APRC Application Procedures (Official Checklist)

[Whole Lotta Lotta]

Neesh.

[Enigma]

When you get a new passport ... go to the NIA for a new APRC, it's free of charge ...
I had my APRC for about 2 months now, got one of these new 'Biometric' passports, a requirement worldwide soon ... which changed my passport number and makes the APRC basically 'invalid'.

Huh? invalid? Oh sweet . . . . Are you sure. I must be missing something here. (Which happens from time to time)

[Northcoast Surfer]

When you get a new passport ... go to the NIA for a new APRC, it's free of charge ...
I had my APRC for about 2 months now, got one of these new 'Biometric' passports, a requirement worldwide soon ... which changed my passport number and makes the APRC basically 'invalid'.

Huh? invalid? Oh sweet . . . . Are you sure. I must be missing something here. (Which happens from time to time)

When your current passport expires and you need to get a new one, you will get a new passport number. So, upon receiving your new passport with new passport number, you need to take the old passport and your new passport to the NIA to get a new APRC which reflects your new passport and passport number. There is no charge to get a new APRC when your passport number changes. However, if you don't update your APRC with your new passport number, you'll probably have difficulty re-entering Taiwan with your new passport and new passport number inconjuction with your APRC and the old passport number.

Also, you also need to get an updated Open-Work Permit which reflects your new passport number as well.

OK?

[Belgian Pie]

When you get a new passport ... go to the NIA for a new APRC, it's free of charge ...
I had my APRC for about 2 months now, got one of these new 'Biometric' passports, a requirement worldwide soon ... which changed my passport number and makes the APRC basically 'invalid'.

Huh? invalid? Oh sweet . . . . Are you sure. I must be missing something here. (Which happens from time to time)

When your current passport expires and you need to get a new one, you will get a new passport number. So, upon receiving your new passport with new passport number, you need to take the old passport and your new passport to the NIA to get a new APRC which reflects your new passport and passport number. There is no charge to get a new APRC when your passport number changes. However, if you don't update your APRC with your new passport number, you'll probably have difficulty re-entering Taiwan with your new passport and new passport number inconjuction with your APRC and the old passport number.

Also, you also need to get an updated Open-Work Permit which reflects your new passport number as well.

OK?

You have a better way with the written word ...

[kitkat]

So, I just got rejected for my APRC again, which sucks for me, but the reason might be useful for others....

According to article 31 of the immigration act an overstay of less than thirty days means you add one extra year onto your required period of residency. So the five year requirement becomes a six-year requirement.

In my case my work permit (reason for residency) was still valid, but I missed the deadline to renew my ARC by eight hours. So even though my ARC was valid on Oct 22, and then revalidated on Oct 23 they still count the missing hours between midnight and the following morning as a one day overstay. (A day which isn't a day...like platform nine and three quarters... )

So as far as I can gather, if your reason for residency was unbroken, and your ARC wasn't cancelled and you merely had to pay a fine to revalidate your ARC you don't have to go back to zero on the clock, just add another year.

When the APRC lady told me about this regulation I was surprised, but it turned out she was too, she just remembered that she'd processed my fine a couple of years back, and so checked to see if it might be a problem and discovered this regulation. So AFAIK, this isn't a widely applied regulation, and in most cases it's likely that the application would have just gone through. I was just unlucky.

On the other hand, if you were thinking you'd gone back to zero because of some daft clerical error or oversight that landed you with a fine....hurrah! Just add a year on, presumably.

In retrospect I wish as soon as she'd mentioned that to me I'd changed my address to Taipei County and applied through them.

It's infuriating that I've been here nine and a half years, paid all my taxes etc and still can't get the damn thing, when I met someone the other day who hadn't paid any taxes for three years and still managed to get his application through successfully in Taipei County. ( I know they all go to a central office, but mine most likely wouldn't have had the problem pointed out if I'd applied through Taipei county I'm guessing).

It's not something I would recommend anyone point out to the NIA, unless of course the regulation will work on your favour. Anyway, I hope that my bad news is someone else's good news.

Cheers
Kitkat

[Steve4nLanguage]

So, I just got rejected for my APRC again, which sucks for me, but the reason might be useful for others....

According to article 31 of the immigration act an overstay of less than thirty days means you add one extra year onto your required period of residency. So the five year requirement becomes a six-year requirement.

In my case my work permit (reason for residency) was still valid, but I missed the deadline to renew my ARC by eight hours. So even though my ARC was valid on Oct 22, and then revalidated on Oct 23 they still count the missing hours between midnight and the following morning as a one day overstay. (A day which isn't a day...like platform nine and three quarters... )

So as far as I can gather, if your reason for residency was unbroken, and your ARC wasn't cancelled and you merely had to pay a fine to revalidate your ARC you don't have to go back to zero on the clock, just add another year.

When the APRC lady told me about this regulation I was surprised, but it turned out she was too, she just remembered that she'd processed my fine a couple of years back, and so checked to see if it might be a problem and discovered this regulation. So AFAIK, this isn't a widely applied regulation, and in most cases it's likely that the application would have just gone through. I was just unlucky.

On the other hand, if you were thinking you'd gone back to zero because of some daft clerical error or oversight that landed you with a fine....hurrah! Just add a year on, presumably.

In retrospect I wish as soon as she'd mentioned that to me I'd changed my address to Taipei County and applied through them.

It's infuriating that I've been here nine and a half years, paid all my taxes etc and still can't get the damn thing, when I met someone the other day who hadn't paid any taxes for three years and still managed to get his application through successfully in Taipei County. ( I know they all go to a central office, but mine most likely wouldn't have had the problem pointed out if I'd applied through Taipei county I'm guessing).

It's not something I would recommend anyone point out to the NIA, unless of course the regulation will work on your favour. Anyway, I hope that my bad news is someone else's good news.

Cheers
Kitkat

I'm anal about renewing my ARC on time, and this justifies it--a matter of only hours can screw you. I feel bad for you; at least, like you said, the clock wasn't set back to zero. Thanks for the warning.

[Steve4nLanguage]

In retrospect I wish as soon as she'd mentioned that to me I'd changed my address to Taipei County and applied through them.

It's infuriating that I've been here nine and a half years, paid all my taxes etc and still can't get the damn thing, when I met someone the other day who hadn't paid any taxes for three years and still managed to get his application through successfully in Taipei County. ( I know they all go to a central office, but mine most likely wouldn't have had the problem pointed out if I'd applied through Taipei county I'm guessing).

I'm curious, where did you apply? I'm in Taoyuan County.

[Ludovic]

yeap, big lessong to learn....don't f... around with overstay and ARC/APRC.

you are very lucky to just one more year instead of going back to zero (happen to me and lost 4 years)

Ludovic

[kitkat]

Steven4language, I applied in Taipei City.

Ludvovic: Yes, okay, I am lucky it doesn't go back to zero, but obviously I wasn't f***ing around. It was a genuine oversight, my work permit was still valid for another 8 months. For the first time ever my work permit and ARC weren't ending on the same day. Arguably the only reason the lady remembered that I'd even got that fine was because I was so upset and worried it would jeopardize me getting an APRC down the line. It might have been nice if someone had discovered the problem before I spent all the money and time getting the documentation together. I did check, and had even applied before with that same 'overstay' on my record, and it had never been mentioned. At least that way I would have just been disappointed rather than disappointed and out of pocket. This is the second time I've been told everything was fine for me to apply, and then been knocked back. It's quite an expensive and time consuming exercise.

Anyway, maybe someone else who is incorrectly told that an overstay of less than 30 days puts them back to zero can use this info for their advantage.

I'm going to go back into my corner and lick my wounds like a spurned lover. And try and work out how I can magic up a NT$5 million bank statement later this year since my boss has already filed my tax for last year, and it doesn't meet the minimum requirements.....I really thought that it was going to go through this time. I am totally crushed. However it is the weekend, and there's no point crying over spilt milk I suppose.

[Whole Lotta Lotta]

Man Kitkat. That sucks.