I didn’t renew my contract with work, so my job will cancel my ARC on July 17 (although my ARC “expiry date” is in Sept but I know that’s not valid without a job to back it up).
I plan to leave Taiwan permanently on August 29. Ideally, I’d like to change to a Visitors Visa without leaving Taiwan. [color=#000080]Does anyone know if this is possible?[/color]
As I see it, my other options are: Go to Hong Kong and get a 60-day visa; leave the country twice and come in on 30-day visa-free entry both times; or overstay and pay a $6000 fine. (immigration.gov.tw/immig_eng … .asp?id=12) Oddly, aside from getting a visitors visa in Taiwan, this is the cheapest option- but could this cause me problems down the line?
thanks!
Partial answer: No, you cannot change an ARC to a visitors visa while you’re still in Taiwan. You need to leave the country and apply for one either from outside or at the airport on entry.
I was told verbally that you can apply for a 30 day extension when your ARC expires with very little hassle. My situation was that my contract ends 3 weeks before the end of the Chinese classes I was taking. I’ve never looked farther into it since I stopped taking classes but somebody told me it was possible.
And it is too late for the OP anyway but it would be interesting if there was any truth to this.
I’m in the same situation… work will cancel my ARC at the end of July, and i’m told i’ll need to leave withing 10 days, but I need to stay an extra week to pack up my stuff. I’m married in Taiwan, but not sure if I’ll have the time to apply for the family ARC this time around.
I’ve heard overstaying can jeopardize future entries so wouldn’t recommend it.
If there is a simple way to extend ARC for a few weeks or switch purpose from work to something else I’d love to hear about it. In any case I will pay a visit to the immigration office on Friday to ask.