I do wonder whether I can enter Taiwan (for a short visit) as a normal tourist ? Would that be even possible ? Of course under the condition that Taiwan would be lifting its covid ban for tourists …
So, not entering Taiwan via egates, not showing the officer your blue ARC. Just asking for the normal ordinary passport arrival stamp (no idea if they do still exist) …
I am just asking this, because otherwise NHI would automatically be activitated and I would prefer not to deal with that while being in Taiwan for few days only.
(That happened to a friend of mine. She stopped her NHI, then unexpectedly re-entered Taiwan and few days later she received a letter from NHI asking her to re-activate her payments). So it seems different government agencies are well within connected).
Your passport information is all connected. They’ll know you have an APRC when you enter because your name and number are in the record. Also, you have to quarantine on arrival. How many “days” are you planning on staying?
I’m interested in this topic because I may leave and return to Taiwan in few months.
Unless I’m missing something…
If you have APRC, you are not a tourist. You are just returning to Taiwan.
So you don’t want to use your APRC? Well, can’t get on airplane without that. Airlines via Taiwan immigration regulation, aren’t letting tourists on plane into Taiwan. So you’re thinking get on plane with APRC, but arrive as a tourist? Nope, won’t work. If you try to arrive as tourist, of which there are none allowed, then they will back check it all with you, airline, etc. to see how you got on airplane into Taiwan, etc.
E-gates, passport stamps? With APRC, and no e-gate, normally go to resident line and pass through.
Don’t know about NHI activation. But can probably/possibly turn it off before leaving Taiwan? It’s not expensive.
Just in case you don’t know, the NHI activates in that you are required to pay it but you need to go in to the office to activate it, otherwise you are paying for no reason. And when you leave it needs to be cancelled again. They charge a minimum 3 months NHI payment even if you come in for a week. And then there is a minimum you must leave again if you want to re cancel NHI
I once entered Taiwan with a visa free stamp whilst holding a spouse ARC. I was only staying for a few days so I didn’t care. The reason was probably that I didn’t pull my ARC out at immigration. Don’t know how they didn’t see I was an ARC holder on their system. I eventually let it expire when I was working in China, which was a big mistake, since before return to Taiwan I had to do it all again… during Covid.
You can simply not reactivate but what happens is they won’t chase you now but when you come back in a few years they have all your in and out records and they will demand the money then. They are super well connected with immigration now. But it seems it only really gets noticed when you come in to reset up the NHI and they see your in and out. Some guy will go in the back for a half hour and prepare a bill lol. Guess how I know all this