If you are going to register for classes at a ministry-approved Taiwanese Mandarin schoolbefore arriving in Taiwan, you’ll want to apply for the Taiwan Student Visitor Visa in your home country once you have your confirmation of enrolment from your school.

If you’re planning on staying in Taiwan for longer than a few months, you’re going to want to get a Student Visa. A Student Visa allows you to stay in Taiwan and study Mandarin for up to 180 days as long as you remain a full-time student at an approved school. If you decide to stay longer than 180 days, you can apply for a resident visa only after having had your student visa for 4 months. Getting a student visa first is the only way to get your resident visa. (Unless you want to work rather than study in Taiwan.)

1. Certificate of Enrollment from your Mandarin School in Taiwan
2. Record of Attendance (only if you’ve already started Mandarin classes in Taiwan)
3. Attendance Form for the current month (again, only if you’ve already started Mandarin classes)
4. Original and photocopy of your passport
5. Your Chinese Study plan (around 200 words describing the reasons you’re choosing to study Chinese in Taiwan, your goal for your studies and your future plan. Be sure to sign your name on the study plan.)
6. Financial Statement (from within the last 3 months) showing an account balance of at least $80,000NT or equivalent
7. Two 2-inch photo

No. A Student Visitor Visa is valid for a maximum of 180 days. If you’re staying in Taiwan long-term, it’s expected that after your fourth month you’ll apply for the Taiwan Resident Visa and Alien Resident Card. At the end of 180 days, if you haven’t applied for your resident visa yet you’ll need to leave Taiwan and apply for a student visa all over again.

Also, when you enter Taiwan with your student visa for the first time, they’ll stamp a date in your passport – usually 60 or 90 days. You’ll need to either extend your student visitor visa or leave the country before that date. Your student visitor visa can be extended multiple times up to the maximum 180 days. When your visitor visa is set to expire, you’ll need to print up a few forms from your school and bring them to the immigration office for them to renew.

A quick note about terms here in case you were confused, both the Student Visitor Visa and Visitor Visa are called Visitor Visas and basically look the same. The only difference between the two is that a Student Visitor Visa has the two letters “FR” printed in the remarks field on the visa they insert into your passport.