I am a product designer that is currently working for a US-based tech company and was interested in potentially staying in Taiwan. I am interested in potentially staying in Taiwan for an extended period of time and was looking into applying for the three-years gold card visa. The only concern is that I am male and currently hold dual citizenship in both Taiwan and America, so I’m wondering if this card will also help me avoid military conscription?
Always makes me sad to see so many Taiwanese who want to take advantage of the benefits of their country (like living here, doing business here, using NHI, etc.) but who try to avoid fulfilling their obligations to serve in the military that would be called on to defend it.
There are a few things wrong with this post. I apologise but I am going to be blunt.
Military conscription is barely a thing anymore. If you want, you can most certainly renounce and become a US(I think?) foreigner with the Gold Card.
One. You are breaking the law if you are going to pretend to be a foreigner in Taiwan. You are to enter and exit on your Taiwanese passport only. You are not to avoid conscription.
Two. Foreigners are severely hobbled in a variety of NORMAL adult life things. Companies don’t trust you. Banks don’t trust you. You are granted privileges, not rights. It’s more expensive to be a foreigner because you need to renew all of our permits to do basic adult things like live, buy things that require credit cards like plane tickets. Want that deal by dealing directly with the airline? Too bad! You need a travel agent. Want a phone? Too bad, you are a foreigner and can’t be trusted to stay in Taiwan for your contract. They don’t trust your Taiwanese-issued ARC and demand the passport despite it being illegal to request passports for primary ID. Loans, mortgages, extremely difficult to get. Your Taiwanese friends are not likely to be your guarantor so you’ll be shit outta luck unless you are ready to kick, scream and fight EVERY TIME you enter a phone store/bank/subscription company. Trust me, pay as you go is triple the price as subscription. Wanna build equity? Foreigners making major financial transactions are subject to regulatory approval by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Some landlords, not many, but some won’t take foreigners.
The Taiwanese are afraid that you’ll ditch them in the middle of a contract and return home, leaving them high and dry.
All these NORMAL adult things we do to build ourselves up, get rich, increase living standards are suddenly unavailable or difficult to access if you are a foreigner. You don’t wanna be in our camp willingly. That’s why I am fighting for fair multicitizenship laws.
Do your conscription, it’s barely anything and get your TW ID in a year and you’ll be singing.
If the OP is a citizen who is supposed to do a conscription, he cannot renounce his ROC nationality before completing the conscription.
Are you sure about this? If the OP has a hukou, his stay in Taiwan is counted even if he enters by his US passport, but not using the ROC passport is illegal?