New "smart" ARCs

I wonder if anyone could tell me when I need to apply my new “smart” ARC. I’m married to a Taiwan citizen; have been for almost four years and now my current (old style) ARC will expire in a few months. When will I need to get the new one?

Thanks in advance for any input.

When you apply to renew your current ARC.

I don’t know how “smart” they are…I went through customs a couple times over Chinese New Year and each time the agent had no idea where to find my re-entry permit number on the thing…Finally they settled on a number running diagonally next to my picture. :s

Not until the one you have now expires. After that, you’ll probably have to get the new kind. Easy peasy. Just remember to take a couple of photos next time you go.
I didn’t, and didn’t want to get them done right then, on account of I was having a bad hair that day, so they only gave a one-year extension rather than a three-year one, because there’s a cutoff date for using the old ones, apparently.
It’s no big deal at all.

Thanks guys. Another question is regarding taxes. I’ve mostly been freelancing, so any ideas what I could do in this case. As I understand it, no matter what, one needs to provide tax returns also.
Thanks again in advance.

For what? An ARC? no. All you need is a copy of your wife’s household registration with your name in the “remarks” section. That’s all.

Sorry, I should have clarified that. This would be for a PARC.

PARC’s don’t expire…

Just see to it that your wife includes you in her tax filing … as a dependent, so she can have a deduction … this way you don’t need to file yourself

PARC’s don’t expire…[/quote]

Sure, I know that, but what I mean is that I’m looking to apply for a PARC once my 5 years of residence as a foreign spouse arrives. Since I have been working mostly freelance, would I have to offer explanations as to how I’ve been surviving these past few years or can I, as Belgian Pie suggested, just have my wife include me as a dependent when she applies for my PARC on my behalf?

Thanks.

Sammy.

Can I ask why you’re applying for a PARC when you have a JFRV? I’ve been toying with the idea, but can see only disadvantages compared with a JFRV – don’t forget that even if you get divorced or your wife dies or whatever, you still have 2 years in which you’re eligible to apply for the inferior (IMO) PARC.

Sure you can ask. I thought that by getting a PARC, that would eliminate the “hassle” of getting a three year renewal every time the need arises. That’s all.

Right. There is that aspect, I suppose. Every 10 years instead of every three. Offset, though, by the minimum annual residency requirement that PARC-ers are burdened with, plus the need to get a work permit.
Swings and roundabouts, I guess. I’m in no hurry, though.

[quote=“sandman”]Right. There is that aspect, I suppose. Every 10 years instead of every three. Offset, though, by the minimum annual residency requirement that PARC-ers are burdened with, plus the need to get a work permit.
Swings and roundabouts, I guess. I’m in no hurry, though.[/quote]

One reason to get the PARC, if you can, is that the immigration authorities are constantly dreaming up new ways to prevent people who have met the requirements from getting them. For example, it is still very common for people to be denied if there is a ‘gap’ in there seven years caused by switching from one ARC to another, even if they gap is for just one day. And now they ask for your income records at the tax office to discover whether you have ever received income without a work permit. If you have, they say they will deport you.

Given this determination to deny legitimate applicants by hook or by crook, I say get the PARC now while you can. I for one would not to test the two year rule you mentioned. I don’t think anyone has, and I would not count on getting one this way in a pinch.

Better to have it and then give it up if you needed to live abroad for longer than than the required period. Remember that you can always apply for ‘leave’ on your PARC if you need to be out of Taiwan for an extended period to care for a parent, receive medical treatment, or study. Besides, they could drop or shorten the residence period when the law is amended the next time. I hear that the immigrant spouse advocacy groups are already working on this because the current rule burdens poor women from southeast Asia.

Maximize your residency rights as soon as you can!

[quote=“Feiren”]

One reason to get the PARC, if you can, is that the immigration authorities are constantly dreaming up new ways to prevent people who have met the requirements from getting them. For example, it is still very common for people to be denied if there is a ‘gap’ in there seven years caused by switching from one ARC to another, even if they gap is for just one day. And now they ask for your income records at the tax office to discover whether you have ever received income without a work permit. If you have, they say they will deport you.

Given this determination to deny legitimate applicants by hook or by crook, I say get the PARC now while you can. I for one would not to test the two year rule you mentioned. I don’t think anyone has, and I would not count on getting one this way in a pinch.

![/quote]

Bloody farts …

Where’s the thing about PARC’s only being valid for 10 years coming from?

I see no expiry date on mine, and when asking they told me that it was becaue there was none?

[quote=“Mr He”]Where’s the thing about PARC’s only being valid for 10 years coming from?

I see no expiry date on mine, and when asking they told me that it was becaue there was none?[/quote]

You have to renew them after 10 years. This is supposed to be a formality but I don’t think anyone has actually had to do it yet.

You will notice that your credit cards and ATM cards (which are tied to your residency expiration) are, or should be, set to 10 years after the issue date of your PARC. The expiry date is built in, as it were.

PARC’s don’t expire…[/quote]

Sure, I know that, but what I mean is that I’m looking to apply for a PARC once my 5 years of residence as a foreign spouse arrives. Since I have been working mostly freelance, would I have to offer explanations as to how I’ve been surviving these past few years or can I, as Belgian Pie suggested, just have my wife include me as a dependent when she applies for my PARC on my behalf?

Thanks.

Sammy.[/quote]

Sorry, I misunderstood.

I do know that being listed as a dependent on your wife’s income tax won’t wash; they’ll ask you to provide detailed listings from the tax office stating the origins of your combined incomes on your statements for the past 3 years. They do this precisely to see if you, not you and your wife are making double the quoted minimum wage from Labor Affairs. The parts that Feiren quoted about checking your tax records to see if you have sources of income outside of the scope of your work permit doesn’t apply to you since you are, I assume, currently on a JFRV.

The good news is, that as a spouse of an ROC citizen, you can qualify by showing the following:
The applicant’s accumulated savings in a ROC financial institution must be 24 times that of the monthly minimum wage set by the Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan (only pertinent to applicants who are spouses of ROC nationals).
Found here: iff.immigration.gov.tw/enfront/l … d=2&id=230

And, Sandman, the work permit takes 5 minutes to apply for once you have your PARC; it’s actually very easy.

[quote=“Feiren”][quote=“Mr He”]Where’s the thing about PARC’s only being valid for 10 years coming from?

I see no expiry date on mine, and when asking they told me that it was becaue there was none?[/quote]

You have to renew them after 10 years. This is supposed to be a formality but I don’t think anyone has actually had to do it yet.

You will notice that your credit cards and ATM cards (which are tied to your residency expiration) are, or should be, set to 10 years after the issue date of your PARC. The expiry date is built in, as it were.[/quote]

Let’s see, the first PARC’s were issued in 2000, so that would mean 2010. I have yet to see any official piece of paper or regulation covering this?

Links anyone?

Never heard of it, nor was any mention made upon receiving it. They’ll probably just send a notice in the mail a month or so before. I could see it being necessary, if only to update the photo on it. What is the procedure for Taiwan Citizen ID cards; do they have a duration/expiration period?

Thanks for that info, Feiren. Won’t apply to me though – I have no income documented by the tax office that isn’t covered by a work permit, nor do I have any gaps in residence.