Tbh a streamlining of the identification certificates/cards here would benefit greatly everyone: just make an Identity card for everyone, which can be either Citizen, permanent or non-permanent. Call it just ID card, the ARC, APRC, GC, Plum Blossom APRC, National ID, TARC thing is rather confusing. Link the visa to the ID card, but not the passport (so no need to change the card when u change the passport) and make the ID number for life (no distinction for citizen/non-citizen, permanent/non-permanent, that can be easily checked with a good tool linked to MOI and NIA), you can still do all the check digits for place of issuance/birth, male/female, etc… As aways, it would be a drop in the ocean, but all bodies of water started somewhere
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But that would be too logical and straightforward
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Yeah, but then they wouldn’t be able to tell who’s Taiwanese and who’s a foreigner. How would the government etc. be able to discriminate between the two?
A Filipino might end up getting an undeserved stimulus voucher. It’s unimaginable.
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The government will always be able to tell, which is fine. My immigration status shouldn’t be of any concern to private businesses, however.
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My point was that the use of 8 and 9 (or whatever it is in the new ARC numbers) as the second digit rather than 1 and 2 was a deliberate choice made by the government to allow the ability to discriminate between Taiwanese and foreigners.
Some group of people in the government clearly thought that this was an important feature to retain, or there would have been no reason to deliberately use different numbers for foreigners.
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Foreigners were campaigning for a change to get same ID numbers as locals with 1 or 2.
The foreigner ‘stamp’ on the ID number from the government is deliberate and made the whole ID number change pointless.
It is easy to distinguish between a Taiwanese ID and A(P)RC, embedding it into the ID number is not necessary, but creates a lot of issues.
And the goal of making foreigner IDs different is to be able to exclude them from certain things. Unfortunately this is misused by many companies/banks to discriminate based on nationality.
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That is perhaps the best summary I have read of the current grim situation. Lots of expense and trouble, and what exactly what accomplished?
If nothing else, this motivates me more to get citizenship and skip the ridiculous new number system if I can. 
Guy
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The change really did just end up being a pat on the back for the govt. right? Since most websites check the first two digits as 1 or 2, then any changes made post id # changes had to be a deliberate update, the same if they had just updated their websites/systems before to accommodate the 2 letters of the previous format, so as far as I understand it the changing of foreigner ID # format didn’t actually do anything except cost the govt. money and cause a bunch of headaches for all the foreigners in Taiwan who had to update a lot of stuff.
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That’s my conclusion. I have yet to see any indication otherwise.
Guy
Don’t lose your old arc and passport from Canada. Places will still want them because you’re a foreigner.
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It made the government actually approach non-compliant companies/government agencies and ask them to implement new ID numbers in their systems, since it made the government lose face as the new ID did not work in so many places, opposite of what was promised. Of course that would have had just the same positive effect without the change. 
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What companies that are useful now comply?
There is a list with scores mostly updated by @fifieldt
And we have a whole long thread on that
Some companies were approached early by us and did change after a some time. This made it less painful when more and more people (involuntarily) were getting their ARC numbers in new format.
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I just got my new ID number when I renewed my ARC
Has anyone experience updating bank account etc with the new ID number?
It seems my credit card got updated automatically and it’s no longer link to my bank account on old id
Yes, take your passport, new ARC, and stamp if have one, then be prepared to wait for an hour or two
Yes, I had to update new ARC # for 2 banks, 1 credit card (of a separate bank), and CHT my telecom.
Your waiting time may vary.
any benefit of updating to the new ID outside of expiring ARC?
seems the new number system still fails, so what is the point outside of renewal for non permanent arc holders? seems like lots of extra wasted time updating everything that uses the ID and virtually no benefits.
Based on everything I’ve read, no. 
Guy
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The ‘problem’ that the old ID had a letter on second spot was from programming perspective no problem at all. The first step was actually to convert the letter to a number! Ha! This simple step is not needed with the new ID number. 
That the old ID was not accepted at some places, was due to lack of interest for foreigners from those responsible for ID checks. We were simply not important/relevant. That did not change after the change.
But now the government says there is a new ID format and it should be supported. So some banks/businesses/government agencies did something or are still planning to do something about it. And we have a bit more leverage.
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so basically we should just be going into NIA, asking about it, giving examples of the new ID not working either, telling them not interested in changing it until we have some form of basic use for it then walk out. just to get the message across.
essentially, no benefit it seems other than more wasted time. To whom do we make the invoice out to for such consulting fees?
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