Resident visa without a visitor's visa?

I need some updated information. I’ve obtained a job while in Taiwan on my landing visa. If I leave the country and go to a Taiwan embassy with proof of my new emplyment in Taiwan, will I be able to obtain a resident visa without bothering to apply for a visitor’s visa? Exactly what documents will I need?

If you have a workpermit and all relevant documents you’ll have to leave the country to get a visitor visa … than come back and have it changed to a resident visa … to get your ARC …
As far as I know you won’t get a resident visa with a landing visa … :s

So even if I have a work permit I will need to apply for a visitor’s visa with documents showing proof of residence in my home country and financial solvency, and then bring the visitor’s visa back to taiwan and apply for a resident visa at the police station? :help:

5 years ago, I got a visa, based on my work permit, while in Taiwan on a landing visa. Has this changed?

The thing with a landing visa, is that you can’t extend it (beacuse it’s not really a visa - it’s visa exempt, so nothing to extend), but getting a visa based on work is getting a whole new visa. That should be possible, unless it’s changed (which it may well have).

Brian

I think this information has been posted on these boards already. Have you done a search?

You can’t change your status in Taiwan if you’ve entered on a landing visa. You’ve got to do a visa jump.

[quote=“Yellow Cartman”]

You can’t change your status in Taiwan if you’ve entered on a landing visa. You’ve got to do a visa jump.[/quote]

I know I have to do a jump, but what I need to know is whether I can get a resident visa at an embassy outside of Taiwan with my work permit- and without proof of residence in my home country or a financial statement or anything other documents like that. Basically, all I have is my work permit and passport.

[quote=“l.bramble”][quote=“Yellow Cartman”]

You can’t change your status in Taiwan if you’ve entered on a landing visa. You’ve got to do a visa jump.[/quote]

I know I have to do a jump, but what I need to know is whether I can get a resident visa at an embassy outside of Taiwan with my work permit- and without proof of residence in my home country or a financial statement or anything other documents like that. Basically, all I have is my work permit and passport.[/quote]

no to my knowledge … visitor visa will be changed to resident visa in Taiwan (with your work permit and relevant documents) … which is linked to your ARC …

It is true that you cannot change a landing visa into any other type of visa nor extend this visa.

I think however that we have missed the OP’s question.

In answer to your question OP - yes, you can obtain a resident visa from overseas, and in fact this is what we are all meant to do. The problem is that overseas TECO offices are often not very familiar with the process funnily enough, so you may need some patience.

You will need:

  1. Your work permit
  2. Your employment contract (with a Chinese version)
  3. Your passport (of course)
  4. A completed application for a resident visa
  5. A couple of passport photos

I would prepare all of this here before you leave and just hand it to them in a package. I would also make sure that you have a contact number at your school should the TECO office want to call to confirm any of the details.

Brian,

Thanks for the information- any advice on which TECO to go to from Taiwan? Also, are you sure I won’t be asked for proof of residence in my home country?

[quote=“l.bramble”]Brian,

Thanks for the information- any advice on which TECO to go to from Taiwan? Also, are you sure I won’t be asked for proof of residence in my home country?[/quote]

I’m curious why do you think they’re going to ask you for proof of residence in your home country? You seem kind of hung up on this. Did you read that somewhere? What Brian posted is pretty much all you need. It’s listed in the government websites. If I were you, I’d choose a TECO office and then I’d call them beforehand telling them this is what you’re going to be doing, and is that okay? Each TECO office is slightly different from each other when it comes to visa processing.

Many people choose Bangkok if they do not use HK. Personally, I’d recommend Kuala Lumpur, but Bangkok seems to be a fine place.

I agree with Yellow Cartman. Each TECO office seems to do things a bit differently.

Wouldn’t your proof of residence in your home country be your passport?

What if you are not resident and never have been in your passport country? That would screw things up a bit, eh?

I’ve never heard of this requirement. Nor have I ever heard of anybody getting a resident visa outside Taiwan, but I’m sure someone must have.

Never talk to a Taiwanese bureacrat on the phone.

If you get an answer you don’t like, ask the next bureaucrat, or if there isn’t one, ask the same one the next day.

I am not being facetious.

If you mean a home as residence for address and mail information then use a relative or friend, no big deal.

If you mean you are ‘a bird of passage’ without residence anywhere then that might be different. Not sure.

[quote=“Miranda”]What if you are not resident and never have been in your passport country? That would screw things up a bit, eh?

I’ve never heard of this requirement. Nor have I ever heard of anybody getting a resident visa outside Taiwan, but I’m sure someone must have.

Never talk to a Taiwanese bureacrat on the phone.

If you get an answer you don’t like, ask the next bureaucrat, or if there isn’t one, ask the same one the next day.

I am not being facetious.[/quote]

Normally, I agree with you here. However, this doesn’t work very well with TECO offices. They are small by nature and everyone knows everything about every application. So, when you deal with the TECO offices, know the staff by name and be able to quote them because you tell them that you’ll see them (in your friendliest and cheeriest voice possible). If you really want to be nice about it, tell them if they want anything from “back home” :wink:

So, I just got back from Hong Kong and finally got my visa. With my work permit (I didn’t need an employment contract) and a proof of residence in my home country, I was able to obtain a resident visa and have 15 days to apply for my arc. Apparently, a proof of residence is essential- they want to know that you have an address to go home to when you’re finished staying in Taiwan. It has to be something official, like a driver’s license, utilities bill, phone bill, or bank statement in your name, that has been mailed to your home back home. Since I don’t have a driver’s license, I had to have someone express mail me my old mail and it took over two weeks to get here even though the folks at home paid for 3-day mail.

A passport is not a proof of address because it doesn’t have an address in it.

If I had been applying for a visitor’s visa, I would also have had to obtain proof of solvency, that is, a financial statement for a bank account in my name that has enough money in it for me to sustain myself for as long as I plan to stay in Taiwan. I’m still unclear as to how much this is, but I do know that how much time they give you for your visitor’s visa and whether or not it’s extendable will at least partially depend on how much money you can prove you have.

Of course it’s a much better idea to apply for a visa before you enter Taiwan. But, if you are already here and need to go abroad, you will need a proof of address in your home country no matter what visa you are applying for. This is easy enough if you have a driver’s license or a piece of official mail with you, but if you need to have it shipped to you will need at least a couple of weeks to get your documents together before you go abroad.

I can confirm this.

About a year ago, I entered Taiwan on a landing visa (30 days, then you gotta leave). I found a job and got my working permit within 30 days, took all of the above mentioned documents to HK TECO and was issued a resident visa based on work (well, actually, they give you a voucher and you have to get the visa printed at CKS Airport). And yes, they did want to see my driver’s license.

HOWEVER, I wouldn’t recommend this to others, as it all depends on how fast your work permit comes down. If it takes longer than 30 days to find a job and get the permit, you have to leave Taiwan and do a regular visa run.

And the peeps in HK TECO were quite nice and helpful on the phone. :smiley: Just goes to show you, it depends who you talk to and/or which day you talk to them! :smiley: