Sure. But people have dual passports. Like British + Irish. What if your aprc was with British passport. It’s expired and you travel on your Irish passport. At immigration they’ll ask for the aprc but know that the passport tied to it has expired. So what happens ?
By the way: does someone know this - if I don’t care about pension benefits, can i choose not the join the lpa scheme when I get an aprc ?
maybe, this thread is better than here to continue?
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My guess is they would let you in and tell you to update your expired passport and A(P)RC. They can validate your identity through the other passport.
I heard people were let in with expired marriage ARC before. But this is probably at the mercy of immigration.
You need to make sure your documents are valid through your entire travel.
Passport is linked to the APRC, not tied. Your APRC stays the same even if you change/update your passport.
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Also applies to GC /APRC
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Let me preface this by letting you guys know that I’ll be visiting the NIA this month for other reasons so I’ll have the chance to ask them these exact questions.
Got a question here.
tl;dr - In order to renew my ARC, does my company have to go through the work permit application process again if I’m staying in the same company? Or can I just go back the NIA in Xiaonanmen and provide them with a new proof of employment from my current employer?
More details:
- Work based ARC is expiring next year.
- I’m still in the same company but technically my job title has changed to a senior position
- Regular/permanent hire, there is mention of any duration in my contract/job offer which we submitted two years ago for my work permit.
- In the notice letter from the Taiwan MOL containing my work permit, it explicitly states that my work permit (and thus ARC) will expire in 3 years.
Does my company have to go through the work permit application process again?
e.g. Do I have to get my documents notarized in the Philippines, authenticated by the Philippine Foreign Affairs Office, authenticated by the de facto Taiwan Embassy in the Philippines, and then have my company submit everything to the WDA/MOL in Taiwan?
Slightly related:
- ARC → Gold Card, will my years of stay accumulate towards the 5 year requirement for an APRC?
- ARC (Company_A) → ARC (Company_B) → Assuming both are in the same industry and the role is also the same, do I need to apply for a new work permit? And will the years also accumulate for the APRC?
edit:
I’ve been searching around google too but so far I can only find information for student ARCs.
Yup, unfortunately it’s back to square one once your work permit based ARC expires even if you stay in the same company. Company has to apply for a work permit from WDA/MOL again.
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Yes, your ARC is dependent on the validity of your work permit, if it expires, you need to get a new one or renew it. How difficult or easier it is compared to the first time you applied for a work permit, I don’t know but usually your company will know or ask around.
So you bring your new work permit to renew your ARC and hopefully can be the last time since you could get an APRC after 5 years.
A stupid question in between: On all Gold Card websites, they keep going on about how the Gold-Card is actually a „4-in-1“ card including the following things:
- Work Permit: Allows cardholders to seek employment freely, obtain employment at any time, work any part-time job legally, and freely change jobs.
- Resident Visa: Long-term visa which allows cardholders to stay in Taiwan for more than 180 days.
- Alien Resident Certificate: A physical ID card proving that you can live in Taiwan legally.
- Re-entry Permit: Allows unlimited entry and exit from Taiwan (even during COVID-19).
How does an APRC compare in this regard?
I mean it’s pretty much clear that an APRC includes an ARC. And it should include a resident visa (?). It also should include an open work permit (by now) but I have seen people suggesting to still apply for an open work permit just in case…
How about the re-entry-permit? Does one also need one when having an APRC? Are there resident visas which do not include one…?
So is an APRC also a „4-in-1“ card when going by that list? Or 3-in-1? 2-in-1…?
Yeah - they basically say the APRC brings new benefits with one being that one doesn’t need to apply for a work permit. So based on that FAQ, an APRC should include an open work permit, too.
Maybe I am blind, but I couldn’t find anything in regard to the reentry-permit and the question if the APRC also includes one like the Gold Card 
Here is the related law on regard a work-permit and an Foreign Special Professional/Gold Card holder obtained permanent residency
A foreign professional, foreign special professional, or foreign senior professional, their spouse, child under the age of majority, and child over the age of majority who is unable to live independently due to physical or mental disability, having obtained permanent residency, need not apply to the Ministry of Labor or Ministry of Education for a permit to engage in work in the State.
Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals - Article Search/Content Search Result - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan)
You may see some post saying it’s still good to apply for the Open-Work Permit which you get a card from the Ministry of Labor. This is not legally required though the Gold Card states on the back that you can work, but the APRC doesn’t. Therefore to prove you can work to an employer if they ask, the Open-Work Permit card may be the easiest way.
I have gone from Gold Card to APRC and have exited and entered Taiwan without needing to apply for a entry permit, therefore it must be included with the APRC.
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which makes sense tbh
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I always just read that as a kind of BS marketing claim, in a similar manner to a bottle of laundry detergent claiming to be “4-in-1” or “7-in-1” or whatever, where all of the purported things basically fall under the description of “cleaning clothes”.
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Well technically since the amendments in 2021 the Gold Card could be either a 4-in-1 or a 3-in-1 depending if you already are in Taiwan when applying. A holder may or may not have a resident visa as it is not a requirement in that situation and speeds up the application process.
The Gold Card design doesn’t change though.
A foreign special professional who plans to engage in professional work in the State may apply direct to the NIA for a four-in-one Employment Gold Card that combines work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate and re-entry permit. Before the NIA approves the issuance of an Employment Gold Card, it shall conduct screening jointly with the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, a foreign special professional who applies for an Employment Gold Card when having already entered the State shall be exempted from applying for a resident visa.
Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals - Article Search/Content Search Result - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan)
This has no real effect if certain holders have a resident visa or not on the system though, basically it’s just needed to enter Taiwan for the first time as a resident to collect the Gold Card then the ARC and re-entry permit part of the Gold Card it used after that.
Just some information of how things work for anyone interested.
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Were you able to get an extension until your new permit and ARC application was processed so that your time towards APRC requirement didn’t get reset?
Grave dig. Was almost denied boarding just over one year after getting my APRC because the ticketing people said I needed to renew it “either one year or three years after getting it”. Anyone else have this problem? I asked the ticketing agent if I needed to go to immigration when I got back to Taiwan and she was like “no, you’re fine”…??? Is my PERMANENT residency invalid after one or three years?! Or are they just misinformed?