Awesome. Will do to double check, as I went round to the HHR Office and NIA today after I went for the medical (and the poo test!! 
).
[quote=āPioneer Kuroā]Update:
I finished the one year sentence just yesterday, then with all the required documents in hand went( with wife) to the NIA this morning. I had to fill up a form called āpermanent residence application formā,(You have to translate your parentsā names into Chinese) and then I handed it over along with the following documents.
- Very recently taken one front-view hatless color photo
- TARC (Once submitted, this will not be returned.)
- A copy of household certificate
- Type B health examination certificate
- Registered, stamped and self-addressed envelope
- Certificate fee of NT$600.
In and out just took 30 minutes as NIA was almost empty when we got there. Now once again I have to wait for another 7-10 days to get the notification from NIA of the Ministry of Interior, and then it will be over.Thanks everyone in the forum for providing bunch of information which saved me a lot of time.[/quote]
Ok, I just want to quote this again to bring it to the fore front here for ārunnersā approaching the finish line like myself and A-Ha. This is exactly what NIA told me this morning, so it still seems legit.
The health check is expected to be done in 7-10 working days, but I can only apply for the permanent residence application form on July 20th anyway, so enough time for that and to take a few extra passport/ID card photos.
Iāve been working in Taiwan for 16 years, already have APRC,(since 7 years ago), so I guess i should qualify for citizenship, but have a couple of issues, because of my job I have to be in and out of taiwan often, so ā¦how long do I have to be without a passport during the process, also is embarrassing , but i donāt speak chinese. Help will be much appreciated.
Today is my first time in this forum, have been doing lost of reading but there is so much information here. HELP HELP!!!
[quote=ātaiwaneagleā]Iāve been working in Taiwan for 16 years, already have APRC,(since 7 years ago), so I guess i should qualify for citizenship, but have a couple of issues, because of my job I have to be in and out of Taiwan often, so ā¦how long do I have to be without a passport during the process, also is embarrassing , but I donāt speak chinese. Help will be much appreciated.
Today is my first time in this forum, have been doing lost of reading but there is so much information here. HELP HELP!!![/quote]
You need to pass a Chinese test. 16 years and no Chinese 
My husband and several other white expats who got Taiwan passports had to wait some time so yes there will be many months you cannot travel because between you renouncing and you getting all the documents processed from your home government can take a long time. Llary got his done but it took his british government nearly a year to process his renunciation of british citizenship so had no passport to travel on for that time. As soon as he got the docs from England the Taiwan goiv gave him his passport in a few days though.
Some countries wont give a visa to a Taiwan passport holder with no ID card also. Especially China
Waiting for my Residence Certificate (on the TARC) confirmation letter thingy from the å §ęæéØ (Ministry of the Interior). Should come sometime this week, then I can go get my ID card, unless thereās a typhoon day or something. This last week and this week just seems to be dragging oooooooon! :bluemad:
[quote=ātaiwaneagleā]Iāve been working in Taiwan for 16 years, already have APRC,(since 7 years ago), so I guess i should qualify for citizenship, but have a couple of issues, because of my job I have to be in and out of Taiwan often, so ā¦how long do I have to be without a passport during the process, also is embarrassing , but I donāt speak chinese. Help will be much appreciated.
Today is my first time in this forum, have been doing lost of reading but there is so much information here. HELP HELP!!![/quote]
Hello Taiwaneagle
If you alreday have an APRC, most procedures -as per stated on page 1 of this same thread- should be the abbreviated, but you still need another police check from your home country -yes, annoying, but meipanfa.
You will need either to pass a test in Chinese about some basic history and legal questions -very basic, and reviewed also here- OR you can take a 3 month course of Chinese language anywhere and bring proof of such. That simple. It doesnāt even say you have to pass the course, though it would be better of course if you do. 
Yep, that bit about the passport is quite annoying, and unfortunately is quite unnavoidable. It happens while you wait for your citizenship, and they give you a TARC in the process. But yeah, they are quite inflexible about not being able to leave the country for a whole year. I guess you could try to work around it.
Best of luck.
Let us know where to send the fruit basket and when is the party. Almost there! 
[quote=āIconā] But yeah, they are quite inflexible about not being able to leave the country for a whole year. I guess you could try to work around it.
Best of luck.[/quote]
There is no restriction on travel like that this is incorrect. You have Taiwan passport but no ID card yet but can travel Just takes longer to get ID card if you travel all the time.
Hang in there Bis!!!
.
[quote=āspeed_maniacā][quote=āAboriginal girlā][quote=āIconā] But yeah, they are quite inflexible about [color=#0000FF]not being able to leave the country for a whole year[/color]. I guess you could try to work around it.
Best of luck.[/quote]
There is no restriction on travel like that this is incorrect. You have Taiwan passport but no ID card yet but can travel Just takes longer to get ID card if you travel all the time.[/quote]
Depends on the countries that he is visiting. If it is China then he cannot get a Tai bao Zheng w/o an ID card.[/quote]
Not what you wrote which is that he cannot leave Taiwan for a whole year. This is just wrong. Where you can travel to is another issue.
[quote=āAboriginal girlā][quote=āspeed_maniacā][quote=āAboriginal girlā][quote=āIconā] But yeah, they are quite inflexible about [color=#0000FF]not being able to leave the country for a whole year[/color]. I guess you could try to work around it.
Best of luck.[/quote]
There is no restriction on travel like that this is incorrect. You have Taiwan passport but no ID card yet but can travel Just takes longer to get ID card if you travel all the time.[/quote]
Depends on the countries that he is visiting. If it is China then he cannot get a Tai bao Zheng w/o an ID card.[/quote]
Not what you wrote which is that he cannot leave Taiwan for a whole year. This is just wrong. Where you can travel to is another issue.[/quote]
you are confusing me with someone else !!
Oh, he can leave, all right. He will have a passport, if he asks for one. But then the clock is reset and he has to wait another whole year for his shen fen zhen. Now thatās quite a bummer.
I may not be 100% correct but it was as follows, this is after you get your TARC in hand
Stay for 365 days from the date of the TARC w/o leaving Taiwan ā your get your id card after the 365 days are up.
If you skip on staying for 365 days w/o leaving then you can apply for your ID card after 2 years from the date of the TARC, but you need to be in Taiwan for at least 210 days in each of those 2 years.
Of you can apply for your ID card 5 years from the date of getting your TARC and in each of those 5 years you need to be in Taiwan for at least 183 days per year.
This is what they had told me @ 3 years ago. I am not sure if any changes have been made recently.
[quote=āIconā][quote=ātaiwaneagleā]Iāve been working in Taiwan for 16 years, already have APRC,(since 7 years ago), so I guess i should qualify for citizenship, but have a couple of issues, because of my job I have to be in and out of Taiwan often, so ā¦how long do I have to be without a passport during the process, also is embarrassing , but I donāt speak chinese. Help will be much appreciated.
Today is my first time in this forum, have been doing lost of reading but there is so much information here. HELP HELP!!![/quote]
Hello Taiwaneagle
If you alreday have an APRC, most procedures -as per stated on page 1 of this same thread- should be the abbreviated, but you still need another police check from your home country -yes, annoying, but meipanfa.
You will need either to pass a test in Chinese about some basic history and legal questions -very basic, and reviewed also here- [color=#FF0000]OR you can take a 3 month course of Chinese language anywhere and bring proof of such. That simple.[/color] It doesnāt even say you have to pass the course, though it would be better of course if you do.
10.
14Yep, that bit about the passport is quite annoying, and unfortunately is quite unnavoidable. It happens while you wait for your citizenship, and they give you a TARC in the process. But yeah, they are quite inflexible about not being able to leave the country for a whole year. I guess you could try to work around it.
Best of luck.[/quote]
I am sorry, but the language study part is also not correct. This is what the leaflet from the HHRO says:
Certificates (for language study) must be issued by Taiwan government, or institutions, organizations and schools that are commissioned or subsidized by the government. Certificates of programs held by private or cram schools are invalid.
Requirement of course hours are as follows:
- General applicants need more than 200 hours.
- Spouses and children of Taiwan citizens need more than 100 hours.
- Applicants at the age of 65 need more than 100 hours.
Because of the limited hours available in the courses (mostly geared toward East Asian brides), it took me FIVE semesters to accumulate 200 hours of study. And believe me, I attended every single class available.
[quote=āspeed_maniacā]I may not be 100% correct but it was as follows, this is after you get your TARC in hand
Stay for 365 days from the date of the TARC w/o leaving Taiwan ā your get your id card after the 365 days are up.
If you skip on staying for 365 days w/o leaving then you can apply for your ID card after 2 years from the date of the TARC, but you need to be in Taiwan for at least 210 days in each of those 2 years.
Of you can apply for your ID card 5 years from the date of getting your TARC and in each of those 5 years you need to be in Taiwan for at least 183 days per year.
This is what they had told me @ 3 years ago. I am not sure if any changes have been made recently.[/quote]
This information is still correct.
[quote=āspeed_maniacā][quote=āAboriginal girlā][quote=āspeed_maniacā][quote=āAboriginal girlā][quote=āIconā] But yeah, they are quite inflexible about [color=#0000FF]not being able to leave the country for a whole year[/color]. I guess you could try to work around it.
Best of luck.[/quote]
There is no restriction on travel like that this is incorrect. You have Taiwan passport but no ID card yet but can travel Just takes longer to get ID card if you travel all the time.[/quote]
Depends on the countries that he is visiting. If it is China then he cannot get a Tai bao Zheng w/o an ID card.[/quote]
Not what you wrote which is that he cannot leave Taiwan for a whole year. This is just wrong. Where you can travel to is another issue.[/quote]
you are confusing me with someone else !![/quote]
I am sorry it was meant to quote Icon not you. Please accept my apologies.
Itās okayā¦no big deal!!
[quote=āA-haā][quote=āIconā][quote=ātaiwaneagleā]Iāve been working in Taiwan for 16 years, already have APRC,(since 7 years ago), so I guess i should qualify for citizenship, but have a couple of issues, because of my job I have to be in and out of Taiwan often, so ā¦how long do I have to be without a passport during the process, also is embarrassing , but I donāt speak chinese. Help will be much appreciated.
Today is my first time in this forum, have been doing lost of reading but there is so much information here. HELP HELP!!![/quote]
Hello Taiwaneagle
If you alreday have an APRC, most procedures -as per stated on page 1 of this same thread- should be the abbreviated, but you still need another police check from your home country -yes, annoying, but meipanfa.
You will need either to pass a test in Chinese about some basic history and legal questions -very basic, and reviewed also here- [color=#FF0000]OR you can take a 3 month course of Chinese language anywhere and bring proof of such. That simple.[/color] It doesnāt even say you have to pass the course, though it would be better of course if you do.
10.
14Yep, that bit about the passport is quite annoying, and unfortunately is quite unnavoidable. It happens while you wait for your citizenship, and they give you a TARC in the process. But yeah, they are quite inflexible about not being able to leave the country for a whole year. I guess you could try to work around it.
Best of luck.[/quote]
I am sorry, but the language study part is also not correct. This is what the leaflet from the HHRO says:
Certificates (for language study) must be issued by Taiwan government, or institutions, organizations and schools that are commissioned or subsidized by the government. Certificates of programs held by private or cram schools are invalid.
Requirement of course hours are as follows:
- General applicants need more than 200 hours.
- Spouses and children of Taiwan citizens need more than 100 hours.
- Applicants at the age of 65 need more than 100 hours.
Because of the limited hours available in the courses (mostly geared toward East Asian brides), it took me FIVE semesters to accumulate 200 hours of study. And believe me, I attended every single class available.[/quote]
Quite so. I second all that you said above.
Also, you still better be bloody literate or capable to some degree. Iāve had to fill out several forms in the process where they allowed no help and on Thursday I received a call from the Ministry of interior in Chinese where they wanted to speak to me and no one else as follows:
MoI: Hello, are you XXX?
Me: Yes, how can I help you?
MoI: We need to confirm some information on your application for citizenship and residence Certificate application.
Me: Ok, what can I help you with?
MoI: It says here that your address is XXX, but your HHR address is XXX.
Blah blah blah. Long explanation in Chinese why and where and what. We had a chat, but mostly I think they were just checking to see if all was legit and could I communicate sufficiently.
The thing is, even if you get lucky and none of that happens, as a Taiwanese citizen at some point you will be in such a situation. If you canāt help yourself you will be f**ked and you will look like a total idiot.
And no, Icon. As much as I love you, itās not as easy as you make it seem. The process is difficult, long and drawn out. The language part is a challenge, the papers from your government is very mafan and expensive (unless youāre Australian, it seems), the translations both ways and all the accreditation etc adds to that. Then thereās the waiting, the bitching and of course the renunciation clause. It is not something to get into lightly. A-Ha, myself, Speed Maniac etc will all attest to that, Iām sure.
Oh, I know it is mafan de putaliao -like crossing the Niagara on a bicycle, as in my case-, but the OP -Taiwaneagle- already has APRC. If he went through those hoops once, he can go through the same obstacle course again. No biggie. 
I did not want to discourage him so early.
I estimated 200 hours as 3 months, well, maybe six months -my Math sucks. And I would not recommend anyone to take the Government courses for foreign spouses unless, really, really tight. Most people have taken courses at one time or other in their lives, had a friend present paperwork from almost 6 years ago, no biggie. If I do take that step, those clases will be from nearly 12 years ago. I donāt know what they expect from us, but basic communication for daily life should be fine for most. Now readingā¦ 
As to the leaving during the process, it is better to have the heads up and consult with local authorities. A friend had to leave because her father fell sick, during that period, and it was quite mafan.