Verified 11 September 2026
Philippines 9G work visa vs Taiwan Gold Card: fees and rules
Two routes, side by side. Each name below links to its full requirements page.
- Pre-arranged Employment Visa under Section 9(g) of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, as amended (Philippines 9G work visa)
- The 9(G) is the Philippines' employer-sponsored work visa, granted to foreign nationals "proceeding to Philippines to engage in any lawful occupation, whether for wages or salary or other forms of compensation." It runs for a maximum of three years or co-terminus with the DOLE Alien Employment Permit, whichever is shorter, and the AEP itself defaults to one year, so most people hold a one-year visa in practice. The Bureau of Immigration's published conversion fee for a principal at a non-Top 1,000 corporation is Php 10,130.00 for one year, Php 17,170.00 for two and Php 24,210.00 for three, plus US$50 to US$150 for the ACR I-Card, on top of the separate DOLE AEP fee the employer pays first.
- Employment Gold Card (Foreign Special Professional) (Taiwan Gold Card)
- The Taiwan Employment Gold Card bundles a resident visa, open work permit, ARC and re-entry permit into one card valid for 1, 2 or 3 years, with no employer sponsorship and no job offer needed. The best-known route is salary: several fields accept applicants who have held a position with "a most recent monthly salary of at least NT$160,000" — a figure fixed in NT dollars, so the US-dollar equivalent quoted in guides drifts with the exchange rate. Government fees run NT$3,700 / NT$4,700 / NT$5,700 for one, two and three years on a non-US foreign passport, and holders who then earn over NT$3,000,000 in salary and stay 183 days get half the excess above NT$3,000,000 excluded from income tax for five years.
| 9G work visa | Taiwan Gold Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | philippines | taiwan |
| Stay per entry | Unlimited entries and exits for the life of the card (1-3 years); it is a residence card, not an entry-limited visa. | |
| Total validity | Maximum three years, or co-terminus with the AEP issued by DOLE, whichever is shorter. Because the AEP is issued "for a period of one (1) year, unless the employment contract, or other modes of engagement provides otherwise, which in no case shall exceed three (3) years," a one-year visa is the common outcome. BI sells the conversion in one-, two- and three-year bands. | 1, 2 or 3 years, chosen by the applicant at the time of application |
| Government fee | ₱10,130 — BI published fee to convert to a 9(G) commercial visa: principal applicant, one-year validity, employer not in the Top 1,000 corporations (Php 17,170.00 for two years, Php 24,210.00 for three). The ACR I-Card is charged on top at US$50 for one year, US$100 for two, US$150 for three. BI's table is footnoted "Fees are updated as of 06 March 2014 and may change without prior notice," and the DOLE AEP fee is separate and paid first. | NT$5,700 — three-year validity, foreign passport other than U.S.; NT$3,700 for one year and NT$4,700 for two years. U.S. passport holders applying from abroad pay substantially more, and Hong Kong/Macau residents pay a flat NT$3,100. Non-refundable regardless of outcome. |
| Income required | None | NT$160,000 — per month, gross (before tax), from a position held in a foreign state or in the R.O.C. Only some qualification fields offer this salary route. The Workforce Development Agency divides your annual tax form by 12 to check the average. |
| Savings required | None | None |
| Deposit required | None | None |
| Minimum age | None | None |
| Health insurance | Not required | Not required |
| Processing time | Budget three to five months end to end. The DOLE Regional Office acts on a new or renewal AEP within fifteen (15) working days from payment of the fee, but that clock only starts after the vacancy has been published for 15 calendar days and the application accepted; the BI stage afterwards adds a pre-screening, a hearing, biometrics and visa implementation, each with its own queue. | Officially "over 60 business days" for the full process; a clean application is often quoted at about 30 days, longer if supplementary documents are requested. |
| Apply from | Inside the Philippines (Bureau of Immigration main office in Intramuros, Manila, or an authorized BI district office), usually as a conversion from a 9(a) temporary visitor stamp; the employer's AEP is filed first at the DOLE Regional Office with jurisdiction over the jobsite. A 9(G) can also be issued at a Philippine embassy or consulate abroad, but only after written authority is received from DFA Manila. | Online, from inside Taiwan or from abroad, via the National Immigration Agency's Gold Card portal. |
Choose the 9G work visa if
- Full employment rights with a named Philippine employer, plus dependent visas for a spouse and children — BI publishes dependent fees alongside the principal's (Php 8,120.00 for a spouse on a one-year conversion).
- Renewable indefinitely while the job lasts, and years on a 9(G) count toward later permanent options such as a 13(a) by marriage or the SIRV/SRRV routes.
- The Provisional Permit to Work lets you legally start work while the 9(G) is still pending — BI grants it on proof of an AEP application rather than a finished AEP, and it runs up to one year.
- Can be converted from inside the country: most applicants enter on a 9(a) tourist stamp and convert, rather than waiting abroad for an embassy to receive DFA authority.
Choose the Taiwan Gold Card if
- No employer sponsorship and no job offer required — the work permit is open, so you can freelance, be employed, or start a company
- One card replaces four documents: resident visa, work permit, Alien Resident Certificate and re-entry permit
- Salary income above NT$3,000,000 gets half the excess excluded from income tax for five years, if you stay 183 days and had no prior Taiwan household registration
- Counts toward APRC residence, and from 1 January 2026 holders earning at least NT$6 million a year can apply for permanent residency after one year
- You can apply from inside Taiwan or from abroad, entirely online
Quick answers
- What does each cost, the Philippines 9G work visa or the Taiwan Gold Card?
- The Philippines 9G work visa fee on record is ₱10,130. The Taiwan Gold Card fee on record is NT$5,700. Fees are in each country's own currency or the amount the post quotes, so compare them with that in mind.
- How much money does the Philippines 9G work visa need compared with the Taiwan Gold Card?
- Philippines 9G work visa: no money threshold on record. Taiwan Gold Card: income NT$160,000.
- Which of the Philippines 9G work visa and the Taiwan Gold Card requires health insurance?
- Philippines 9G work visa: not required. Taiwan Gold Card: not required.
- How long can I stay on the Philippines 9G work visa and on the Taiwan Gold Card?
- Philippines 9G work visa: stay per entry , total validity Maximum three years, or co-terminus with the AEP issued by DOLE, whichever is shorter. Taiwan Gold Card: stay per entry Unlimited entries and exits for the life of the card, total validity 1, 2 or 3 years, chosen by the applicant at the time of application.
Keep reading
9G work visa last checked 11 September 2026; Taiwan Gold Card last checked 11 September 2026. Sources are listed on each visa page.