There is a real problem with scammers using migrant workers in their operations. One way was to buy prepaid sim cards from migrant workers who are leaving Taiwan. There probably should have been a carve-out for permanent residents.
Just another example of the costs of not being a citizen and why permanent residence is not good enough.
Migrant workers presumably need to cancel their ARCs/work permits before they leave?
They could just link it to having a valid A(P)RC, or cancel the verification requirement when such people re-enter the country within, say, one month. Making all foreigners on a prepaid plan reverify their identity every time they take a vacation outside Taiwan is just absurd, IMO.
(And so is “well, if you want to have a functional phone plan as someone legally living here you should get citizenship”. It’s not like telecommunications companies make it particularly easy for migrant workers/foreigners to get postpaid plans.)
My guess is that they were thinking about migrant workers when they drafted this rule and failed to consider the needs of non-migrant worker foreigners including permanent residents. This kind of oversight happens all the time. We can’t fix permanent residence because the government creates new problems much faster than the old ones can be fixed.
Things might possibly improve slightly once the New Immigrants Commission is in place. At least we will have a government agency tasked with looking out for our interests like indigenous Taiwanese and Hakka.
I’d never heard anything about that and had to Google it (there doesn’t seem to be much in English…).
Created by this newish law.
I’ve been in an out a couple of times since updating info at CHT and the SIM still works.
Prepaid?
Found an explanatory memo on Art 8 of that regulation. Yea, it pretty much confirms your suspicions that you’re caught up in the anti-telecoms fraud dragnet. It’s designed with migrant workers in mind but affects APRC holders as well.
(google translated)
Pursuant to Article 22 of the Act, telecommunications businesses have the obligation to regularly check the entry and exit status of non-resident prepaid card users. Therefore, telecommunications businesses should check the entry and exit status and the validity period of users’ documents in batches every month, which is clearly stipulated in the first paragraph.
In view of the fact that the identity information retained by telecommunications companies that have provided prepaid card services to non-residents before the implementation of this Act does not fully match the identity information required for querying the Immigration Agency database, they should be notified by appropriate means (such as sending care text messages) to correct the information required for querying as stipulated in Article 4 of this Regulation. After the telecommunications user has made corrections, the telecommunications business should conduct regular inquiries in accordance with the provisions of the first paragraph, and the provisions of the second paragraph are hereby clearly stipulated.
Taking into account the actual business conditions and store capacity of telecommunications businesses, Paragraph 3 stipulates that telecommunications businesses should formulate a notification plan and submit it to the telecommunications competent authority for review so that the notification process can be completed as quickly as possible.
If the telecommunications business finds that the user has left the country, overstayed or resided abroad after checking in accordance with the provisions of Paragraphs 1 and 2, the user must go to the telecommunications business store within two weeks to re-check and log in his/her identity, considering that non-nationals may have a need to return to the country in a short period of time and the international transportation time. If the verification is conducted at an online store, the telecommunications business should transmit the relevant information in real time via video to confirm, and the first paragraph of Paragraph 4 is hereby clearly stipulated.
In order to implement the legislative purpose of this Act to immediately prevent fraud and protect victims, before the expiration of the designated period, the telecommunications business may restrict some functions of the telecommunications service, such as restricting the sending of text messages and making phone calls; however, if the user fails to complete identity verification and login within the specified period, the telecommunications service shall be restricted or stopped in accordance with Article 22 of this Act, and the second half of Paragraph 4 is hereby clearly stipulated.
Yes
How long were you gone for @Andrew ?
Like 13 nights, not that long!
I’m leaving Wednesday for a few days as an NWOHR and have a backup prepaid sim with Taiwan mobile.
I’ll let you know if I’m affected.
Not just directed at you, but might also be worth installing Firsty as previously recommended by @slawa:
The ad-supported part is predictably a bit irritating, but I found it useful to use in a pinch in Manila before I managed to buy a local SIM card.
Cheers for that. I used it before in transit at Hong Kong.
I have a globe esim registered to my wife. If you’re in need of one that won’t expire send me a pm mate. I usually get the 99pesos 7 day plan and then buy again after 7 days. Can hotspot etc…
Oh I got the Smart one in the end (170 PHP for 7 days unlimited 5G, so still pretty cheap), but cheers!
It was just a bit of a hassle initially because the Smart store I went to and several 7-11s were all inexplicably sold out of SIM cards. 
At least the Philippines, where I don’t live, probably didn’t think to deactivate me as soon as I passed through immigration.
Hey I even successfully opened up a bank account online (despite not living there 
)
I’m not sure how long the Philippine sims last for but I heard they started deactivating them after a while if not registered to a citizen or resident. (Under a fairly recent law)
I just received what looks to be a pretty useless initial response from the NCC.
What I wrote:
Dear NCC,
I wish to clarify something with you regarding the provision of prepaid mobile services to foreign nationals residing in Taiwan by Taiwanese telecommunication companies.
I have held a prepaid SIM card with Chunghwa Telecom for over 8 years, since 2016. This is registered in my name and I am a permanent resident of Taiwan holding an APRC and legally living here long term. Last week (28/3/25), I found that my SIM card had been disabled without me receiving any notification, and when I called Chunghwa Telecom I was informed that I needed to visit a service center to reverify my ID.
To my understanding, this appears to have happened because I traveled on a short vacation to the Philippines between 13/3/25 and 26/3/25, based on laws recently introduced last year (電信事業使用指定資料庫核對用戶身分查詢辦法 Articles 4, 5, and 8; and 詐欺犯罪危害防制條例 Article 22).
Could I please kindly ask you to clarify how these regulatory changes should be handled for long-term/permanent residents of Taiwan holding prepaid SIM cards? My concern here is that every time I leave the country on vacation my SIM card will be disabled and I will need to visit a store in person to complete the reverification process yet again.
Although I appreciate the rationale behind the regulatory changes for tourists temporarily visiting Taiwan, obviously this situation would not be very convenient for a long-term/permanent resident such as myself simply going on a short vacation with the intention of returning to Taiwan several days or weeks later. Similarly, I appreciate the need for telecommunications companies to collect KYC information, but Chunghwa Telecom already has details of my APRC and permanent resident status in Taiwan as the SIM card is registered in my name. I believe that the current versions of the aforementioned laws may not have fully addressed the implications for legal foreign residents of Taiwan holding valid A(P)RCs and simply traveling on vacation with the intention of returning.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Me
The response:
敬啟者：
茲復臺端4月1日電子郵件有關「中華電信要求外籍居民核實身份」案，本會說明如下：一、依據本會114年4月1日受理陳情案件移案表辦理。
二、為積極打擊詐欺、防制詐騙，行政院推動研修「新世代打擊詐欺策略行動綱領2.0版」，結合內政部、金融監督管理委員會、數位發展部、法務部及國家通訊傳播委員會共同組成聯合防線，持續研擬各項策略與措施，積極防制詐騙，先予敘明。
三、又鑒於本會於跨部會打詐平臺分工負責「堵詐」層面，為遏止用戶號碼或電信服務淪為詐騙工具，按詐欺犯罪危害防制條例等相關規定，電信事業應定期查詢該用戶是否出境、逾期停留或居留；本會亦依行政程序法第165條訂定「電信事業提供電信服務風險管理機制指引」，強化各電信事業落實認識客戶風險管理機制(Know Your Customer，簡稱KYC)等必要管理措施，以共同協力防止電信詐騙案件之發生，併予說明。
四、有關臺端所陳疑義，因事涉中華電信股份有限公司依法落實風險管理機制，屬業者營運自主管理事項，按消費者保護法第43條規定，須責成業者妥善處理，並與臺端協調適當服務方式。
五、請副本受文者中華電信股份有限公司於文到後十五日內，就陳情事項妥處逕復陳情人，並副知本會；另請按個人資料保護法規定，注意民眾個人資料保護。國家通訊傳播委員會 敬啟
Machine translation:
To whom it may concern:
This is a response to your email dated April 1 regarding the issue of “Chunghwa Telecom requiring foreign residents to verify their identity.” Our commission hereby provides the following explanation:
This case has been handled in accordance with the case transfer form received on April 1, 2025, by our commission.
To actively combat fraud and prevent scams, the Executive Yuan is promoting the revised New Generation Anti-Fraud Strategy Action Plan 2.0. This initiative involves cooperation among the Ministry of the Interior, the Financial Supervisory Commission, the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Communications Commission, forming a joint defense to continuously develop strategies and measures to prevent fraud. This background is provided for your reference.
The Commission is responsible for the “blocking” aspect under the inter-ministerial anti-fraud platform. To prevent users’ phone numbers or telecom services from being misused as tools for fraud, telecom operators are, according to the Fraud Crime Prevention Act and other relevant regulations, required to regularly check whether users have exited the country, overstayed, or remained in Taiwan. In line with Article 165 of the Administrative Procedure Act, our commission has also formulated the Telecommunications Service Risk Management Mechanism Guidelines to strengthen telecom operators’ implementation of necessary risk management measures such as Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, thereby jointly preventing telecom fraud cases.
Regarding your concerns, since this matter involves Chunghwa Telecom’s implementation of risk management measures in accordance with the law, it falls under the company’s autonomous business operations. According to Article 43 of the Consumer Protection Act, the operator is responsible for properly handling such matters and coordinating with you to provide appropriate services.
Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., which is copied on this correspondence, is requested to respond directly to the petitioner within 15 days of receiving this letter and to copy the response to our commission. Furthermore, please ensure the protection of personal data in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act.
Sincerely,
National Communications Commission
Sounds to me that they’re saying it is Chunghwa’s interpretation of the law.
Yes, that’s how I understood it too. And we’ve heard that from supposed regulatory agencies before…
To be fair though, that’s how I’d interpret the law that’s been written too, so can’t really blame Chunghwa in this case. As discussed above, it’s more about the government not considering that foreigners actually live here again.
They say its Chunghwa’s interpretation of the law, but don’t outline how it should be implimenteted.
