Thank you for this advice! This is an interesting approach indeed. It would be beneficial from the standpoint of starting all the wheels in motion that could be started, as soon as possible. From a risk reduction standpoint this seems beneficial – better to apply for and receive a TARC now and renew it later, instead of waiting to apply for the TARC later when the rules may have changed.
I’m living and working now in a different (but nearby) country, and having full-time work makes it difficult to take extended vacations, though I can take off the occasional week or two. The “usual” TARC application method that I’ve read about so far was to enter Taiwan on the entry permit, then in Taiwan apply for the TARC, then receive the TARC in Taiwan after a few weeks, and then start residency immediately.
However, this procedure would need change if I want to get the TARC as soon as possible, but only start my residency later (maybe much later, several years later). This is because, while I am still working full-time, I probably can’t stay for a few weeks in Taiwan on vacation while waiting to receive my TARC.
So, the question becomes: how can I apply for (and receive) a TARC if I can only stay in Taiwan for a maximum of (for example) one week at a time on vacation?
I can think of 2 alternatives:
- Option 1: Outside of Taiwan. I believe I may have read somewhere that it was even possible to apply for the TARC outside of Taiwan. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find that post right now, so I may be misremembering. Is it possible to apply for a TARC outside of Taiwan? [EDIT] – I now see that it was the comment from @multipass above that referred to getting TARC approval outside of Taiwan.
This however implies by omission that picking up the actual TARC after approval requires a (hopefully brief) visit to Taiwan – again, my restriction for now is that I can’t stay in Taiwan for several weeks at a time due to work.
Another complicating factor is that a health check is apparently needed at the time of the TARC application. I wonder how that would work if the TARC is applied for outside of Taiwan. It might be that all or most of the paperwork can be done outside of Taiwan, but the health check and maybe some final paperwork would need to be done in Taiwan.
- Option 2: Brief, repeated visits to Taiwan. Here’s an extreme example. Would it work? Fly to Taiwan on a Friday on the NWOHR passport with entry permit. Apply for a TARC on that same day. Fly back home (nearby country) on Sunday and be back at work on Monday. Wait for the Taiwan office to process the TARC application. When I hear that it is ready, fly to Taiwan, on a Friday, to pick it up. Stay the weekend and fly out back home on Sunday.
Then, after getting the TARC, can its renewal be done outside of Taiwan, or would that require a brief trip to Taiwan for renewal? If it can be renewed outside of Taiwan, that would be ideal. Then I would have in hand the NWOHR passport and the TARC, both indefinitely renewable (?) outside of Taiwan in the local TECO office. When I’m ready to use them (after retirement), I just fly on over, establish residency, and spend my twilight years in the land of my ancestors.
[EDIT - added later] Reviewing another post by @dadapunk, it seems that the TARC is not indefinitely renewable – it seems like it may be only renewable 2 or 3 times. Does anyone know specifically about how many times a TARC can be renewed?
For example, if an unused TARC is only renewable up to 2 times, that means it would be usable for up to 9 years (first validity of 3 years, plus 2x renewals, each 3 years each, means 9 years). If renewable 3 times, it would be usable for up to 12 years. But this is an important fact to know – if the TARC cannot be renewed indefinitely, it might make more sense to wait a couple of years until I’m closer to making the move to Taiwan, before applying for the TARC.
I’ll continue working through the other points in your post. Thanks again for taking the time to respond!