Taiwan’s Working Holiday Visa for Australians
If you’re an Australian aged between 18 and 30 years old, you can apply for a working holiday visa in Taiwan, officially called the Republic of China. This allows you to live and work in Taiwan for up to 12 months!
During this time, you can leave and re-enter Taiwan as many times as you like, making a city like Taipei – home to a large international airport – a great base for exploring the rest of northern Asia. Living in Taiwan is also a great opportunity to experience the local culture and learn Mandarin.
Australia has had a reciprocal working holiday agreement with Taiwan since 2004.
Although this visa permits you to work in Taiwan, this cannot be for more than six months with the same employer. You may also study in Taiwan with this visa, but only for a maximum of four months (this limitation does not apply to Mandarin language classes).
This page contains information about the Taiwan’s Working Holiday Visa for Australian citizens. It was last updated on 6 October 2022.
Key facts about Taiwan
- Population: Approx. 24 million
- Official languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien & Hakka
- Capital city: Taipei
- Largest cities: Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan
- Currency: New Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Taiwan Working Holiday Visa requirements for Australians
In addition to Australians, Taiwan offers working holiday visas to citizens of Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, and the UK.
The information on this page applies to Australian citizens. Please check the Taiwan Bureau of Consular Affairs website or contact your nearest embassy for information applicable to citizens of other countries.
To apply for a Taiwanese working holiday visa as an Australian citizen, you must meet the following requirements:
- Aged between 18-30 years old (inclusive) at the time of application
- Have at least TWD100,000 (approx. AUD5,000) in savings
- Have a return flight booking to Taiwan (or enough money to buy one)
- Be in good health
- Take out health/travel insurance
You cannot apply for this visa if you:
- Will be accompanied by dependent children
- Have a criminal record
- Have already participated in the working holiday program in Taiwan
Documents needed to apply for this visa
When applying for a working holiday visa for Taiwan as an Australian citizen, you will need to provide the following documents:
- Completed Working Holiday Maker visa application form
- Australian passport valid for more than a year
- Two recent passport-sized photos
- Return plane ticket or proof of sufficient funds to buy one
- Bank statement/s or other proof that you have at least the equivalent of TWD100,000 (approx. AUD5,000) in savings
- Certificate or proof of travel/health insurance that covers medical and hospitalisation expenses during your entire stay in Taiwan
- Health check certificate from the past 3 months, completed by a registered medical practitioner
- “Certificate of good conduct” (i.e. a police check certificate)
There is a visa application fee of AUD144 (this is subject to change), payable by bank cheque or money order made out to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
See the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Australia website and Bureau of Consular Affairs website for more information.
How to apply for a Taiwan Working Holiday Visa
You can get more information and apply for your working holiday visa through the relevant Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) for your state. You must be in Australia when you apply.
TECOs are available at the following Australian locations:
- The TECO Head Office in Canberra (for ACT & WA residents)
- The TECO in Sydney (for NSW residents)
- The TECO in Melbourne (for VIC, SA & TAS residents)
- The TECO in Brisbane (for QLD & NT residents)
Before visiting the TECO, you can access and complete the visa form online at the Bureau of Consular Affairs website.
Once you’ve submitted all required documents to the TECO, the visa processing time is generally 1-2 weeks.
Your visa will be initially valid for 180 days (six months). Once you’re in Taiwan, you can extend this for a further 180 days by visiting your local National Immigration Agency office no later than 15 days before the visa is initially due to expire.
The dedicated Working Holiday Program website of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also has some useful tips for making the most of your working holiday experience!
While best efforts are made to keep this information updated, we do not guarantee its accuracy. If you spot an error, would like to suggest new information to be added or simply have a question, please let us know in the comments and we’ll endeavour to respond or update the article as quickly as possible!
Hello,
I’m currently studying Mandarin in Taiwan, but I’m looking to get a Working Holiday Visa.
Do you know if I can apply for this visa within Taiwan?
Thanks,
Jack Asani
You would need to be in Australia at the time of application. It’s not possible to apply while already in Taiwan.
How does one get a health check done? Those expensive ones with BUPA or can u go to the GP?
Unfortunately I don’t know the answer to this, sorry. I would expect that you could just go to any GP that’s willing/able to conduct a medical exam inline with the Taiwanese requirements. But if in doubt, it might be best to contact your nearest TECO directly and ask them.
Hi Matt, thank you for putting together this guide. I was wondering if there is any flexibility in the requirement that one cannot work for more than six months with the same employer? I am struggling to find the specific rule through google. I am intending to work for about 10 months with the same employer in Taipei.
Thanks
Jin
Hi Jin, the “maximum six months of work per employer” rule is based on the bilateral working holiday visa agreement between Australia and Taiwan and is stated here: https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-153-385-82089-2.html
I don’t think you would get much flexibility on this as it’s a stated condition of the visa. If you want to work for 10 months with one employer, you may wish to consider applying for a different type of visa such as a work visa.
did you already have this job opportunity before coming?
Id love to do one in taiwan but i fear i would struggle to find some sort of job
Hey Matt,
Is there any way around the condition of needing to apply in Australia. I’m currently taking an exchange program in Hong Kong and would intend on going straight over to Taiwan afterwards. Would I be able to mail documents to the relevant office in Australia?
Cheers for the hand and informative article,
Huon
I don’t believe this is possible, but you could contact the TECO responsible for the state/territory where you usually live in Australia and ask them directly.
The reason I don’t think this would be possible is that Taiwan states Australians “currently residing in their country of citizenship may apply for a visa under the working holiday scheme by submitting proof of medical and comprehensive hospitalization insurance for the entire duration of their proposed stay in Taiwan, together with other required documents, to the Republic of China (Taiwan) foreign mission responsible for their country of citizenship. (Note: Starting January 1, 2019, eligible nationals of Canada may apply for a working holiday visa while already in the Republic of China (Taiwan).)”
Source: https://www.roc-taiwan.org/uploads/sites/8/2015/05/Flowchart-for-visa-applications-and-arrivals-of-foreign-youth-participating-in-working-holiday-schem109.02.19-3.pdf
The only exception listed is for Canadians.
Hi Matt,
Got in touch with the Melbourne TECO office about a week ago and glad to let you know for future reference that they seem happy for me to apply whilst abroad. I do still have a permanent address in Tassie, so maybe that’s helped, not sure. I’ll put an update later to confirm whether or not it’s successful.
Thanks for letting us know. Good luck 🙂