APRC Application Procedures (Official Checklist)

Just picked up my APRC this morning and my open work permit too. Went straight to Taipei after getting the APRC and got the open work permit. Took 35 days from start to finish. When you go to get your open work permit, if you’ll wait 30 minutes, they’ll give you the open work permit the same day as you apply.

Just an update in my APRC process.

I spoke with Ms. Vivian Tseng (曾美惠) at the Taoyuan NIA office a couple of weeks ago to check my eligibility date, required documents, etc. Besides confirming the new rules that neither a US FBI Criminal Check nor Health Check is required (if each trip abroad was less than 3 months), she verified that the annual income requirement is (currently) NT$450,720. She also said that the approval process now takes about 6-8 weeks.

I might add that Ms. Tseng, although visibly busy, was extremely friendly and helpful. She took about 20-30 minutes to explain everything to me and another guy.

She gave me APRC instruction sheets in both English and Chinese. You can see them in the links below (with her notations as to which parts are/are not required for my situation). Note that the Chinese version has much more information; the income requirement isn’t even listed on the English one.

APRC Application Procedure ENGLISH (front)
APRC Application Procedure ENGLISH (back)
APRC Application Procedure CHINESE (front)
APRC Application Procedure CHINESE (back) --> Income requirement

I applied for my APRC with a colleague at Zhonghe immigration office. (Ms. Bonnie Chung, #329)
Everything went smoothly and it took only 30 minutes for each of us. I would like to note some stuff that we might overlook (I overlooked some stuff).

Make an appointment beforehand.
I cannot emphasize this enough. The officer is loaded beyond her capacity since the regulation was relaxed. Call her and make an appointment so that she can (1) Check if you are eligible (2) Print out your entry/exit record and other basic information and (3) Might be able to check if you need to obtain your home country’s police record and run medical check or not.

Prepare thoroughly.
The officer at Zhonghe might be the nicest person on earth, but it looked as if she was on the verge of collapse, searching for a reason to explode. And yet she is the last person you want that to happen. If you feel like screwing things up for a stupid reason, such as getting upset for being told to go back and prepare this or that, remember it isn’t personal, or there are other applicants waiting in line. Make sure you have done whatever you can. Why not start by reading every thread in this forum?

Copy everything in A4 size.
That applies for anything: work permit, passport, ARC. Otherwise the officer will do it herself, while you are left sitting like a scolded child, holding wasted papers and twenty minutes of your effort.

Copy AND sign the passport.
You need to copy the basic information page and pages/papers with Taiwanese stamps. Sign your name in the bottom corner on every page. Otherwise the officer will make you look (and feel) like Bart in the opening sequence of The Simpsons.
P.S. Actually it is not just about the passport - all copied documents need to be signed. In A4 paper.

It will (probably) take longer than the official 3 weeks.
The officer explained that all applications will be sent to a place in Taipei and will be processed by seven government personnel. (Of course it has to be seven.) The catch, again of course, is that not all of them are efficient (she actually said this). That’s why the actual processing time varies. Good luck to all of us.

The bad news is that they are busy, and the good news is that they are busy. (Haven’t we all done minor “incidents” during our stay in Taiwan? I don’t think they have enough time to dig up the archives and decipher our past.) Good luck, and thank you very much everybody for generously posting information on APRC, especially Northcoast Surfer. I will post when I actually get the card.

I am very impressed with this thread. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

[strike]Anyone know if the 2012 tax forms are already available, or do I need to wait till after I file?[/strike]I checked my 2011 forms and I am a few thousand NT short of the minimum.

Got to file first! =P

Ok All done!!
Picked up the actual APRC card today (so mine took just over 2 months start to finish) and went to BEVT and got the OWP in 30 minutes.
Mr.Lu was extremely helpful and knew of the kind words on here…he was very modest about it…a true gent!
He also chuckled and said, “Now you can choose your own boss…”

Yes, when I got my taxes for my APRC, the lady here at the National Tax Office in Taoyuan gave me the forms for 2012’s taxes.

[quote=“VRBaddict”]Ok All done!!
Picked up the actual APRC card today (so mine took just over 2 months start to finish) and went to BEVT and got the OWP in 30 minutes.
Mr.Lu was extremely helpful and knew of the kind words on here…he was very modest about it…a true gent!
He also chuckled and said, “Now you can choose your own boss…”[/quote]

Congratulations and welcome to the club!

Thanks Icon- it feels good!

For what period of time does this salary need to be shown? I assume it must be a Taiwan source with Taiwan tax statements as proof.

Just to let you know.

I went in today with my application. Had everything I thought I needed. But… not sure. The officer suggested that I needed more to back up my application.

I provided a marriage document, the police check (local), the tax report… I thought I detected disappointment in her eyes!

Should I put together a record of savings from the bank…?
We also own a house… should I get a report on its valuation?
Should I get a work certificate to supplement my application?

I reckon the bank can just give a statement of deposit or something like that… but how much? And where on earth do I get the house value from…? Who values houses? Has anyone supplied additional information after an initial submission? Since I’m married, I don’t have an ARC work permit… would a company certificate do?

I really thought the packet checked all the boxes… but perhaps not. Perhaps I’m just fretting!

Goodness me!
Kenneth

[quote=“ilikecoffee”]I went in today with my application. Had everything I thought I needed. But… not sure. The officer suggested that I needed more to back up my application.
I provided a marriage document, the police check (local), the tax report… I thought I detected disappointment in her eyes! [/quote]
I’m confused. I was under the impression that there were certain specific requirements. Or is it part of the “test” that you have to guess what’s required for the application?

[quote=“ilikecoffee”]…

Should I put together a record of savings from the bank…?
We also own a house… should I get a report on its valuation?
Should I get a work certificate to supplement my application?

I really thought the packet checked all the boxes… but perhaps not. Perhaps I’m just fretting![/quote]

In addition to the required docs, I also handed over documents related to owning property and land (only ownership, not evaluation), which WERE accepted for submission as extra material, and I also gave the agent my UK criminal check (not yet translated or verified but laminated and quite lovely) which was NOT submitted but she did check it very carefully before handing it back to me. So while you’ve met all the “requirements” and are probably just fretting, officials LOVE certain kinds of documents, and not others. I doubt your package would have been accepted for submission if the agent did not think it would be sufficient. Those days (touch wood) seem to be over. They just seem to need as many of those NT$10ks as they can get nowadays…

Got my APRC card + open work permit today (take the APRC and a photo and your passport with you, go to the labor office, fill in the form and wait for 30 minutes. Voila!). Applied for APRC on January 23rd and received the approval notification on Feb 5th by phone and mail. That was fast. Looks like my case was handled by a competent officer. Freedom!!!

Congratulations! You’re a WINNER! :bravo:

[quote=“ilikecoffee”]Just to let you know.

I went in today with my application. Had everything I thought I needed. But… not sure. The officer suggested that I needed more to back up my application.

I provided a marriage document, the police check (local), the tax report… I thought I detected disappointment in her eyes!

Should I put together a record of savings from the bank…?
We also own a house… should I get a report on its valuation?
Should I get a work certificate to supplement my application?

I reckon the bank can just give a statement of deposit or something like that… but how much? And where on earth do I get the house value from…? Who values houses? Has anyone supplied additional information after an initial submission? Since I’m married, I don’t have an ARC work permit… would a company certificate do?

I really thought the packet checked all the boxes… but perhaps not. Perhaps I’m just fretting!

Goodness me!
Kenneth[/quote]

Probably the sadness in her eyes had to do with the other 300 forms she still has to process and are sitting on her desk. One mor eto the growing pile…

Hi,

I really hope someone can answer my question.

I will be eligible to apply for my APRC this year. The bad news is that my current ARC expires 11 days before the date I can apply due to the school applying so early for my last work permit. I really do not want to sign another contract at my current school. I am not sure I want to teach FT next year which is the main reason I even want the APRC.

Do I have any options? Can the ARC be extended for a short time (1 month) if the school agrees to give me hours? Any short-term jobs that would offer ARC (in July and August)?

Thanks!

:thumbsup:

[quote=“dd123”]Hi,

I really hope someone can answer my question.

I will be eligible to apply for my APRC this year. The bad news is that my current ARC expires 11 days before the date I can apply due to the school applying so early for my last work permit. I really do not want to sign another contract at my current school. I am not sure I want to teach FT next year which is the main reason I even want the APRC.

Do I have any options? Can the ARC be extended for a short time (1 month) if the school agrees to give me hours? Any short-term jobs that would offer ARC (in July and August)?

Thanks![/quote]

Have you talked with you current boss about possibly renewing your contract for a shorter term? I’m in the same situation and my boss is willing to extend my contract for a couple of months until my APRC is approved (I’ve been there several years and we have a good relationship, which of course helps).

Hey there - i’ve just read the last 20 or so pages of this thread but still have a question:
My husband has an APRC (got it last year) and i’ve been here in Taiwan since 2005 on a joining family ARC (thus no work permit and therefore no tax returns)
Longest i’ve been out of Taiwan has been 4 weeks.

with the new changes mentioned above on the National Immigration Agency’s website http://www.immigration.gov.tw/fp.asp?fpage=cp&xItem=1083408&ctNode=29649&mp=1 (no police clearance/medical check), the point which applies to me most - spouses being eligible for APRC’s is still a bit unclear:
does it only apply to investors holding APRCs or would my husband’s APRC (from teaching) qualify too?

[quote=“dd123”]Hi,

I really hope someone can answer my question.

I will be eligible to apply for my APRC this year. The bad news is that my current ARC expires 11 days before the date I can apply due to the school applying so early for my last work permit. I really do not want to sign another contract at my current school. I am not sure I want to teach FT next year which is the main reason I even want the APRC.

Do I have any options? Can the ARC be extended for a short time (1 month) if the school agrees to give me hours? Any short-term jobs that would offer ARC (in July and August)?

Thanks![/quote]

This happened to my friend that just got his APRC. I think his ARC expired about 5 days before, something like that. No you cannot get an extension. You will have to renew your ARC. I know it sucks, but just do it. If you don’t then you will have wasted all 5 years. Suck it up and wait to get your APRC and working permit to change jobs. TRUST ME. It will take you some time to get your APRC anyway and then you will need to get your own working permit. This will take at least a month in a half or so to complete if you are on the ball. So just get your ARC renewed. It will be a waste of money, but there is no way around it. Once you get your APRC and own working permit you can do whatever you like. Then you can decided to break your contract and suffer the minimal consequences.