No. I was a very early adopter. And they told me and the NHI centers that the NHI cards do not need to be renewed!
I was sent away. Only after I insisted and paid the fees out of pocket, did NHI issue me a new NHI card. I even showed them the document that clearly stated that is necessary.
Later they realized their blunder and were issuing new NHI cards automatically (until the card chip shortage).
There is a thread on that, where some members were arguing if NHI card change is necessary.
It is necessary, especially when one is employed. Employers will pay the health insurance to the new ID number.
Damn it, as I’ve probably said upthread, I’ll be getting a new passport this year and will therefore have to change the number, and I was really hoping this’d be simplified by then, but … it hasn’t been, has it? Friggin’ days of paperwork as best I can tell, for no actual use.
OK folks, I have faced the music and visited my local NIA to get an updated APRC—I needed to do so as I now have a new passport number. I’ll be getting my updated APRC with a new ID number in a couple of weeks.
After that, here’s my game plan:
update the ID number with my employer and the post office where my salary is deposited;
update with another bank with which I have accounts;
update my jian bao card;
anything else which I missed?!?
Any help more experienced forumosans can provide would be warmly appreciated.
Very helpful. Some of those things don’t apply to me (I ride a bicycle so no driver’s licence or car/scooter insurance)—but the telecom accounts is something I had overlooked. Thank you!
Work permit as well? That was the first thing I did, since the office is relatively close.
I may not have updated my work permit in twenty years or so, but no comments were made. It’s one of those pieces of paper I keep but have no clear idea what its purpose is.
I’ve told the post office bank about the new APRC number - around 30 minutes, but relatively straightforward. I’ve yet to go to a couple of other banks, nor have I done anything about driving license or health insurance.
Not sure if mentioned yet, didn’t read the thread.
I had to renew passport, which gives a new number. So I was forced to take on the new single letter arc format.
While changing everything, the wife was reading up. Seems many people have had issues with health care services because it’s a new id number.
We asked nhi and they said you can still use your old arc number for nhi.
Which is what I have been doing without issues. I haven’t updated my card yet as it seems plausible things might get very taiwanese government like if I do haha.
You can, but the discrepancy can cause an issue in unexpected places so I’d say may as well fix it when it’s convenient but no real rush.
For me it was when trying to claim the NT$6000 tax rebate last year, which wasn’t possible to do at an ATM until I’d replaced my NHI card because of the number mismatch (from memory, it relied on the serial number of the NHI card, which is unique to the card).
Ya, your logoc makes sense to me. Im waiting on finishing up a round of hospital visits before making any changes. Just in case it makes it hard to get all the test results x-rays etc in the middle.
I wonder if that type of change can also be done at the post office as with card replacements? When I do change up, I’ll try the post first to see. I suspect not, but would be nice if they could.
Here’s an update: today was the day I ran around to the NHI office, my bank, and my telecom providers. Including a nice lunch break, it took in total about five hours to have my ID number updated at four locations.
By far the easiest and fastest was the NHI; I was in-and-out of their main office in Taipei City—steps from NTU Hospital MRT Station if accessed on the Red Line, or an easy walk from Taipei Main if accessed from other transport—in less than ten minutes. I needed to provide my newly minted APRC, my existing NHI card (to be updated), and one photograph. I was told that when completed my new NHI card would be mailed to my home address (signature on delivery), and I was given a temporary printed form to use in lieu of my new card in the meantime. Total charge for this: nothing, zero, nada.
The bank was the hardest, not because the worker there was a bad person, just the trickiest to make sure that all the details including my tax residence status in Taiwan (and not in my country of birth) was on the form. For reasons I don’t understand I also needed to fill out some form about US taxes even though I am not American, do not reside in the the US, and do not have US income. Why this was needed remains a mystery to me.
The telecom updates were somewhere in between. It appears that the workers needed to fill everything out again from scratch as opposed to just updating one field (new ID number). It was not fast at all, but I held tight and waited and it seems it is now completed.
That was my Fall 2024 adventure. I now eagerly await the many benefits (cough cough) that result from my new magic ID number!
