Dependent arc

Hello everyone.

I recently have my gold card/arc approved and collected in Taiwan.

My dependents have arrived in Taiwan on visa exemption. I have heard it is possible that they process their arc straight away in NIA(national immigration agency) instead of applying for a resident visa in Boca(bureau of consular affairs) first? I don’t want to queue up in NIA if this is not possible as I heard the queue can take hours, and this would also save 2 weeks of processing time.

Has anyone already been through this process before and can confirm that this is possible please?

It seems there have been a lot of changes in the last couple of years and I cant find much official information about this process.

Thankyou so much

I don’t know what NIA you go to… but mine I only have to wait 2-3 minutes when they’re busy…

I’m unsure how it works but generally Taiwan is easier towards those with the 3 months waivers compared to those on the 14 days. Those on 14 days are generally expected to go to TECO in their country.

Best way is to go there yourself. Hopefully someone with experience will chime in.

It’s probably Taipei. Taipei is always full.

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I haven’t done this but from what I know, you are supposed to have your supporting document verified with TECO in your home country, e.g. marriage certificate, birth certificate of your children. You mail the original files to TECO with application/request forms. They send something back to you saying that the files are legitimate, something like that.

If you haven’t done that but have the original certificates with you in Taiwan, maybe there is a way to do it in Taiwan? I don’t know. Please report back if you find out.

I went to the Taipei office for other things. It was only a few minutes of wait. Maybe its’ a different queue.

Hello Jacs, it has been a month since you posted this. May I know if your dependents have gotten their ARC? Do you mind sharing the process, please?

I am the spouse of a gold card holder and I’m facing a similar situation now. I heard the same thing from the Gold Card Talent Team, that I can enter Taiwan using visa-exempt and apply for ARC here. I only need the marriage certificate to be authenticated by Taiwan ROC representative in my country.

Yesterday I went to NIA in Taichung with all the necessary docs wanting to apply, but the officer there said that gold card holder must apply online. Long story short, I completed the application online but when I clicked ‘Submit’, it returned to an error saying “The applicant’s dependent associated with the application has no valid Alien Resident Certificate. Please verify again.” :roll_eyes:
DUH it is an application for ARC, of course I don’t have a valid ARC yet.

I have searched online for answers but couldn’t find anything, then I found this thread. Really hope you would share your experience please. Thank you so much. :slightly_smiling_face:

I finally got my ARC. I headed back to the NIA to apply there in-person and this time they took in my application. It took 10 working days to get the card issued.

As a spouse of gold card holder, I am exempted from providing criminal check and health check-up certificate (usually required if you are converting from visitor visa, not necessary if holding resident visa). Only need to provide photos, copy of passport, proof of relationship (authenticated by Taiwan ROC representative in your origin country) and the original gold card.

Hope this helps.

Wow that’s really terrible. They should be requiring at the very least a criminal check. These exemptions etc… for gold card holders, spouses of gold card holders are getting out of hand.

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It’s good to know that you were able to apply in Taiwan and got approved. Can I ask how you got your marriage certificate authenticated by TECO? Did you fill out a form and mail it in with your marriage certificate? Or was it done in person at a TECO office? Did you need to notarize the marriage certificate?

I got it authenticated at Taiwan representative office in my home country. I did it in person before coming to Taiwan. The marriage certificate did not need to be notarized.

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