Moving to Taiwan: visas, cost of living & immigrant guide

Population

23,603,049

Population Growth Rate

0.27%

Urban Population

0.000000

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Age Structure

13.130000

Median Age

38.700000

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population

9

Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population

6.83

Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman

1.11

Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female

1.070000

Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population

.91

Ethnic Groups

Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%

Nationality Noun

Chinese/Taiwanese (singular and plural)

Literacy - total population

96.1%

Literacy Definition

age 15 and over can read and write

Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)

0.000000

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Life Expectancy at Birth

79.710000

Infant Mortality Rate

4.550000

Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births

4.550000

Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved

0.000000

Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved

0.000000

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Economic Overview

• economy: High-Tech
• Industry: Taiwan is renowned for its high-tech industry, particularly in the fields of semiconductors, electronics, and information technology. It is a global leader in the production of computer hardware, integrated circuits, and electronic components. Taiwan's technology companies, such as TSMC and Foxconn, play a crucial role in the global supply chain. Export-Oriented
• Economy: Taiwan is heavily reliant on exports and has a strong focus on international trade. Major export products include electronic components, machinery, chemicals, textiles, and plastics. The economy is highly integrated into global markets, with significant trading relationships with countries such as China, the United States, Japan, and Europe. SMEs and
• Entrepreneurship: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of Taiwan's economy. The country has a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a high number of startups and innovative ventures. SMEs contribute to job creation, innovation, and economic growth, particularly in sectors like technology, manufacturing, and services. Strong Financial
• Sector: Taiwan has a well-developed financial sector that supports economic activities. The banking system is sound, and there is an established stock market (Taiwan Stock Exchange) where many domestic and international companies are listed. The government has implemented policies to encourage the development of financial technology (FinTech) and digital payment systems. Economic
• Integration: While Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, it maintains extensive economic ties with countries worldwide. It has signed free trade agreements (FTAs) with several nations and is an active participant in regional economic frameworks, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Economic
• Challenges: Taiwan faces several economic challenges, including an aging population, income inequality, and regional geopolitical tensions. The government is implementing measures to address these challenges, such as promoting innovation, investing in education and skills development, and diversifying trade partners. Resilience and
• Adaptability: Despite challenges, Taiwan's economy has demonstrated resilience and adaptability over the years. The country has successfully transitioned from labor-intensive industries to high-value manufacturing and knowledge-based sectors. Its ability to innovate, invest in research and development, and nurture human capital has been key to its economic success.

Industries

electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$47,500.00 (USD)

GDP - real growth rate

2.2%

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GDP - Gross Domestic Product (PPP)

$1,143,277,000,000 (USD)

GDP Per Capita

$47,500.00 (USD)

GDP - real growth rate

2.2%

GDP - official exchange rate

$518,800,000,000 (USD)

GDP - composition, by end use

• consumption: 53% government
• consumption: 14.1% investment in fixed
• capital: 21.2% investment in
• inventories: 0.3% exports of goods and
• services: 64.7% imports of goods and
• services: -53.3%

GDP by Sector- agriculture

1.9%

GDP by Sector- Industry

34.8%

GDP by Sector- services

63.2%

Industrial Growth Rate

26.4%

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Inflation Rate

1%

Exchange Rate per US Dollar

new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Currency Name and Code

New Taiwan Dollar (TWD)

Fiscal Year

1 July - 30 June

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

2.9%

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Labor Force

11,070,000

Unemployment Rate

5.2%

Major Industries

electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing

Agriculture Products

rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk, fish

Population Below Poverty Line

1.16%

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Labor Force By Occupation- agriculture

5%

Labor Force By Occupation- industry

36.2%

Labor Force By Occupation- services

58.8%

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Annual Budget

$72,240,000,000 (USD)

Public Debt (% of GDP)

33.3%

Budget Surplus or Deficit - percent of GDP

-2.5%

Taxes and other revenues - percent of GDP

16.1%

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Full Country Name

none

Country Name

Taiwan

Local - Long

none

Local - Short

Taiwan

Former Name

Formosa

Etymology- history of name

"Tayowan" was the name of the coastal sandbank where the Dutch erected their colonial headquarters on the island in the 17th century; the former name "Formosa" means "beautiful" in Portuguese

National Holiday

Republic Day (National Day), 10 October (1911); note - celebrates the anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, also known as Double Ten (10-10) Day

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Government Type

semi-presidential republic

Constitution

• history: previous 1912, 1931; latest adopted 25 December 1946, promulgated 1 January 1947, effective 25 December 1947
• amendments: proposed by at least one fourth of the Legislative Yuan membership; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote of at least three fourths of the Legislative Yuan membership and approval in a referendum by more than half of eligible voters; revised several times, last in 2005

Legal System:

civil law system

Executive Branch:

• chief of state: President LAI Ching-te (since 20 May 2024)
• head of government: Premier CHO Jung-tai (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 20 May 2024)
• cabinet: Executive Yuan; ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier election/appointment
• process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple-majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier most recent election
• date: 13 January 2024
• election results: 2024:LAI Ching-te elected president; percent of vote - LAI Ching-te (DPP) 40.1%, HOU Yu-ih (KMT) 33.5%, KO Wen-je (TPP) 26.5%) 2020: TSAI Ing-wen reelected president; percent of vote - TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) 57.1%, HAN Kuo-yu (KMT) 38.6%, James SOONG (PFP) 4.3% expected date of next
• election: 2028

Legislative Branch:

• Description: unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats; 73 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 34 directly elected in a single island-wide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat aboriginal constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
• Elections: last held on 13 January 2024 (next to be held in 2028)
• Election Results: percent of vote by party - DPP 40.6%, KMT 37.2%, TPP 12.6%, other 5.7%, independent 3.9%; seats by party - KMT 52, DPP 51, TPP 8, independent 2; composition as of February 2024 - men 66, women 47, percentage women 41.6%

Judicial Branch:

• office: Supreme Court justices appointed by the president; Constitutional Court justices appointed by the president, with approval of the Legislative Yuan; Supreme Court justices serve for life; Constitutional Court justices appointed for 8-year terms, with half the membership renewed every 4 years
• subordinate courts: high courts; district courts; hierarchy of administrative courts

Regions or States:

• Summary: includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province
• Taiwan is divided into 13 counties (xian
• singular and plural)
• 3 cities (shi
• singular and plural)
• and 6 special municipalities directly under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan counties: Changhua
• Chiayi
• Hsinchu
• Hualien
• Kinmen
• Lienchiang
• Miaoli
• Nantou
• Penghu
• Pingtung
• Taitung
• Yilan
• Yunlin cities: Chiayi
• Hsinchu
• Keelung special municipalities: Kaohsiung (city)
• New Taipei (city)
• Taichung (city)
• Tainan (city)
• Taipei (city)
• Taoyuan (city) note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates
• the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems

Political Parties and Leaders:

• Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [LAI Ching-te]
• Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [Eric CHU Li-luan]
• Taiwan People's Party or TPP [KO Wen-je]
• Note: the DPP and the KMT are the two major political parties; more than 30 parties garnered votes in the 2024 election

Suffrage:

• 20 years of age
• universal
• note - in March 2022, the Legislative Yuan approved lowering the voting age to 18, but the change will require a constitutional amendment that must be submitted to a referendum

Citizenship Criteria:

• birth: no citizenship by descent
• only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Taiwan dual citizenship
• recognized: yes, except that citizens of Taiwan are not recognized as dual citizens of the People's Republic of China residency requirement for
• naturalization: 5 years

Capital Name

Taipei

Capital - geographic coordinate

25 02 N, 121 31 E

Capital Time Difference

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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International Organization Participation:

• ADB (Chinese Taipei)
• APEC (Chinese Taipei)
• BCIE
• CABEI
• IOC
• ITUC (NGOs)
• SICA (observer)
• WTO (Chinese Taipei) note - separate customs territory of Taiwan
• Penghu
• Kinmen
• and Matsu

International Law Organization Participation:

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Diplomatic Representation from US:

• Chief of Mission: the US does not have an embassy in Taiwan; commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts; it is managed by Director Sandra OUDKIRK (since July 2021)
• Mailing Address: 4170 AIT Taipei Place, Washington DC 20521-4170
• Telephone: [886] 2-2162-2000
• FAX: [886] 2-2162-2251
• Email: TaipeiACS@state.gov
• Website: https://www.ait.org.tw/

Diplomatic Representation in the US:

• Chief of Mission: none; commercial and cultural relations with its citizens in the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts, represented by HSIAO Bi-khim (since 20 July 2020); office: 4201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016;
• Telephone: [1] (202) 895-1800;
• FAX: [1] (202) 363-0999 Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (branch offices): Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver (CO), Houston, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

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Geographic Location

Asia

Geographic Coordinates

23 30 N, 121 00 E

Total Area

13,892 Square Miles 35,980 Square Kilometers

Land Area

12,456 Square Miles 32,260 Square Kilometers

Water Area

1,436 Square Miles 3,720 Square Kilometers

Coastline

973 Miles 1,566 Kilometers

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Terrain

eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west

Highest Point

3,952 Meters

Highest Point Location

Yu Shan 3,952 m

Lowest Point Location

South China Sea 0 m

Natural Resources

small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos

Time Zone

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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Climate

The Tropic of Cancer bisects the island, so the climate is sub-tropical with temperatures ranging from 12 to 35 degrees Celsius (54-95 degrees Fahrenheit).

Northern Taiwan has two long seasons (summer & winter) and two short seasons (spring and autumn).

Spring, mid-March to mid-May, is mostly sunny and mild with brief spells of cloudy skies and rain showers.

Spring's average daily temperature is 17-25C or 62-77F.

Summer, mid-May through late September, is hot with an average rainfall of 10 inches a month, mostly from afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

Autumn, late September to early November, is characterized by mild temperatures and afternoon showers.

Winter, November through mid-April, is characterized by low cloud drizzle, fog, and occasional winds.

The daily temperatures range between 17 - 24 degrees C (62-75F) in November, dropping to 12 - 19C (54 - 66F) in January and then rising to 14 - 22C (57 - 72F) in March.

Occasionally, the temperature drops below 1OC (50F), especially in mountainous areas.

The typhoon season usually starts in mid-June and lasts through October.

An average of 12 typhoons form in the Western Pacific each year.

The average daily temperature range in Taipei is 21 - 29C (70 - 84F) in May; 24 - 35C (75 - 95F) in July and August; 23 - 33C (73 - 91F) in September; and 20 - 27C (68 - 81F) in October.

Kaohsiung enjoys a milder, drier winter than Taipei, but summer temperatures average about the same.

As a result of its subtropical position and heavy rainfall, Taiwan's natural landscape is constantly green with varied hues of forest, shrubs, and coarse tropical grass.

All but the peaks of the highest mountains are covered with vegetation.

Terrain

eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west

Location

Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China

Total Area

13,892 Square Miles 35,980 Square Kilometers

Environment - Current Issues

• air pollution
• water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage
• contamination of drinking water supplies
• trade in endangered species
• low-level radioactive waste disposal

Environment - International Agreements

party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status

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Exports

$274,600,000,000 (USD)

Imports

$251,400,000,000 (USD)

Major Exports

computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals

Major Imports

machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002)

Top Export Partners

China 25.3%, US 20.5%, Japan 9.2%

Top Import Partners

Japan 24.2%, US 16.1%, China 7.1%, South Korea 6.9%

Export Partners

China 25.3%, US 20.5%, Japan 9.2%

Import Partners

Japan 24.2%, US 16.1%, China 7.1%, South Korea 6.9%

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Airports - total

37

Airports with Paved Runways

35

Heliports

31

Railways

982 Miles 1,580 Kilometers

Roadways- total

25,771 Miles 41,475 Kilometers

Roadways- paved

25,497 Miles 41,033 Kilometers

Ports and Terminals

Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung

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Pipelines: Condensate

16 Miles 25 Kilometers

Pipelines: Gas

498 Miles 802 Kilometers

Pipelines: Oil

150 Miles 241 Kilometers

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Telephones

14,596,000

Cell Phones

24,302,000

Internet Users

14,760,000

Internet Country Code

.tw

Internet Hosts

6,336,000

Broadcast Media

• 5 nationwide television networks operating roughly 75 TV stations
• about 85% of households utilize multi-channel cable TV
• national and regional radio networks with about 170 radio stations

Telephone System

• assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need
• domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
• international: country code - 886; roughly 15 submarine fiber cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2

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Electricity Consumption- Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

220,800,000,000

Electricity Production- Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

225,300,000,000

Natural Gas Consumption - Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

16,370,000,000

Natural Gas Imports- Cubic Meters (cu m)

15,900,000,000

Natural Gas Production- Cubic Meters (cu m)

330,200,000

Natural Gas Reserves- Cubic Meters (cu m)

6,229,000,000

Oil Consumption- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

786,100

Oil Imports- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

885,900

Oil Production- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

8,354

Oil Reserves- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

2,380,000

Anthem Lyrics

• Taiwan National Anthem Text (Native in Wade-Gile): San-min-chu-i, Wu-tang so tsung
• i-chien min-kuo, i-chin ta-t'ung. Tzu erh to-shih, wei min ch'ien-feng
• su-yeh fei-hsieh, chu-i shih ts'ung. Shih ch'in shih yung, pi hsin pi chung
• i-hsin i-te, kuan-ch'e shih-chung.

Anthem Lyrics English

Our aim shall be to found a free land.

World peace be our stand.

Lead on, comrades, vanguards ye are.

Hold fast your aim, by sun and star.

Be earnest and brave, your country to save.

One heart, one soul, one mind, one goal!

Taiwan National Anthem Text (Native in Wade-Gile): San-min-chu-i, Wu-tang so tsung; i-chien min-kuo, i-chin ta-t'ung.

Tzu erh to-shih, wei min ch'ien-feng; su-yeh fei-hsieh, chu-i shih ts'ung.

Shih ch'in shih yung, pi hsin pi chung; i-hsin i-te, kuan-ch'e shih-chung.