Opening A Bank Account With Only A Passport

Can I open a bank account with only a passport and no ARC? If so, which banks will allow this in Taiwan?

…Looked through the forums but couldn’t find any recent posts on this. Thanks for your help!

Hi, you could check out the following items and try your luck:

english.education.edu.tw/np.asp? … SD=7&mp=12 [Oct 17: edited link]
proj1.sinica.edu.tw/~tigpcbmb/CB … ndbook.pdf (page 24)
post.gov.tw/post/internet/u_ … nk_a_1.jsp

And then you could post a report of where and how it can be done. :slight_smile:

You need to go to the NIA and get a “Record of ID No. in the Republic of China”. They give you an ID number, which would eventually become your ARC number should you ever go that route, on a simple A4 piece of paper that you would take to the bank with your passport. You tell them what you need it for, to open a bank account, and they know what to give you. There is no fee.

That’s how I opened my first bank account.

Just curious: what visa were you on at the time you did that?

Just curious: what visa were you on at the time you did that?[/quote]
Tourist visa, but I don’t think it matters. Nowhere on the document is there any reference to the visa, only the passport number.

Just curious: what visa were you on at the time you did that?[/quote]
Tourist visa, but I don’t think it matters. Nowhere on the document is there any reference to the visa, only the passport number.[/quote]

Oh, i think it matters a lot. :slight_smile:
Your experience shows that one does not even need to be a resident, just legally in the country…!
(That’s easier than in Japan, where you can’t open a bank account as a visitor.)

Useful info! :bow:

Oh, I think it matters a lot. :slight_smile:
Your experience shows that one does not even need to be a resident, just legally in the country…!
(That’s easier than in Japan, where you can’t open a bank account as a visitor.)

Useful info! :bow:[/quote]
What an odd reply.

I wasn’t trying to comment on the general principle of whether visa status mattered when attempting to open a bank account in any random country. The question was about opening a bank account in Taiwan, where, in my experience, the visa type didn’t / doesn’t matter.

Oh, i think it only seems odd because you don’t know the reason for the question i asked you. :slight_smile:

I live only 270km away from Taiwan and am thinking of going there for a short visit before the end of this year, in preparation for a longer stay (possibly from next year). Being able to open a bank account in Taiwan already while visiting (something i had not quite expected, given that this is not possible in my own country) would make some of my preparations easier. :bow:

Oh, I think it only seems odd because you don’t know the reason for the question i asked you. :slight_smile:

I live only 270km away from Taiwan and am thinking of going there for a short visit before the end of this year, in preparation for a longer stay (possibly from next year). Being able to open a bank account in Taiwan already while visiting (something I had not quite expected, given that this is not possible in my own country) would make some of my preparations easier. :bow:[/quote]
Something is getting lost in translation.

By saying “it does not matter”, I was not dismissing the question. I was saying that in Taiwan, your visa type doesn’t matter for getting the letter necessary to open a bank account from the NIA.

CraigTpe…i don’t know how long ago you might have opened a bank account but 17 yrs ago when I landed in Taiwan you needed to have an ARC to open a bank account.

Now it has become even stricter,even for locals they need to produce their ID card and some other proof like NHI card, driver’s license etc…

I don’t think you can open a bank acount with only a passport and especially if you are just here on a tourist visa…

[quote=“speed_maniac”]CraigTpe…I don’t know how long ago you might have opened a bank account but 17 yrs ago when I landed in Taiwan you needed to have an ARC to open a bank account.

I don’t think you can open a bank acount with only a passport and especially if you are just here on a tourist visa…[/quote]
It was in 2005.

If you do a search, I believe others have posted the same information on the forum, that you just need this letter (“Record of ID No. in the Republic of China”) from the NIA.

okay but why would the NIA give you a record of ID no when you are on a tourist visa?? If you have got employment and have applied for an ARC then I can understand the NIA giving you the record of ID no…

I think the OP will have to clarify his status or else we will all be posting conflicting information…

[quote=“speed_maniac”]okay but why would the NIA give you a record of ID no when you are on a tourist visa?? If you have got employment and have applied for an ARC then I can understand the NIA giving you the record of ID no…

I think the OP will have to clarify his status or else we will all be posting conflicting information…[/quote]
I was here on a tourist visa. I did not have a job or an ARC. I wanted to open a bank account. Without the “ID number”, banks would not open an account. I was told I needed to get an ID number. I went to the NIA, which was the “Foreign Affairs Police” at the time (in 2005), which issued me a letter that was called a “Record of ID No. in the Republic of China” (I’m looking at it right now.). I presume it’s for taxation purposes, as foreigner bank deposits are subject to 20% tax and they must have some account to credit it to. It is printed on A4 paper. It is not an ID card. I am not hallucinating.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the replies. I have inquired at the bank closest to me (Mega Bank) and they told me that, like CraigTPE, all I need is my passport and the ID number. I have yet to actually open the account, but I was promised that after I go get the ID I will be able to.

Hope that helps!

CraigTpe, I did not say you are hallucinating. Like you I am stating what I know, I am not challenging you or anything of that sort, so please kindly refrain from passing snide remarks. Thank you.

I did this when I was in Taiwan, about 4 years ago.

There is another way, open an HSBC premier account and they can open accounts for you in any other country that you want - just a thought! I have a Japanese account and have not ever lived there. :whistle:

Sorry about that, but for some reason this thread made me a little testy.

First there was the guy that misunderstood what I meant when I said it didn’t matter here what kind of visa you had, then I misunderstood your post to mean I didn’t understand the OP and was therefore potentially giving misinformation. I understood the OP as I had exactly the same situation.

[quote=“Edgar Allen”]I have a Japanese account and have not ever lived there. :whistle:[/quote]I also had a bank account in Japan when I was there on a tourist visa, but that was back in 1983, so I figured it was entirely likely things had changed since then.

It’s okay…yes I know about the issue with the earlier poster…

good to know that the OP was able to open a bank account!!

[quote=“CraigTPE”][…]for some reason this thread made me a little testy.

First there was the guy that misunderstood what I meant when I said it didn’t matter here what kind of visa you had, […][/quote]

CraigTPE-san, after reading the whole thread i am sure i did not misunderstand you. :slight_smile: I still think that it matters a lot that at the time you opened your account you only had a tourist visa (which automatically means you did not have an ARC, exactly like the OP), since that proves all those wrong who claim that you have to be a resident to open a bank account (from what i’ve read there seem to be plenty of people who believe that, even staff at some banks).

In a few weeks i may be in the same situation as the OP today, that’s why i took an interest in the topic at all and asked you about your visa at the time you got your account. :slight_smile:

Hope this clears things up… thank you again (and thanks to the OP, too, for the update)!
:bow:

Then you still aren’t understanding the meaning there of “it doesn’t matter”. Whether you have a resident or tourist visa, (it doesn’t matter which), you can get the ID number to open a bank account.

I’ve never had a bank staffer tell me I needed residence, only that ID number.