I’m about to apply for my APRC and I have a few questions. I’ve tried the official NIA website where I’m sure they previously had a detailed list of everything you need but now they seem to just have links to download the application form. So…
1 - My company have said I should apply using the “扣繳憑單 Kou Jiao Ping Dan (I think thats right?)” rather than using an income tax statement for 2025. Does anyone have experience doing this? Is it easy to obtain?
2 - Is the health certificate I need for an APRC is exactly the same as the standard ARC one?
3 - I read here Taiwan APRC FAQ 台灣永久居留證常見問題 - Foreigners in Taiwan - 外國人在臺灣 that I need some kind of proof of employment like a work permit or my employment contract but I don’t really understand that since I thought part of the point of an APRC was that I would no longer need these? Do I need to provide a copy of my current work permit to apply for my APRC?
4 - Police Check - I’ve also read that if I haven’t left Taiwan for more than 3 months during the last 5 years, a police check from Taiwan “may” suffice and I “might not” need one from my home country. But that sounds a bit ambiguous, how do I know for sure?
I got my APRC like 6 years ago, so only clearly remember this condition… but yeah, I only needed a Taiwanese police check, nothing from my home country.
When I applied in December last year, the person at the NIA said the 扣繳憑單 wasn’t sufficient anymore. She asked me to obtain a 所得清單 (a detailed list of all income) from the tax office, which I did.
I don’t believe you need one if you haven’t left Taiwan for more than 3 months at a time in the past 5 years.
I submitted a copy of my work permit (also brought the original copy for them to check) and a letter of employment (在職證明) issued within one month (original copy). You don’t need a work permit to work AFTER you get your APRC.
You don’t need one from your home country if you haven’t left Taiwan for more than 3 months at a time in the past 5 years.
[!quote info] AI take on the new changes missing in outdated English version
The 2026 Chinese instructions introduce several updates and new pathways not present in the 2020 English version:
Lower Age Requirement : The minimum age is reduced from 20 to 18 years old.
Faster Pathways : “Special Professionals” can now apply after 3 years , and high-income earners (over NT$6 million/year) can apply after just 1 year.
Degree Offset : Degrees (Associate and above) earned in Taiwan can now be used to offset the required residency period.
Family Fast-Track : Spouses and children of “Special Professionals” can now apply after 3 years instead of 5.
New Profit Rules : Business owners and investors must now show an average gross profit of NT$600,000 over the last 5 years.
Flexible Residency Maintenance : Permanent residency is now revoked if the average stay over the last 5 years is under 183 days per year, rather than requiring 183 days every single year.
[!quote info ]What Actually Changed in January 2026?
“Foreign Special Professionals” can now apply for an APRC after only 3 years of residency (instead of 5).
The exception to provide criminal record for any APRC application requires 5-year criminal history in Taiwan.
Those applying for APRC after 3 years fast track must provide a criminal record from their home country, the exception can not be applied.
As past threads have pointed out, the NIA is the ultimate authority, so it’s a good idea to ask them what you personally need to submit with your application.
The work permit, letter of employment, and local police check are pretty quick and easy to get, right? However, the background check and proof of income requirements have become a bit more complicated.
Now, a background check from your home country is necessary (and it will need to be authenticated at a TECO/TECRO and probably translated into Chinese and notarized locally).
If you’re using 2025 income, you should be able to go to the tax office now and apply for 納稅證明 to include in your application.
the gist is. If you have never submitted a home country police check during your previous ARC(s) application(s), then it is required for the APRC notwithstanding you never leaving TW for more than 3 months at a time.
So this is basically only really applicable to Gold Card holders, as they are the only ARC category which does not require a home country police check.
It seems that Plum Blossom APRCs are still exempted from this.
Others also don’t need it such as those working in technical & specialized jobs. Teachers need to submit one but they actually submit it to the Ministry of Education and not NIA.
I would argue that the teachers since they actually submitted one should be required to submit again, but whatever. Happy that I got my APRC before the change, this is a huge pain in the bottom for many, getting one certified from Italy is really cumbersome (must stay in Italy like a month to get it all done, otherwise $$$$$ for notarised POAs).
Thanks so much! So just to be clear, you brought with you the original and a copy of the work permit you had for the place you were working at at that time? The work permit you used to get your previous ARC (I assume)? I wasn’t even aware we kept those, I thought NIA took them when we send of our ARC application. I suppose mine must be lying around somewhere then. Is the 在職證明 an official document you downloaded from the NIA website or something any employer can just make themselves?
Yes, you’re right, I plan to set up an appointment with an NIA agent soon and get the details from them as well. It’s just that it’s far away, I don’t have much time off and in my experience, the helpfulness of NIA agents can vary greatly. So I just wanted to have some sort of grasp on what was needed before I go there. Like the specific names of forms etc. I’m also not sure if I’ll be able to use the specific tax form they want so I’m unfortunately trying to find alternatives.
I think I did give them a police certificate from my home country as part of my first ARC application, although I don’t believe I had it authenticated/translated/notorized. I will check though, thanks! Hopefully I won’t need another one, that would be a huge pain in the ass.
