Hey chaps, just wondering if anyone’s got any experience with renewing their home country passport while in Taiwan. As a Brit, it looks like I’ve got to post mine off to the main branch in Hong Kong, and it’s gonna cost about 150 quid all in all
More specifically, after I’ve renewed it I should have a new passport number - will this cause any problems with my (student) ARC or visa or anything like that?
It also looks like I’ve got to provide a countersignature for the photo from someone “of standing” that I’ve known for over two years. Since I’ve only been here 9 months, I can’t fulfil this requirement… any ideas how lenient they are about this?
Hmmm, that might be a possibility. I just rang up the “passport helpline” and it seems like they’ll accept a teacher from my language school who’s only known me 9 months or so, as long as I provide a covering note. They also said I wouldn’t even need a countersignature at all if I look sufficiently similar to how I looked in my old passport photo…
Has anyone got experience with how renewing a passport affects ARCs and visas and such?
I have had a couple of Canadian passports renewed over my years in Taiwan at the Canadian Trade Office. Usually pretty smooth sailing. Despite having been here for many years, I didn’t have a doctor/lawyer/etc. to sign my photos as a guarantor either and was able to utilize their "declaration in lieu of guarantor’ provision, which does cost a chunk more. Apparently now though, on their website, it states that if you’ve been living in Taiwan for more than 3 years, you will be expected to have a guarantor and not be allowed to utilize the “declaraion” scheme. Not sure when that rule change came into effect though, or how hard they enforce it. So…maybe Brits have the same sort of availability for overseas passport applications? It’s worth asking about anyway. And seeing as you’ve only been here short term, I couldn’t see why you wouldn’t be allowed to utilize such a provision.
As for the ARC, you just bring your new and old passport and your ARC to whatever the government people are called where you got your ARC in the first place and they’ll update it for you, oh and you need new photos as well. (all of which I have to do ASAP)
Thanks for the replies everyone. I just rang up the National Immigration Agency and they have confirmed what TheLostSwede said above regarding the ARC. It’s no problem at all that your passport number changes, you just take everything to the immigration place and they’ll update it free of charge.
Just updating here incase anyone searches for this later.
I sent my passport off to HK with the application forms (…actually just used Taiwan post office international postage option - much cheaper!), and I got my new passport back about a month later without any problems. They’ve also sent my old passport back but with a few corners clipped off.
There weren’t any issues regarding the photo countersignature, which I didn’t provide. I get the impression they’re phasing that rule out, and you only really need a countersignature if you look REALLY different than your last passport.
The whole thing (including postage) came to about £150, but other than that was fairly painless.
Is this just in Canada or does it relate to Taiwan, too? Or am I misreading the whole thing? Of course, you can no longer waste the precious time of those working at the Canadian trade office to clarify things before you come from Kaohsiung to renew a passport. Your choices when you phone now are “Repeat” and “Previous Menu”. No option to actually talk to a real human being. Tried an e-mail to the address they give on the website but this failed to be delivered. Need to get this sorted out soon as my ARC is almost up. Any help greatly appriciated here.
That website has a link “Photo Specifications for Passports” which leads to the site I posted. I’m not overly concerned about it as I have a willing police officer living across the street from me, but it would be one less thing to do.
Anyone know what the postage rate is now for the Canadian passport office to mail your passport back to you. Why they can’t keep a few goddamned stamps in their office is a mystery to me. They make you go out to find a post office for what used to be 60NT worth of postage. Has this changed in the last five years? Is there a post office near the new passport office? Probably a good idea just to take along a hundred in stamps to be sure.
Well, I have to say I’m impressed. Went up to Taipei on 7/30. Got my passport in the mail on 8/8. Date of issue was 7/31. ARC should be in the mail now and I’ll be able to get my driver’s license renewed before the 8/27 deadline.
I went there with a bunch of stamps bought at Family Mart. The closest I could come to 60NT was 64NT. When I opened my new passport a 5NT stamp dropped out of it.
Sorry to revive an old topic, but have any Canadians had their passport renewed recently? How quick was the turnaround time? I have an appointment to submit my documents on the 23rd, and I hope to fly out around July 15th.
