for residence is one year, and then you need to apply for renewal of the right of residence every year if you meet the above conditions. You can apply for naturalization in Taiwan after five consecutive years of residence.

To sum up, applying for Taiwan entrepreneurial immigration needs to meet certain conditions and business capabilities, and needs to be reviewed by the Investment Review Committee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Applicants are required to submit relevant documents and a business plan, and are required to undergo an interview and assessment. Applicants can apply for a residence permit to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, and must apply for renewal of the right of residence every year if they meet the conditions. After five years of continuous residence, they can apply for naturalization in Taiwan.

Taiwan Entrepreneurship Immigration : settlement conditions 

• Business plan: Applicants must provide a business plan that meets Taiwan’s industrial development direction and has been certified by Taiwanese authorities.
• Investment amount: Applicants must invest at least NT$5 million within Taiwan.
• Business operation: The entrepreneurial enterprise must be legally registered in Taiwan and operate continuously for 3 years.
• Tax records: Applicants must provide tax records for the past 5 years.
• No criminal record: Applicants and their family members must provide proof of no criminal record.

Education Immigration to Taiwan from Hong Kong

If you want to immigrate to Taiwan through further studies, there are generally two ways. The first way is to complete your university education in Taiwan and then return to your place of origin (Hong Kong) to work for two years. After that, you can apply for residence in Taiwan through the HF169 program. Applicants need to provide proof of employment in Hong Kong, a guarantor in Taiwan, and other information. You can apply for permanent residence in Taiwan after you have lived in Taiwan for one year (you can leave Taiwan for up to 30 days within a year, and there is no limit to the number of times you leave the country), or you have lived in Taiwan for two consecutive years and lived in Taiwan for at least 270 days each year.

The second method is to evaluate according to the “Review Quota System for Overseas Chinese Students Staying in Taiwan” after graduating from Taiwan University. Applicants need to have lived in Taiwan for at least five years and obtain a score of at least 70 points based on eight aspects of their education, salary, work experience, professional qualifications, Chinese and foreign language ability, growth experience, and compliance with government policies related to industrial development. At the same time, applicants need to have a salary of at least NT$38,000 per month to be approved to work in Taiwan. In addition, applicants must live in Taiwan for at least 183 days per year in the fifth year and have a monthly salary of approximately NT$42,000 before they can apply for settlement in Taiwan.

If applicants want to be evaluated according to the “Review Quota System for Overseas Chinese Students Staying in Taiwan”, they need to be evaluated based on eight aspects: education, salary, work experience, professional qualifications, Chinese and foreign language skills, growth experience, and compliance with government policies related to industrial development. Get a score of at least 70. At the same time, applicants need to have a salary of at least NT$38,000 per month to be approved to work in Taiwan. In addition, applicants must have lived in Taiwan for at least five years, at least 183 days in the fifth year each year, and have a monthly salary of about NT$42,000 before they can apply for settlement in Taiwan.

Procedures and formalities for education immigration to Taiwan:

1. Students who intend to study in Taiwan can apply online at the National Taiwan Normal University Preparatory Class for Overseas Students, and study one-year basic courses and university preparatory courses. The project starts to accept applications in September every year. According to the teaching direction of the university department, the courses are divided into three categories, and students can choose to study according to their interests and preferences.
2. After completing one year of basic courses and university preparatory courses and obtaining graduation grades, students can choose to study in various universities in Taiwan according to their academic performance and professional preference.

Skilled Immigration to Taiwan from Hong Kong

Hong Kong people with professional qualifications can choose to use the method of skilled immigration. Applicants do not need to invest in Taiwan. They only need to meet the professional requirements specified in Taiwan and live in Taiwan for a specified period of time to be eligible to apply.

Skilled immigration to Taiwan conditions (applicants must meet one of the following)

Those who have achieved achievements in applied engineering technology in special fields, that is, have professional skills in emerging industries, key technologies, key components and products, and have more than five years of practical experience in factory affairs or research and development, and have served as managers or above job standards.

Those who have professional technical ability and have obtained the practicing certificate from the Hong Kong or Macau government, including: lawyers, accountants, technicians, architects and medical practitioners, and need to perform the duties for more than two years.

Those who have made special achievements in academic, scientific, cultural, journalism, finance, insurance, securities, futures, transportation, postal, telecommunications, meteorological or tourism professional fields.

Supervisors or professional and technical personnel employed by a company established in accordance with the Company Law, an approved foreign company, or a representative office of a foreign company that has been filed, if they have obtained a master’s degree or above from a relevant university at home and abroad, Or those who have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a relevant firm and have more than two years of relevant work experience, etc.

*The above four categories have different review standards, please go here for details.

Procedures and formalities for skilled immigration to Taiwan:

When the applicant meets one of the above-mentioned professional skills, he needs to submit the required documents to the competent authority. For example, a lawyer applicant needs to submit to the Ministry of Justice the lawyer’s practice certificate issued by the Hong Kong and Macao governments and the certification documents that have been practicing as a lawyer for more than two years; Personnel needs to submit to the Ministry of Health and Welfare the medical personnel practicing certificate issued by the Hong Kong and Macau governments, and the certification documents that have performed the duties of medical personnel for more than two years.

Marriage Immigrate to Taiwan from Hong Kong

The condition for applying for marriage immigration in Taiwan is to be officially married to a resident who has a household registration in Taiwan (holding a Taiwan ID card), and to submit supporting documents following the procedures. After applying for the right of abode, the applicant can apply for settlement and naturalization in Taiwan after living in Taiwan for a specified number of days. The conditions for applying for marriage immigration in Taiwan are that you have lived in Taiwan continuously for one year from the date of application, and you have not been out of the country for more than 30 days (those who enter and leave the country on the same day are also counted as one day), or you have lived in Taiwan continuously for two years since the date of application, and live in Taiwan for more than 270 days each year. Applicants also need to apply for a certificate of no marriage record, a certificate of no criminal record, and a Taiwan entry permit in Hong Kong.

Procedures and formalities for marriage immigration to Taiwan:

(Applicants need to go through the following procedures in Hong Kong first)

1. To apply for a certificate of no marriage record: you need to prepare the original Hong Kong ID card or passport, and fill in an application form for a certificate of no marriage record. You can choose to apply by mail or in person at the Marriage Registration and Records Office. If you want to apply online, you can go here.
2. Verification of the certificate of no marriage record: Prepare the certificate of no marriage record, the application form for document certification, and the original and copy of the Hong Kong ID card, and go to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Lippo Center, Admiralty, and mail applications are not accepted.
3. Apply for a Taiwan Entry Permit and a Certificate of No Criminal Record: You need to prepare a passport, visa application form, two passport photos, and a copy of the Hong Kong ID card. Go to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office to apply for a visa for more than three months. Also, the application requires the inspection of a police certificate and a letter. Then, you need to make an appointment through the online appointment system or call the automatic telephone inquiry system (Tel: 2396 5351), and you can go to check the documents you need to prepare in advance.

(Procedures in Taiwan)

1. Marriage registration in Taiwan: On the day of registration, you must prepare all the required documents, and go to the Taiwan household registration office to apply for marriage registration.
2. Physical examination and application for a Taiwan residence permit: Go to a hospital designated by the Department of Health of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan for a physical examination, and apply for a Taiwan residence permit at the Immigration Department.

Application fee:

Frequently Asked Questions about Immigration from Hong Kong to Taiwan

How to apply for a certificate of no criminal record?

A certificate of no criminal record, commonly known as a “good citizen certificate”, is a certification document issued by the Hong Kong Police Force. Citizens can apply to the department when traveling overseas, studying abroad, immigrating, or adopting children. If it is not for the above reasons, the department will not accept the application for issuing a certificate of no criminal record. Applicants who are still in Hong Kong should bring the required documents and go to the Wanchai Police Headquarters in person to complete the formalities during office hours. You can make an appointment online or by calling 2396 5351 in advance. The application fee is HK$225 per person, which can be paid by cash, Octopus card, EPS, or cheque.

needed file:

1.Hong Kong identity card or valid travel document
2.The completed application form for the certificate of no criminal record, the applicant’s information filling a form, and the authorization letter agreeing to take fingerprints
3.The original and photocopy of the letter issued by the relevant consulate/immigration bureau/government department. The letter must contain the applicant’s name and clearly state that the Consulate/Immigration Bureau/Government Department needs to inspect the Certificate of No Criminal Conviction.

Is it necessary to undergo a medical examination before immigrating to Taiwan?

If you want to immigrate to Taiwan, the applicant needs to submit a health examination report to the Immigration Department, and the report must be issued by a public or private hospital designated by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Immigration Department only accepts health inspection reports within 3 months, so do not check early to avoid overdue.

There are 5 health check items:
Chest X-ray Tuberculosis Screening
Stool test for intestinal parasites (Hong Kong and Macau residents are exempted from stool test)
Syphilis serum test
Measles and Rubella Screening
Whole body skin inspection results (Han’s disease examination)

If you want to have a medical examination in Hong Kong, you need to do it in a private hospital or clinic, then go to a notary office for “notarization”, and then go to the “Taipei Office” for “verification”. It is more convenient to go to the hospital designated by Taiwan Immigration Agency. For the list of hospitals, please refer to the relevant information.

If the applicant immigrates to Taiwan, does he need to perform military service?

Hong Kong men who immigrate to Taiwan, if they are between 18 and 36 years old, are required to perform military service and must go through military conscription procedures one year after the expiration of household registration. Those who are physically or mentally handicapped or ill, or whose physique does not meet the service standards, may be exempted from military service obligations.

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