How does one bring in dependents?

Legal Visa & Residency
1

I would like to bring my baby daughter over. She is only 2 years old. I have heard that this can be done as long as I have an ARC.

The problem is I don’t know where to start. Does anyone know which government agency I should go to for my daughter’s visa and what are the requirements?

2

I would suggest the following:

  1. I assume that the child was born outside of Taiwan. Obtain a copy of the child’s birth certificate, proving the relationship with the mother and father, and have it certified at the nearest ROC Overseas Office.
  2. Prepare eight or ten passport sized photos of the child.
  3. Based on the child’s passport, get her a tourist visa to come to Taiwan.
  4. After arrival in Taiwan, go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Consular Affairs, and apply to have the birth certificate re-verified.
  5. Return to MOFA-BOCA, pick up the birth certificate and apply for a resident visa for the child, based on its relationship to the ARC holding parent. This is considered a Joining Family Resident Visa. Obviously, there is a fee to be paid, probably a few thousand NT$.
  6. After the issuance of the JFRV, you must promptly go to the Foreign Affairs Dept. of the local Police Station and apply for the child’s (a)ARC, and (b) re-entry permit.

Result: The ARC becomes your child’s legal permission to reside in the ROC. The re-entry permit becomes the child’s legal permission to re-enter the ROC area after a trip abroad. YOU ARE LEGAL!

P.S. Be sure to renew both the ARC and re-entry permit several days before the expiry date.

3

Thanks, Richard.

4

Dear Richard,

My wife is Thai. She’s been here in Taiwan with her own work-permit-based ARC for several years. However, perhaps she’d like to become more of a housewife, choosing not to work. Therefore, I need to concern myself with how she will keep her residency with me here in Taiwan.

Assuming my ARC is still valid, can I assume that the procedure you provide above would let me get a JFRV for my wife?

I assume that if she ever wanted to work again at some point, that she’d have to get her own employer-specific work permit, just as if she were single. What I mean is, does the JFRV have any work rights associated with it? I assume not, but want to make sure.

Jeremy