Well, I’d been diligently renewing my marriage-based ARC (JFRV) every three years for a decade or so, but now accidentally let it expire while my wife and I did a few years of long-term international traveling. We’re still married.
It’s been expired for several months now. My understanding is that I’ll have to apply for it all over again, but most of the advice here is pretty old. Can anyone confirm this?
I could also use a recent link to information on how to get the marriage ARC, and/or any tips about whether anything about the process has changed since 2012. My citizenship is from the US, and we got married in Taiwan.
Also, help me brainstorm what knock-on effects the expiry will have when I go back to Taiwan? Here’s what I have so far:
I’ll have to enter on a visa-free exemption which will limit me to 90 days in Taiwan at a time (still no limit on visa runs, right?)
I won’t have NHI health insurance anymore, until six months after I get the replacement ARC. I think my NHI number will change, but will be connected to the old one for medical history purposes?
My metro cards might stop working at least for public bicycles, since that was attached to my ARC number?
At least one of the libraries where I have a library card has already notified me that it expired - I guess this might happen at others too.
Please let me know if you can think of any other issues I might have, especially more important ones.
Conveniently (for this scenario), I have no financial accounts in Taiwan (I’ve always worked online for customers abroad, and withdrawn money with my US debit card).
Fair question! I ended up spending that decade living in Taiwan part of the time, in the US part of the time, and traveling in third countries an ever larger part of the time, with Taiwan being the closest thing I had to a base. I don’t think I was ever eligible for the APRC, because of the requirement to be present for most of the year five years in a row.
I thought it’s also possible 183 days, 5 years over a 10 year period you maybe can still try aprc?
3 Methods for Foreigners to Apply for APRC
APRC
Foreigners who meet any of the residency requirements in Taiwan may apply for APRC, provided that other relevant requirements are met:
Legally and continuously residing in Taiwan for 5 years, with at least 183 days per year.
Foreign spouse or children of R.O.C. national with registered permanent residence in Taiwan and have legally resided in Taiwan for 10 years, during which period they have actually resided in Taiwan for at least 183 days for 5 years.
Both of you are right. I wasn’t aware of the ten year thing, but I’m pretty sure I still didn’t qualify for it (though that probably wasn’t super clear from what I said). So, thanks again!