Just thought I’d post this as this is the first time I’ve heard of this working out this way. Two and a half years ago I got a JFRV, good for two years, in Taipei City. They made me drag my pregnant belly from one place to another, for the health test, and asked for three family registration papers on three consecutive days. It was a big hassle. I left Taiwan two months before my JFRV/ARC expired and stayed out for 6 months. I also lost my old ARC.
Before comming back here, I got the marriage license authenticated again, got a paper stating that I’m not a criminal again, was ready to jump through all the hoops. Again.
But this is all it took:
Show someone my passport with all the relavent visas and records of commings and goings.
Fill out a form with my passport number requesting another form from the Taiwanese government stating I’d lived here for at leas a year.
Get their form back with bogus dates (dates that did not correspond to the visa in my passport) stating I’d lived her for six years (I have, more or less).
Take that paper, my passport, two photos and some cash and fill out another paper requesting the JFRV visa.
Pick it up a week later.
Take the passport, two photos, more cash back to the same office after the weekend and apply for the ARC. Was told, erroniously, that I don’t qualify for an APRC, but since I’d have to be here 183 days a year to keep it, opted for a three year ARC anyway. I can pick it up next week.
No exam, no criminal record, no proof that I’m married in my own country because Taiwan won’t recognize it’s own wedding certificate, but will “authenticate” one from another country, nothing.