Tourism authority issues guidelines to protect foreign accommodation interns

Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's Tourism Administration (TA) on Monday issued updated guidelines to better protect foreign interns in the accommodation/hospitality sector, including on minimum pay, an eight-hour daily work limit, and a general ban on night shifts.

The move comes after the TA opened the sector to foreign students enrolled in overseas schools last year to help address labor shortages. Those majoring in hospitality, culinary arts, tourism, recreation and sports, management, Chinese, or English are eligible to apply for positions in the sector.

In 2025, more than 1,900 students came to Taiwan to work as interns, but concerns remain over inadequate protections, with some internships resembling actual work rather than training.

Under the guidelines, foreign interns who perform work beyond their training must receive payment equivalent to at least the minimum wage, with board and lodging costs deductible. Taiwan's minimum monthly wage, effective Jan. 1, is NT$29,500 (US$937), while the hourly wage is NT$196.

The administration said deductions for board and lodging should be capped at NT$5,000, citing past guidance from the Ministry of Labor (MOL).

Training must not exceed more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week, and cannot be scheduled between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. without the individual intern's consent.

The guidelines ban practices such as extending internship hours, unfairly cutting pay, confiscating passports, or restricting freedom of movement. Internship providers are also required to ensure the safety of interns and provide basic safety training and protections.

Those providing internships through agents or intermediary agencies must include in their contracts a stipulation that foreign interns cannot be charged any fees, the TA said.

Interns must also be covered by appropriate insurance provided by the internship host, including at least group accident or occupational accident insurance, and the Tourism Administration must be notified.

The guidelines also stipulate that foreign interns must have completed at least one semester of study, meet the age and education requirements for their program, and have basic proficiency in Chinese or English.

Internship providers that violate the rules and fail to make corrections after being notified could be barred from hosting foreign interns in Taiwan for three months to two years, depending on the severity of the violation, the TA said.