To introduce myself, I’m ethically Chinese and I have lived in Taiwan for more than 15 years legally since a young age. Unfortunately I didn’t enter Taiwan citizenship and few years back I broke the law and received a prison sentence, after released I was deported from Taiwan. I inquired the immigration officers for deportation that told me there would be a ban but not permanent and I have to find out myself because they are not in charge of visas and immigration, I want to understand how long would I be banned from re-entering and is there any other way to come back and live in Taiwan legally cuz I am Chinese and this is the country I stayed for a long period of my life.
Depends on the severity of the crime.
Minor criminal offense 3–5 years
More serious criminal offense 5–10 years
Contact ‘National Immigration Agency (NIA) – International Affairs Service’ for a ban status inquiry.
No, only citizens with household registration have the right of abode.
Chinese nationality alone doesn’t give any special rights in Taiwan.
1 Like
@Anthisan,
1.Are you holding “Taiwan passport” no ROC ID? yes/no.
2.If staying here for more than 15yrs - you have family with Taiwan ID here right?
3.Staying here for more than 15yrs+ = after your ban you can asked help from your family to help you process your documents for ARC application. If you don’t have family you need to wait to lift that ban and come back and apply by yourself for ARC.
What kind of “Chinese” are you? China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, etc.
If you are anything but Taiwanese, then you won’t have any special rights to living in Taiwan. In fact, if you are Chinese, you might find it to be more difficult.
What country are you a citizen of and in which country are you currently living?
Slaws,
Thank you. I will try to check my status with the National Immigration Agency. This is really a serious matter for me. I do not want to be banned from Taiwan.
I am American Chinese, my family have roots with the KMT party back in 1949, that’s why I choose to reside here. Yes I do have an ARC but it expired, I had been living here with different passports with visa exemptions but I’ve heard once deported you cannot enter the country at least without a visa, need to go through a vetting process.
Maybe I need to marry a Taiwanese woman to reside in the future.
BTW do you guys know of Toyz the Hong Kong YouTuber based in Taiwan? He too is currently serving a prison sentence and will be deported after being released. I think he is facing the same if not similar situation as me. My advice do not commit a crime in Taiwan if you have no ID or household residence status, you will be deported. I’ve met foreigners and even Taiwanese Americans without an ID in prison.
Malcom Reynolds,
You are right especially under DPP government the current political environment isn’t that friendly to us, but still I would want to come back here in the future.
My advice would be to just not commit a crime, period.
7 Likes
Do you qualify for NWOHR due to family links? You can apply for overseas compatriot card (most Chinese descent people qualify) and then apply to convert to NWOHR from an overseas mission
If not and you’re happy with using visa exclusion (which you have been doing), then you can find how long you have been banned from using visa-waiver. It could be 1-10 years. Maybe a call would give you an answer. I think if you apply for a visa and they see your past it will result in rejection no matter how long you wait. Or become a famous CEO / athlete / president and you can probably enter.
Scary…
Ok. So you are an American, who happens to have Chinese heritage from actual China through your parents and not Taiwanese.
If I were you, I would try to downplay any type of connection to China and focus on being a regular old American guy who wants to come back to Taiwan to live. Unless of course you have any familial connections who are now Taiwanese, residing in Taiwan with household registration which may help.
Best of luck.
1 Like
I’m not sure what work you are hoping to do , but most jobs now require a criminal record check. Even taxi drivers. The type of crime commited also comes into play like class one drug offenses or s.x crimes. In those cases they can bar you for life at their discretion, and don’t even have to say why. Even those on an APRC can in serious circumstances have it revoked.
It’s best you just write to the immigration and ask. Just be straight up with them. Then when you know their response you could show it to a lawyer. The immigration will likely say when you can apply again, but that still doesn’t guarantee entry at port of entry.
Prior to being deported, the Taiwan Judicial court would have sent you an official letter confirming your deportation, the reason for your deportation & will clarify whether your ban is for x number of years or permanent. Like Slawa said, it depends on the severity of your crime….caught working illegally, it’s usually for a couple of years where your visa free entry is revoked and you must apply for a “real” visa to enter Taiwan (and even then, 99.99% of the time, your embassy will deny you the visa due to your conviction). For serious offenses, like being involved in a fight and injuring or killing someone, the ban will be much longer & sometimes permanent. An ex Vietnamese co-worker of mine got banned permanently from working in Taiwan (can never be issued a work permit again) after he was involved in a fight between a group of drunk vietnamese where he tried to intervene to try to stop the fight. He didn’t even know anyone involved. He was just trying to help!!
@Anthisan Do you still have the Official court letter with you? You can check the details of your deportation in that document. Otherwise, call NIA. They will have a copy of your Court Letter too.
Getting married to a local might work but your JFRV will most likely be denied as they will check your foreign and local criminal record check. As crusher mentioned, what are you planning to do in Taiwan in the event if you’re fortunate enough and can enter? Are you planning to find a legal job which will almost be impossible as your work permit will be denied (even a food delivery job like Foodpanda, requires a criminal check) or just reside here and live off your savings?
2 Likes