ARC right after quarantine hotel but no apartment lease yet?

So I can go apply for the ARC as soon as I’m out of the quarantine hotel, but don’t I need to find an apartment and lease first? Or can I apply without a permanent address yet. I didn’t really want to rush to find an apartment in 2 days right after quarantine.

Ah yes, the age old question:

which came first: The egg, or the egg’s right of abode?

1 Like

Get the apartment lease first after quarantine. You definitely have time than what is stated.

Ok :+1: I’ll start searching for an apartment right away. Do leases require an ARC? :joy:

Ok, in order:

  1. You are not supposed to run around right after quarantine. You have to wait an extra week in which you may go out limited time, avoid public transportation, wear mask at all times, etc. As per guidelines.

  2. You need an address on your ARC. They will check if this address is accurate. If it is not, you get fined. If you change your address and do not inform NIA, you get a fine.

  3. That said, it is strongly recommended NOT to rent anything you see off the internet, without checking it in person. That is not possible while on quarantine and a bit harder the following week. So, you may want to stay a while longer at the hotel.

You can start setting appointments, looking at stuff, but please: do not rent without seeing, check place both night and day and most importantly bring someone else as witness, someone who speaks Chinese, when you sign the contract. Take pictures of everything and best of luck.

As a new arrival, this non profit website is recommended:

www.tmm.org.tw

  1. The ARC depends on your work permit. The work permit belongs to the company that hired you, so they have to give you some paperwork to apply for ARC. The ARC is NOT like a green card, it does not belong to you nor it gives you free reign for as long as the date printed on it. Just a heads up.
4 Likes

Great advice.

Out of curiosity, can people use hotel under quarantine as adress? Then change adress once place is rented. That would look bad, but if everything else is on the level, should be easily explained. Changing the adress later is very easy, painless and free everytime i have done it.

The government only wants to be able to track and find you your entire life here. Helping them do that generally is one of the few problem free government exchanges that still exists.

I think they rarely check the address. I’ve never lived at the address I use for mine, and they have never known or cared in 30+ years.

Maybe things are different for new ARC applicants. They ask for a copy of the lease as part of the application process. Not sure what would happen if you told them you didn’t have one yet.

In the past, it seemed like many landlords would be willing to rent to foreigners without an ARC. Not sure if that’s changed given that visa runs are a thing of the past for the time being.

Yeah, things used to be a lot more lax. Probably don’t care about us old timers now.

If we were going to cause trouble, we would have done it by now.

Need a lease to get an ARC. Can’t lease without an ARC. Great. Homeless in Taiwan. :joy:

1 Like

You can tell them you live under a bridge because you can’t get a lease without an ARC. Wonder how they’d react.

Am guessing this is not the first time the issue has ever come up in the years since ARCs started being issued. Just three parties involved: landlord, Gov’t bureau, and company hiring you. One of them has a way to get the process completed. If no employer, then just down to landlord or govt bureau.

:sweat_smile:

Since you have a work permit and were allowed into the country, I think this is a matter you can easily resolve with a straightforward discussion.

I’m in the process of renting a new place and the landlord and agent didn’t even care to see my ARC, even when I offered it. The landlord just asked what my profession was and the agent made a copy of my passport.