I’ve been working in Taipei for 6+ years now (more than 8 including study), and have been a very well-behaved laowai.
However, due to a combination of stupidity and awful luck, I was charged with a DUI last weekend. It occurred on Saturday morning, when I was on my way to play squash. I guess I didn’t do the math and think that my awful hangover meant there was still alcohol in my system. I ended up just being barely over (.27 and the limit is .25).
Enough excuses though, as what’s done is done. I had recently been contemplating getting my APRC, but I’m guessing this is an impossibility now. I haven’t gotten my sentence/fine in the mail yet, and went to the police bureau today to get my background check. If I’m very lucky, perhaps it won’t show up yet. If it does, is my application rejected out of hand, or is there some sort of appeal process I can go through?
You should talk to a lawyer before you knowingly submit false information to a government agency. That’s a crime (I think rarely prosecuted), but more importantly it could lead to your APRC being revoked and other problems with your immigration status.
You should also talk to a lawyer to understand what usually happens in these cases. I think the usual result is a deferred prosecution and some community service time. That’s in addition to the administrative fine and losing your license for a year. Nonetheless, a deferred prosecution may not show up on your criminal record. Even if it does, it should be expunged after the period of deferred prosecution (usually two years for these cases, I think). At that point you would be go to apply for a criminal record and an APRC in good faith.
In an internet forum is not the place to ask these questions. You really should spend the NT$4-5,000 to have a criminal lawyer advise you on your situation. The problem will be finding an English-speaking criminal lawyer.