My ARC is up for renewal. The space on the back is full up, so I suppose they’ll have to issue a new one. Can I keep the old card for my records? (I don’t mind if they stamp “cancelled” on it or whatever).
Also, if I apply for an APRC in the future, will I need this old ARC or will other evidence of previous employment be enough?
Thanks very much for any info.
[quote=“joesax”]My ARC is up for renewal. The space on the back is full up, so I suppose they’ll have to issue a new one. Can I keep the old card for my records? (I don’t mind if they stamp “cancelled” on it or whatever).
Also, if I apply for an APRC in the future, will I need this old ARC or will other evidence of previous emplyment be enough?
Thanks very much for any info.[/quote]
I could keep my old ARC and they didn’t even stamp anything on it. But for some reason my husband’s old ARC was taken away when he got a new one. So I guess it depends on how their minds work on that particular day you go to their office.
I kept my old ARC and it wasn’t stamped.
Agreed.
Thanks Notsu and Funkeymonkey. So my first question has been answered.
Can anyone help with the second one; would I need to provide old ARCs to get an APRC in the future?
[quote=“joesax”]Thanks Notsu and Funkeymonkey. So my first question has been answered.
Can anyone help with the second one; would I need to provide old ARCs to get an APRC in the future?[/quote]
If my information is correct, they should have your old paperwork and it should also be in their computers. Hope this helps.
I have heard that it is very important to keep it to prove residency if you later want PARC or something. Sure, they should have it all on computer, but you never know.
When mine filled up, they cut the corner off the old one and gave it back to me.
Brian
[quote=“Bu Lai En”]I have heard that it is very important to keep it to prove residency if you later want PARC or something. Sure, they should have it all on computer, but you never know.
When mine filled up, they cut the corner off the old one and gave it back to me.
Brian[/quote]
You must present your original old ARC when applying for nationality… computer records aren’t enough. Shit, the computer records didnt even match my ARC as computer records weren’t around long enough.
I’ve still got all my old ARC’s even though I don’t need them. You never know when somebody rings to call and ask why your still in Taiwan without an ARC… happened to me lol…
I can’t stress enough how important keeping ALL past ARC cards is. The national police administration (NPA) will ask you for it in the future when applying for various other things … like for example an APRC.
However … The NPA also likes to confiscate obsolete ARCs when they can, making things quite difficult for you down the road.
Recently, when I applied for my APRC (based on the “seven years under an ARC” plan) they asked to get a copy of my ARC … BUT, since I had over four separate cards in seven years, I was able to produce them.
The last time I updated my ARC, they took away my old card. I immediately protested and told them that my future APRC applicaiton would be hindered without keeping it for records purposes. It was clear that they knew that I knew what I was talking about. However, they played ignorant and still told me I was wrong and needlessly worrying. However, I escalated and told them I was not leaving until they called in superviors. They made some calls and then told me that they could SNIP off the corner of my old ARC. They did so and then returned the old card to me.
In many cases, you have to be persistent and a bit frantic to get them to relent. From what I can gather, it IS their policy to snip off the corner, BUT as with most Taiwan agencies, they don’t do it and wait and see if you’ll insist.
My experience is that that just because you have ARC for 7 years or have the expired ARC (with the same ARC number) does not mean their records are correct.
In my case, I held the same ARC number for seven years. However, the dates recorded into the computers at police department were incorrect. So as they saw it, there was a two day period in which they said I was not in Taiwan, or I was here illegally… In other words, they started counting the seven years from this new date. Nonsense! My passport also showed there was no departure date during these disputed dates, and I had the necessary papers to show I was legal. Protests about this situation to those above the counter people were meaningless. I had to go to the Foreign Affairs Department and get the customs information and valid signitures to verify everything that was in my passport. It was a real pain in the pi gu as I had to straightened out their error.
Moral of the story: Make sure the dates entered into police records are consecutive and accurate. And a good dose of persistance to push through beaucratic unwillingness to be accountable.
So what if you misplaced one or two of your ARC cards and had to have it replaced?
Um, not like I plan on sticking around long enough to get an APRC or anything… 
Definitely keep all old ARCs if possible.
Heck, hold on to every scrap of paper you are ever given by a Taiwanese bureaucratic entity. This includes the little numbers that you pull out of the machine to determine your place in line. Well, I’m exaggerating a bit here but on one memorable occasion (years back) I had to do something about an ARC and they asked me, “What day did you apply?” Apparently that was how they filed things at that time.
But seriously – if you are not by nature the type to file everything, living in Taiwan is the time to go to one of those fun stationery stores and buy some sort of binder or folder that inspires you to keep EVERYTHING, PERMANENTLY. For teachers, this definitely includes copies of those letters you get from various government ministries authorizing the other government ministry to issue your work permit – I’ve been asked for those in the past as well, and it’s a pain to get copies of them.
KEEP EVERYTHING!! At the very least it makes a great souvenir after you leave Taiwan, when you get a bit nostalgic, you can look back and think, “Sheez! I used to have to deal with all these bits of paper!” 
[quote=“ImaniOU”]So what if you misplaced one or two of your ARC cards and had to have it replaced?[/quote]Keeping a photocopy might help.
BTW, there was no problem keeping my old ARC. Thanks everyone for your help.
[quote=“ImaniOU”]So what if you misplaced one or two of your ARC cards and had to have it replaced?
Um, not like I plan on sticking around long enough to get an APRC or anything… [/quote]
ya, me too
but what if you’ve had two ARC’s via two passports from two different countries? does it have to be with the same passport for 7 years?
Apparently yes, but I can’t give you a source for that. I think it was something Hartzell said in a thread some time ago.
Worth checking out anyway. Don’t assume that you can add the time up.
Brian
For those of you planning to get an APRC or nationality, please remember to keep the old ARCs -just because they say so. It may not be as easy as it seems, such as now they are taking away the IC cards. :loco:
The woman at the counter wanted to dispose of the my new “IC” ARC when I applied to renew my visa for next year, and it took a bit of a struggle to pry it off her fingers, based on the fact that her collegues at the second floor wanted it and I could not produce it if she managed to “recycle” it. 
I thought the new IC IDs would last longer. What is the point of giving us a new one every year? No forgery? Please…