i just got my BA diploma the other day and i am debating whether i should bring the original or just a good photocopy of it.
what do you guys think?
It definitely won’t hurt to have it. If you need it and you don’t have it here it’s an expensive trip home. I supposed Fedex is always an option, but I have my original here.
The government requires your original degree to give you an ARC (for teaching English). I’m pretty sure this hasn’t changed.
last time i checked, this was correct. bring it along.
You will need it.
I got mine laminated. It saves it getting scrunched up in your luggage. I’m sure if it goes missing you can get it replaced without too much hassle.
A friend on mine got a work permit with a photocopy. He told the police that his mother had the original framed and on the wall back home and that she wouldnt let him bring it to Taiwan. They said okay and gave him the permit.
I’ve never brought the original to Taiwan and had two work permits. Get the photocopies verified by your local Taiwanese consulate/embassy.
There are ways around it if you do not have the original with you. Still, everything will be easier if you have the original with you. I was asked by two separate employers for my original parchment. They’re a pain to replace if they get lost, but they’re not irreplaceable. I’d say just bring the original–and not a copy-- as that is prefered.
I think that the school needs to photocopy the original to send to the government to apply for your ARC. They have to verify that they have seen the original so really it depends on your employer how strict they will be.
If you’ve got it though, it makes no sense not to bring it.
As it has been said, depends on the school.
Hi,
I got my original authenticated by the TECO in the U.S. prior to coming to Taiwan. Ironically, that involved sending two copies to them (yes, copies). After receipt, TECO contacted the university, verified its authenticity, kept one copy, and then stamped one copy and returned it to me. Getting that done took about 3 weeks and cost about U.S. $50.00 as I recall (in 2004).
I have successfully used that one copy without giving it away for all transactions that required it in Taiwan (work permits, ARCs, employers, etc). I show them the “original stamped copy”, point out and explain the TECO stamp (as many of them oddly don’t seem familiar with it) and let them copy it.
That said, if you have your original diploma, it wouldn’t hurt.
On a related note, transcripts seem useless unless applying for work with a university.
Seeker4
i left mine in Canada, had a friend scan it and email it to me, whenever I needed it I just printed it out for english skule’s or company’s trying to apply for work permit, no stamping from any embassies proving its a real legit photocopy.
Maybe I just been lucky so far… but worked for da past year 
yesser you lucky man. But I wondering: Visa runs, how many?
Never done a visa run yet, but I did have to extend my visitor’s visa once through a chinese language skule, i think most can find employment in da initial 2 months…
If you’re in a city with a Taiwan pseudo-embassy, you can bring the original there and have them photocopy it. On each copy, they’ll mark it as being authentic. I’m fairly sure (though not 100%) that you can use one of these to apply for work. The fee is around $25 per copy, if I remember correctly.
Nevertheless, your diploma is not a sacred scroll, as your university will almost certainly resissue you a new one if the original is lost. Documentation in Asia is quite important, and given the number of fakes out there and the possibility that the laws might change at any moment, you’d probably be better off with the original.