Taiwan

Taiwan

Eastern Asia

Asia
66
Overall score
Strong overall
Language
Mandarin Chinese
Currency
TWD
Citizenship
5 years
Personal tax
Progressive, up to 40%
Cost of living
$1,300 / mo (single)

Taiwan is included as a separately governed economy with its own immigration, tax, currency, and passport systems. Its international diplomatic recognition varies.

Pros

  • Country-wide comparison coverage
  • Local residence and work pathways available

Cons

  • Legal and tax outcomes are case-specific
  • Costs vary materially by city and lifestyle

Best for

Users comparing regional optionsPeople prepared to verify a specific pathway

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
75
Citizenship
43
Residence
Money & business
Taxes
62
Corporate tax
43
Business
57
Investment
84
Economy
Wealth building
76
Living, study & work
Education
Salary & work
Cost of living
86
Buying power
Quality of life
Safety
Healthcare
Infrastructure
HDI

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Good
75

Passport-index style mobility for the Taiwan passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

148 / 198
Mobility
#31
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free105
  • On arrival39
  • eTA4
  • Visa required50

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Limited
43
Years required5 years
Dual allowedDepends on route and existing nationality
LanguageCheck the current naturalisation rules for the selected route
ResidenceTypical headline route: 5 years; qualifying residence and absence rules apply
NotesRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Data not available
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Main pathways
EmploymentStudyFamily reunificationBusiness or investment where eligible
StudentRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
WorkRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
Self-employedRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
PermanentRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Moderate
62
PersonalProgressive, up to 40%
Corporate20%
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
DividendsRates and withholding depend on residence and treaty eligibility
Exit taxCheck current domestic rules before changing tax residence
Foreign cosManagement, permanent-establishment, CFC, and reporting rules may apply
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Low
27
PersonalProgressive, up to 40%
FreelanceRegistration, immigration permission, tax, and social contributions may apply
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
DividendsRates and withholding depend on residence and treaty eligibility
Exit taxCheck current domestic rules before changing tax residence
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Limited
43
Corporate20%
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
DividendsRates and withholding depend on residence and treaty eligibility
Foreign cosManagement, permanent-establishment, CFC, and reporting rules may apply
Business
Business friendliness
Moderate
57
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Generally possible, subject to sector, registration, tax, and substance rules
Local co.Available company forms and capital requirements vary
FreelanceRegistration, immigration permission, tax, and social contributions may apply
Corporate tax20%
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
Exit taxCheck current domestic rules before changing tax residence
Foreign cosManagement, permanent-establishment, CFC, and reporting rules may apply
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Excellent
84
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, residence, holding period, and treaty position
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxCheck current national and subnational rules
BrokersLocal and international availability varies by residency and compliance checks
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Data not available
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Main industries
SemiconductorsElectronicsMachineryPetrochemicalsInformation technology
Top exports
Semiconductors & chipsElectronicsMachineryPlastics
TypeHigh-income, technology- and export-led
Key sectorsSemiconductor foundries (TSMC), Electronics manufacturing, ICT hardware
SummaryA high-income economy at the heart of the global chip supply chain, anchored by world-leading semiconductor foundries.
CurrencyNew Taiwan dollar
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Good
76
How this score is calculated

How favourable Taiwan is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Excellent
84
Business
Good
66
Investment
Excellent
84
Tax friendliness
Moderate
62
Cost of living
Excellent
86

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Data not available
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Tuition$3,000-12,000 / yr
Public uniVaries by institution, programme, and student nationality
LanguagesMandarin Chinese
Student workRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Data not available
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Tech salary (estimate)Varies substantially by city, seniority, and employer
FreelanceMarket access depends on language, sector, and work authorisation
Job marketUse current local vacancy and salary data for role-specific decisions.
Cost of living
Affordability
Excellent
86

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

RentVaries substantially by city and neighbourhood
Monthly$1,300 / mo (single)
CitiesTaipei, New Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Data not available
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Data not available
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Data not available
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

System & costs
SystemPublic/private mix varies by eligibility and residence status
InsuranceCheck residence-permit and local coverage requirements
Avg costDepends on eligibility, income, insurer, and chosen coverage
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Data not available
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

HDI
Human development score
Data not available
How this score is calculated

No official UN Human Development Index observation is available for Taiwan.

Resources

Official references and quick links for Taiwan. Always confirm against the primary source before acting.

Official references
Quick links

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any immigration, tax or legal decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.