Hey everyone, newbie here (in living in Taiwan and everything else…) because I can’t honestly find an answer anywhere else…
Has anyone ever had their ARC renewed via online?
My employer applied online for me when I came here and I asked if renewal was possible through online too and they said yes.
But from what I’ve read, when you go to NIA they usually have you surrender your current one while you wait for your renewal. Since we (or more really my employer) sent a renewal application online, I haven’t surrendered my card yet.
Does anyone have the same experience? How long does it take?
My biggest problem is I have a planned trip in 2 weeks and it the renewal time takes 10 working days too… well… I don’t think I can go out of Taiwan without the ARC right?
Would appreciate any info and thoughts, thanks!
You can choose to keep your current ARC and then give them your old one when you collect the new one.
You can still leave the country whilst your ARC renewal is processing. There is a procedure for this. Call the NIA and check. They might say that your renewal receipt is enough to re-enter but if I remember correctly you’ll have to go to the NIA and they’ll give you a re-entry sticker in your passport.
When they scan your passport at immigration they will see you are a resident, so it’s not a big issue if you don’t have your ARC on your person when you’re entering Taiwan. However, you may run into issues with the airline requiring you to show proof of ticket leaving Taiwan if you can’t show them you are a resident.
Oh my god thank you so much!
So I could theoretically hold onto my ARC until after I come back home then … but thank you, I didn’t know about the sticker! My friend never had to encounter this issue since she came here during pandemic and couldn’t go out the country.
Hopefully the airline won’t be an issue— so far I’ve never encountered having to prove I’m a resident in the airlines I booked… thanks again!
Definitely check with the NIA before you leave
Yeah better to double check before I book anything… thanks!