Hi guys, I had a question about obtaining an APRC (permenent residency) and I’m sorry if it has been asked before but I wasn’t able to find the info I was looking for.
I’m married to a Taiwanese national; we got married back in 2009 in Taiwan and have been living together in Taiwan ever since. It’s been about 5 years since we first moved to Taiwan and got married and if it hasn’t been exactly 5 years, it will be soon. I was thinking of changing my visa from what I have now (I think it’s a JFRV but I’m not sure) to an APRC. I’m not sure of the exact name or term for my visa but I acquired it through marriage and I am able to renew it every 3 years as long as I am still married to my spouse and pay them 3,000NT. I had to go through a lengthy process to get it (health check, FBI check…etc) and it gives me open work rights as well as allows me to re-enter the country multiple times. I’m working here as a freelance translator/tutor so I don’t have health insurance. I tried going into the health insurance agency to ask if I could sponsor my own insurance since I am self-employed but they said I can only have my employer sponsor it so I am not eligible(??). I saw that a health insurance card was one of the requirements for an APRC so any ideas on what to do about that? Also, I am confused as to whether it is 7 or 5 years that you need to have resided in Taiwan in order to apply for an APRC. Thanks in advance for any help on this.
Health insurance agency? Are you referring to the NHI?
Cause here’s what they wrote on their website http://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/webdata/webdata.aspx?menu=11&menu_id=590&WD_ID=590&webdata_id=3139:
[quote]Compulsory Enrollment
The National Health Insurance program is a compulsory social insurance program. By law, every Taiwanese citizen with official residency or foreign national living in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), regardless of age, gender, or employment status, must enroll in the program. Also, this insurance program lasts an entire lifetime. No one may arbitrarily withdraw, except for those who lose their insurance eligibility (such as people who give up their Taiwan citizenship, move abroad or let their Alien Resident Certificate expire or a person who goes missing).[/quote]
You can get your health insurance through your spouse’s work.
I’m the same in that I work freelance and my health insurance is through my wife.
Thanks for the replies. Yes, I was referring to the NHI. I’m unable to get insurance through my wife because she is also self employed and she get’s health insurance through her family. Her family doesn’t want to sponsor my insurance. Is there any other way to get health insurance? Honestly, I really don’t understand why I am not allowed to sponsor my own health insurance. 
If you’re a freelancer, you might want to consider looking into how to set up your own company that provides English services such as translation and tutoring.
Then you can use your company to enroll in NHI. That or try getting a job with some company for a while and then ditch the company and go to the NHI office to have your address corrected. But then again, if you land a job, you might as well keep it right?
[quote=“Gryphon”]
Cause here’s what they wrote on their website http://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/webdata/webdata.aspx?menu=11&menu_id=590&WD_ID=590&webdata_id=3139:
[quote]Compulsory Enrollment
The National Health Insurance program is a compulsory social insurance program. By law, every Taiwanese citizen with official residency or foreign national living in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), regardless of age, gender, or employment status, must enroll in the program. Also, this insurance program lasts an entire lifetime. No one may arbitrarily withdraw, except for those who lose their insurance eligibility (such as people who give up their Taiwan citizenship, move abroad or let their Alien Resident Certificate expire or a person who goes missing).[/quote][/quote]
Now I’ve seen this before and it is really confusing. If this is true, I should have health insurance. When I first came to Taiwan years ago, I worked as a Buxiban teacher for a few months and then quickly realized it wasn’t for me. They issued me a health insurance card at that time but when I left they said that it would be no longer valid. If the insurance program lasts an entire lifetime, how can they do that?
[quote=“tensai27”][quote=“Gryphon”]
Cause here’s what they wrote on their website http://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/webdata/webdata.aspx?menu=11&menu_id=590&WD_ID=590&webdata_id=3139:
[quote]Compulsory Enrollment
The National Health Insurance program is a compulsory social insurance program. By law, every Taiwanese citizen with official residency or foreign national living in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), regardless of age, gender, or employment status, must enroll in the program. Also, this insurance program lasts an entire lifetime. No one may arbitrarily withdraw, except for those who lose their insurance eligibility (such as people who give up their Taiwan citizenship, move abroad or let their Alien Resident Certificate expire or a person who goes missing).[/quote][/quote]
Now I’ve seen this before and it is really confusing. If this is true, I should have health insurance. When I first came to Taiwan years ago, I worked as a Buxiban teacher for a few months and then quickly realized it wasn’t for me. They issued me a health insurance card at that time but when I left they said that it would be no longer valid. If the insurance program lasts an entire lifetime, how can they do that?[/quote]
I’m not sure, but it sounds like the buxiban told the NHI that you’re no longer working there and that they would refuse to pay for future bills. They could have helped you to transfer the bills to your home address I believe. Perhaps you should go through the details on the NHI site and print out the pages you may need to show NHI clerks. Nobody’s perfect and the last person you talked to may have forgotten a few details. If you show them this paragraph, you can prove you are still eligible.
Check out this info taken from this page http://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/webdata/webdata.aspx?menu=11&menu_id=593&WD_ID=593&webdata_id=3147 :
[quote]The Unemployed
Individuals who are unemployed and qualify as dependents should be registered in the insurance program through employed spouses or direct blood relatives.
If individuals cannot be enrolled through spouses or direct blood relatives, or have retired from government agencies, public or private schools, or public enterprises but want to register in the program independently, they should apply to do so at the administrative office in the village, township, city or area where their household is registered.
[/quote]
According to this info, you can still register independently as long as you still hold a valid ARC.
[quote=“Gryphon”][quote=“tensai27”][quote=“Gryphon”]
Cause here’s what they wrote on their website http://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/webdata/webdata.aspx?menu=11&menu_id=590&WD_ID=590&webdata_id=3139:
[quote]Compulsory Enrollment
The National Health Insurance program is a compulsory social insurance program. By law, every Taiwanese citizen with official residency or foreign national living in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), regardless of age, gender, or employment status, must enroll in the program. Also, this insurance program lasts an entire lifetime. No one may arbitrarily withdraw, except for those who lose their insurance eligibility (such as people who give up their Taiwan citizenship, move abroad or let their Alien Resident Certificate expire or a person who goes missing).[/quote][/quote]
Now I’ve seen this before and it is really confusing. If this is true, I should have health insurance. When I first came to Taiwan years ago, I worked as a Buxiban teacher for a few months and then quickly realized it wasn’t for me. They issued me a health insurance card at that time but when I left they said that it would be no longer valid. If the insurance program lasts an entire lifetime, how can they do that?[/quote]
I’m not sure, but it sounds like the buxiban told the NHI that you’re no longer working there and that they would refuse to pay for future bills. They could have helped you to transfer the bills to your home address I believe. Perhaps you should go through the details on the NHI site and print out the pages you may need to show NHI clerks. Nobody’s perfect and the last person you talked to may have forgotten a few details. If you show them this paragraph, you can prove you are still eligible.
Check out this info taken from this page http://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/webdata/webdata.aspx?menu=11&menu_id=593&WD_ID=593&webdata_id=3147 :
[quote]The Unemployed
Individuals who are unemployed and qualify as dependents should be registered in the insurance program through employed spouses or direct blood relatives.
If individuals cannot be enrolled through spouses or direct blood relatives, or have retired from government agencies, public or private schools, or public enterprises but want to register in the program independently, they should apply to do so at the administrative office in the village, township, city or area where their household is registered.
[/quote]
According to this info, you can still register independently as long as you still hold a valid ARC.[/quote]
Possibly I should give it another go. I was under the impression that I could pay for it and found it odd that they told me no. Would you happen to have that paragraph in Chinese?
What is a JFRV and what benefits does it give you over an ARC or APRC?
JFRV=Joining Family Resident Visa
ARC=Alien Resident Card
APRC=Alien Permanent Resident Card
I’m not sure of all the benefits of a JFRV over an ARC but some things that come to mind are open work rights and the ability to freelance.
As for the benefits of a JFRV(the visa I currently have) over an APRC…none. It wouldn’t make much sense for me to be trying to get an APRC if there was. 
I’m noticing this on what Gryphon posted.
I think that is what they were giving me a hard time about. The lady at the counter kept insisting that my wife’s family should pay for my insurance…
But then again it says this afterwards
Maybe the lady working there was new. :loco:
JFRV is only a reason for getting an ARC. People use a JFRV to get an ARC.
[quote=“tensai27”]I’m noticing this on what Gryphon posted.
I think that is what they were giving me a hard time about. The lady at the counter kept insisting that my wife’s family should pay for my insurance…
But then again it says this afterwards
Maybe the lady working there was new. :loco: [/quote]
It seems to me that you’ll only need to bring your ARC, passport, marriage certificate, photograph, cash to cover the fees and household registration papers.
JFRV is only a reason for getting an ARC. People use a JFRV to get an ARC.[/quote]
So what I have isn’t a JFRV? If so, maybe I should change the title. Appearance wise, it looks pretty much the same as an ARC but says in red letters that I don’t need a work permit and has my spouse as my purpose of residence.
JFRV is only a reason for getting an ARC. People use a JFRV to get an ARC.[/quote]
So what I have isn’t a JFRV? If so, maybe I should change the title. Appearance wise, it looks pretty much the same as an ARC but says in red letters that I don’t need a work permit and has my spouse as my purpose of residence.[/quote]
What you have is an ARC. And it’s probably written on there that your reason for having it is for joining family or something along those lines.
My first ARC was based on my first place of employment. And on it was written the name of the company I worked for.
JFRV is only a reason for getting an ARC. People use a JFRV to get an ARC.[/quote]
So what I have isn’t a JFRV? If so, maybe I should change the title. Appearance wise, it looks pretty much the same as an ARC but says in red letters that I don’t need a work permit and has my spouse as my purpose of residence.[/quote]
What you have is an ARC. And it’s probably written on there that your reason for having it is for joining family or something along those lines.
My first ARC was based on my first place of employment. And on it was written the name of the company I worked for.[/quote]
Gotcha, thanks. Title has been changed.
Anyone know what I should do to get them to let me pay for my own insurance? Also, is it 5 or 7 years that you have to be in Taiwan for in order to get an APRC?
5
OP, you might want to check this out: https://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=80053&p=1614127&hilit=aprc#p1614127
Lots of info here. And I followed this to get my APRC. Try starting from the beginning of the thread.
Alright so it is 5 then. Wasn’t there some rule that you have to stay in Taiwan for the next 2 years after applying or else it gets exempt? I think that is where I was getting the 7 from.