I visited the NHI office recently because I left my job last month, and wanted to take over paying the monthly health insurance payment myself (as unemployed).
However, I was told that because I’ve spent less than 6 months continuously in Taiwan in the past year, I am not eligible for NHI myself, even though I’ve already been in the NHI scheme for 5+ years through my company (originally Gold card, then APRC).
I’ve needed to take longer trips away from Taiwan quite frequently over the past couple of years partly for work and also because of various health and other issues with elderly family members back in my original country, so I ended up averaging less than 6 months pa here in the last year or so.
My assumption was that since I was already on the NHI scheme through my job, it would simply be a matter of switching to directly paying the monthly bill myself once the job ended. But it seems the system is completely reset and you are treated like a new applicant.
This situation is probably quite rare, as I haven’t seen mention of about it in previous threads, but I thought it would be useful to post about it as a warning for others to be careful with timing, if you need to rely on keeping NHI after leaving a job.
I can’t help you in your situation. But for what its worth, when I switched my visa type to APRC (from an arc after over a decade here), I lost a lot of my rights which directly affect my work rights and legal ability to participate in various types of jobs i was fully allowed to (and did) do before. All I can say is I fought hard, and they remained very rigid and did/do not give even lart of a shit. Good luck
More people should fight. Just don’t have Hugh expectations, the health care system here in general is quite crippled, in so many ways. Good luck!
I also thought it was like this. I’ve never heard/read of a requirement to spend >6 months in Taiwan to maintain NHI eligibility once somebody has already become eligible.
Also, how does that relate to the recent change where APRC holders, like Taiwanese citizens, are supposed to keep paying NHI while abroad?
Which NHI office did you visit? At the moment, I’m inclined to think you were given wrong info by a staff member. Maybe you should ask for clarification using the contact form on the NHI website.
It was the Taipei office (near Taipei station) that I visited, and the woman at the counter I dealt with did refer to another more senior person (possibly manager) when I questioned it, who basically said that I either needed to do the six months waiting, or get another job to get enrolled again, so it did seem a more “official” response.
I’ll follow up with the contact form and see if I get any response.
Interesting. Sounds like if you get a new job and a new employment-based NHI, it may be a new NHI account. Hopefully it’ll be tied to the same ID number so you won’t lose your medical records.
I’ve heard of a similar situation before. Someone had a company setup and sponsored their ARC via that so could also enroll on NHI.
Once the Gold Card came out they switched to that but due to having traveled alot the NHI was lost.
The situation tried to be fixed via law changes in 2021 for “self-employed” people but I don’t think it fully solved things.
Article 21
A foreign professional, foreign specialist professional, or foreign senior professional who meets one of the circumstances listed below, and their spouse,minor children, or children having reached the age of majority or above who lack self-care ability due to physical or mental disability, having obtained documentary proof of residence, shall participate in National Health Insurance as insured persons, without being subject to the requirement of having completed six months of residence in the State as prescribed in subparagraph 1 of Article 9 of the National Health Insurance Act:
They are hired to engage in professional work. 2. They are foreign specialist professionals or foreign senior professionals who are qualified to be insured persons as employers or self-employed business owners under item 4, subparagraph 1, paragraph 1 of Article 10 of the National Health Insurance Act.
Correct, but don’t want to derail thread. I was more mentioning how rigid they are and not flexible as with other arms of government, in my opinion.
For the original poster, I wonder if your current arc is based on work, and now you do not have work, perhaps they somehow revert back to tourist visa type regulations? My example above goes to show that changing visa types does indeed change other things such as nhi.
I’d also be curious if the 6 months wait starts from when you stopped working, or?
It does seem an odd rule, as I would expect a significant proportion of Gold card holders need to travel a lot for work etc, as they perhaps tend to have more “international” jobs, and they will likely have family overseas that they need to visit.
I had to stop the employment because I’ve needed to go back to my original country quite often in the last year or two, to help out and spend time with my elderly parents as they have experienced various health problems, and I haven’t had the time to take on new work through my company.
I do have some savings and investments, and private international health insurance, as fortunately I did plan for most eventualities.
So I am covered in most respects, but it is rather frustrating that I’ve paid in quite significant amounts to the NHI scheme over the past 5 years, but am apparently now barred from continuing (even though I am happy to continue to pay in).
It’s unlikely that I’ll be able to fulfil the 6 month continuous staying in Taiwan requirement in the near future (basically, not until after my parents have passed on ).
It was originally Gold card then converted to APRC just over a year ago.
From what I could understand, it seems they were counting back from the current date (i.e. the date I visited the NHI office) to see if I had been in Taiwan for 6 months continuously.
So it seems they completely ignore any NHI history that you’ve built up as an employee, and treat you like a new arrival once your employment stops.
I think there may be an allowance for one single absence of up to 30 days during the 6 months - but you would need to stay longer to make up for the days you are away, so the total days you are actually present in Taiwan is still at least 6 months.
Not sure if it is relevant, however if you are on APRC now, you can out of country 2 years. You fill out an online form and they don’t bug you if you were away too many days. How this might with NHI, I’m not sure. But might be worth looking into.
Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much then. You’ll probably end up saving some money by not having to pay for two health insurances.
I remember there was another thread some time ago by someone who specifically wanted to avoid NHI because they also had another health insurance policy…
Thanks, though mine is yet another type of APRC.
For APRCs which followed a Gold card I believe it allows absences of up to 5 years, without needing to request permission. Also, apparently you only need to visit for one day to reset the 5 year ‘clock’.
All in all, it seems an odd mish-mush of rules and regulations.
On the one hand they (apparently) want to attract the internationally mobile to base themselves in Taiwan (e.g. with Gold card and quite generous APRC rules for flexibility), but on the other hand they put up barriers to those people making a longer term commitment to Taiwan, especially as circumstances and lives change over the years.
The Michael Boyden case took years of fighting. Following that fight, it appears that British, Canadian, and American residents can gain disability certificates based on perceived reciprocity.
The sharp edges of this 2024 report by Louise Watt remind me why I like her reporting despite the unreasonable bullsh&t she has faced at Taiwan Plus.
I should add here that this is how change happens in Taiwan: people point out how a situation is unreasonable, and—if this works—the state responds. It doesn’t always work, but with no fight there is little likelihood of positive change.
Not trying to be overly pessimistic, but: The situation to me still seems far from those things being a right for foreigners who “earned” them by contributing (by paying their taxes and NHI fees).
And it wouldn’t surprise me if they somehow changed the rules / excluded certain nationalities again on the basis of reciprocity because of an anecdotal case where they feel a Taiwanese national has been treated unfairly in that specific country.
So right now, as a foreigner in Taiwan has absolutely no legal basis to claim those benefits based on past NHI history an such - it’s all basically based on “goodwill” of the people assessing the reciprocity rules. If one has bad luck and their country of citizenship changes a law or a Taiwanese national living there makes the news for not being treated well, they could end up losing their benefit in Taiwan as a result.
That’s a big difference from the social systems in many other countries which are based on waiting periods / minimum insurance durations etc. - and do not formulate different eligibility criteria based on different nationalities.
Just something to be aware about that the system in Taiwan works differently here: The concrete nationality is more important than one’s insurance history…
I don’t disagree with this, but I would add: it’s possible (I don’t think it’s likely, but possible) that the entire benefit system could be dismantled. It’s possible the PRC could take over and ship us out to Gansu. It’s possible the KMT would act like raving ethnonationalists and exclude benefits from all people not deemed to be “Chinese.”
Put bluntly: who really knows what is possible in the future. All we can do is fight for an inclusive system.
I need to be clear that I am very much ignorant of the actual inner workings of gold card situations. in terms of dealing with governmental officials and the usual caveats and the long term social realities of such. The gold cars is so new I doubt many are clear, or at least open, about how to play the game in this regard. Take my words with all the grians of salt one should normally. However, as a suggestion, albiet it might not be relevant with gold card…but is completely relevant in terms of how “Taiwan works”, if you catch my drift.
Regardless of what you came from, you are APRC now. So I suggest still filing this “online paperwork” as above (the 2 year leeway). More evidence and effort rarely hurts your case in court. Think about it. The whole point of that online form is to avoid more government costs with people already vetted to be allowed tostay here permanently, ie: APRC.
Second: get an open work permit card. It used to be simple with APRC, I did it, I think $100. But that was a decade plus ago. I have very good friends trying to do it somewhat recently ( these 5 years) and having immigration telling them “it’s not needed because we are abandoning this requitemnt, the card will be cancelled soon”. Untip itbis, dont trust them, still get it because it is official. If you have “open” work rights then you cna be freelance and be employed by yourself without owning a company. A good example is a tutor, but use your immigration.
tell NIA you need it because XYZ reasons (we can brainstorm of what reasons may convince them / the validity of the open work permit card in 2025), if necessary.
In my opinion, if you file the absent from taiwan paperwork with an open work permit it is very hard for them to justify their inaction in doing their jobs. Which is [sadly] quite common. But face and burning of bridges is reality here, more than anywhere, so tread lightly, but with backing of actual documents that their own people created (ie. Government documentation).
Lastly, to be fair. NHI is going bankrupt. Has been for decades.s. loads of fraud, normally by the actual hospitals and clinics bleeding them dry. When they are so rigid, it is understandable in that sense as fraud and crime here is so beyond rampant it makes knes head spin!!! So they should shape up. Sometimes good people get taught up in their ineptitude, and that really fucking sucks. And in that case I cna only say dot yiur i’s, cross your t’s, then make official complaints. Hence I suggest doing the above aprc standard form for being abroad over rhe limit and insisting with NIA you get your open work permit card. Unless it is officially canceled now, otherwise force them to do their job. Which is the annoying part of living in Taiwan, teaching people how to do their own job without making them lose fave and feel like they are being taught to do their own job it takes a decade off all our lives, but no one will do it for you… good luck, the fight is real but worth it
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