Yes, I applied in the field of economics and I’m still waiting for a return.
I applied on the 8th, and I think I just got lucky or my forms were extremely straightforward (three years worth of W2s). My passport is currently under review at the SF TECO.
Dec 8 - Application Sent
Dec 14 - Professional Agency Review
Dec 31 - Passport submission notice
Jan 8 - Submitted passport
Jan 11 - Under Inspection
However, my friend who applied on the 7th is still under professional agency review, as well as my husband who applied on the 11th and had to adjust an incorrect passport date (whoops)
Sorry, totally missed that you asked about within Taiwan. But hopefully my timelines can still be helpful to others.
Thanks for all of the super helpful replies you have given in this and other threads, @fifieldt. Do you have any sense of how long gold card applications started within Taiwan are taking these days?
Thanks for the helpful update. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your friend and husband that they move forward quickly!
Thanks everyone for sharing their experiences on this forum!
My timeline for applying:
I applied under Economics as a US passport holder for TECO NY. Provided my 2019 W-2 as my proof of income requirement. I opted for Gold Card pickup at NIA Taipei.
Timeline:
Nov 18: submitted and paid online application
Nov 24 (4 business days): status change to “待二審” (pending second review)
Nov 27 (3 business days): status change to “Professional Review by Workforce Development Agency”
Dec 14 (11 business days / 2 weeks): email notification to “bring your passport and the original copy of your passport to Visa Application which you filled in on your application for inspection.”
Dec 18: Dropped off passport in-person in the lobby of TECO NY
Dec 21 (1 business day): TECO NY called to arrange pickup time or come on usual Tuesday pickups
Dec 22: Picked up my US passport from TECO NY Tuesday 3:00-3:30pm (lots of other people waiting for various docs)
Dec 22 (2 business days from passport submission): approved!!! entered certification stage
Dec 23 (1 business day): ready to print form for pickup in Taipei
Jan 7: Arrived in Taipei - didn’t need to fill out Arrival Card. Staff reminded to pick up Gold Card after the mandatory quarantine.
I’m just beginning Day 6 of quarantine! 
I am so thankful for this community! It’s kept me hopeful throughout the entire process. I’m happy to answer questions about 1) the passport submission portion for NY, 2) documents to print for the flight from US (EWR > SFO > TPE), 3) Covid-testing experience in NYC, and anything else!
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Curious if there are any benefits, professionally or otherwise, to obtaining the gold card through the other categories like finance, law, science and tech, etc rather than just the economic category, if you meet the income requirement.
TIA!
afaik no, all routes lead to the same gold card =)
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Thanks for sharing your experience! I have a question -
I selected to pick up my gold card at TECO Atlanta, but my plans changed and I now am going to fly to Taipei with my Residence Authorization form that I printed out from the gold card portal.
That is what you used to enter as well right? Got confused when you mentioned “Print Form for Pickup”.
As an update for those coming in, I got in Jan 11.
Flew united from Florida to SFO. No one at MCO checked anything and had to then pick up luggage in SFO.
At SFO, when checking in, I needed to show them negative covid report, as well as gold card form that you download from the system. No issues there.
At gate, I showed them documents again and they stamp your ticket with an ok. So United doesn’t have issues with no physical card yet.
Oddly enough, no temperature check done for getting on plane. Plane was maybe 1/5 full, if even.
When arriving, picked up sim card (line goes fast as there are like 10 workers that have own table setup).
Then go through customs and then hotel. Can also use ATMs if needing cash. All pandemic taxis take credit card.
For me, I have allergies that somewhat resemble “common” symptoms. So I made sure to take and receive two negative covid tests and doctors note prior to departing. When filling out health form, I marked having experienced one of the symptoms in past 14 days (don’t want to lie and get kicked out) as again, I have the symptom all the time with allergies.
If that is you, when you arrive at airport they will make you take a saliva test and take you to a temporary group quarantine for a few days. After 24 hours, if the first test comes back negative, you have to take a second test. If that one also comes back negative, they send you off to your quarantine hotel to complete remaining time.
If by chance the test comes back positive, they will bring you to hospital.
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Anyone else have difficulty finishing up the passport verification step at LA TECO? Want to know if this is just an issue with me or LA TECO is just really slow. I showed up there in person 2 weeks ago to submit it but the Gold Card processing lady wasn’t there. Then I showed up again last week to make sure the right person had a hold of my documentation and she had it and said everything was good to go and she just needs to submit it to Taiwan. Seems like 2 weeks later and still no change. And they never pick up their phone. Kind of frustrating to see people who mailed their documentation in at SF TECO or NY TECO get their verification done in 1-2 days after TECO received it.
Yes, took about a month for me at LA TECO. That was last summer.
Were you picking up in Taiwan or in the US? Seems like usually people who opt to pick up in Taiwan get this step done in just a few days while those picking up in the US take a month.
You mean the gold card? I opted to pick it up in Taiwan. Passport verification was in LA–I live in Southern California. Having trouble recalling exactly how long it took for passport verification, but around a month. Then 6 weeks to get daughter’s birth certificate. By then we had missed the opportunity to go… hopefully this year.
Damn >_< Seems like the same thing will happen to me too. I finally got someone on the phone after calling all day. And she said Taiwan is having trouble on their end with the computer. But that makes no sense since someone here just posted they got approved in TECO SF like 2 days ago.
Yes, tpefit, the Residence Authorization form printed in color is what you need to enter! I printed out two just in case. 
On an added note, with the Gold Card, you don’t need to fill out the Arrival Form that other foreigners have to fill out. It’s Remark #4 on the Residence Authorization form.
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Sorry for the double post.
To clarify what was needed at each step of flying from US Taipei:
At EWR to SFO
To a United worker at baggage tagging before TSA:
- Negative COVID-19 PCR test
At SFO to TPE
At the gate, to a designated desk attendant (they were very vocal to tell you to get this OK stamp required before being allowed onboard):
- Negative COVID-19 PCR test
- Resident Authorization form or Gold Card or anything that proves you are allowed to reside in Taiwan
- Screenshot of Quarantine System for Entry form completion. https://hdhq.mohw.gov.tw/ It should be filled out within 48 hours of boarding. My quarantine hotel was very nice in recommending I fill it out beforehand. One less thing to worry about by the time you board!
At TPE
- Two lines: one for people with a Taiwan phone number and another to purchase a SIM card. Looks chaotic as heck to purchase the SIM card, but it’s very straightforward and you can pay with credit card. Costs around 1000 NTD. Tip: I highly recommend having two phones with you so that you can still receive SMS from your primary phone number. I didn’t realize how many logins I have that require text verification.
- Fill out the Quarantine Health form on your smartphone (looks almost just like the Quarantine System for Entry form), and you’ll get a confirmation page that you need to show before moving on.
- They give you a customs declaration bookmark regardless of if you have anything to declare.
- An official tells you to stay in quarantine and be safe and whatnot.
- They take the customs declaration bookmark assuming you don’t have anything to declare.
Then, off go to immigration!
To immigration officer(s):
- Resident Authorization form / Gold Card: it took them a few minutes to read through. The only thing they ended up saying was reminding me to pick up my Gold Card from NIA after my 14-day quarantine! No need to present an Arrival Card that was provided by the aircraft.
I mention all this in my video about the day of flying to Taipei! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo2FELw-Ms0&t=165
Glad to help out with any Qs especially while it’s still super fresh in memory! I’m on Day 6 now of quarantine!
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Thank you! And it must be in color?!
From January this year the ID number on the ARC has a new format. So there should be a number as second character (8 or 9 based on gender).
When you receive your ARC can you let us know the third character? It must be between 0-6.
Trying to determine if the third character is based on nationality.
Thanks
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