Unpaid Smoking Fine When Leaving Taiwan

[superjo94]

How much money they owe?

[superjo94]

And what do you mean by the passport being “locked”?

[superjo94]

Also the fines aren’t being processed yet, it took too long to come to me

[Brianjones]

@Explant

few friends (taiwanese) have been banned from exiting the country and getting passports based on not paying taxes and fines related to tax.

Sure for some kind of criminal action that has been initiated that is going to happen … …

[superjo94]

If the fines are not processed or sent yet. Is it safe to exit?

[Taiwan_Luthiers]

I do not think they will exit ban you unless you got a pending criminal charge or you owe more than a million NT. But this is Taiwan citizen, I don’t know if the rules are different for foreigners or APRC holder. You should just pay the fine, because they will get it from you one way or another. Either they’re going to take it off your bank account (with a hefty bank fee added for this), or garnish your wage.

But at least you won’t go to jail for it.

[Niurou]

Same as others said I doubt anyone is getting banned from leaving for an unprocessed as yet smoking fine for 2k.
If I wasn’t ever coming back I probably wouldn’t pay it but you said you plan to return so I’d pay up so 2k doesn’t become 10k and as poster TL said, they will just take it from your account at some point

[Taiwan_Luthiers]

The fine doesn’t become bigger. Seems used to be the rule but it’s no longer true.

However when/if they take it from your account there’s a hefty bank fee attached to this.

[Explant]

@the_bear

@Explant

Especially important in keeping our country, Taiwan, ethical and just.

What the heck does this even mean?

Bold for convenience.

@Explant

@Brianjones

No…unless it’s somehow immigration related.

A few friends (taiwanese) have been banned from exiting the country and getting passports based on not paying taxes and fines related to tax.

Foreigners and locals alike get their passports “locked” after being arrested for a crime (even if not proved guilty or not having done anything ethically wrong).

Point being, non immigration matters can certainly limit one’s ability to travel internationally. It’s a real issue. Especially important in keeping our country, Taiwan, ethical and just. Some countries don’t follow various human rights norms and people are jailed til death without possibility of travel. Be it medicine, sexuality, political ideas, freedom of speech etc.

If OP is worried, just pay the fines. Even with extra fines on top of the fine for being tasty. Seems easier. But that entirely depends on the fine. Not paying income tax kind of fines might get people stuck here. Parking tickets? Maybe not. But not sure.

Case in point, if you, or anyone else, is arrested for say we ed, they can lock your passport and you can’t get out. There are timely ways around this, but this is the basic idea.

Parking tickets, as mentioned already, probably not. Unpaid taxes, absolutely can be an issue with not being allowed to leave. Especially if not paid for a while, ID is flagged and passports can be locked. locals as well. Loads of crimes, and loads of “crimes”, can cause this issue.

As for your direct question on one sentence of my post: A person needing medicine and growing safe and harmless plants can have them not only locked from leaving, but jailed. Ethical issue with our country, as I’m sure you would agree.

Parking tickets, my assumption is just a bigger fine. I’m not aware of Taiwan being as oppressive as the USA in this instance.

[TroubleWithTribbles]

@Explant

they cna lick your passport and you can’t get out.

I think they instituted this novel process in the early days of the pandemic. No one would touch a licked passport, so much more efficient than the previous electronic approach.

[superjo94]

I saw a post in Forumosa about DUI fines. Are DUI fines attached to the ARC or the vehicle or driving license only?

[TT]

@superjo94

2000NTD

Just pay it, that’s not outrageous. If you want to come back, this might haunt you later…

[Taiwan_Luthiers]

It’s attached to your ID/ARC.

If you don’t pay it you won’t be able to update/renew vehicle registrations, or licenses, or transfer registration.

Also DUI is a criminal offense, and often jail time commutable with a fine. You don’t pay that you go to jail.

[Niurou]

@Taiwan_Luthiers

The fine doesn’t become bigger. Seems used to be the rule but it’s no longer true.

Is this the case now?

I had a friend that never updated his license with the driving bureau and he thought he was clever as they didn’t send him tickets. Until after a few years of unpaid fines the driving bureau got his updated information from immigration and those fines had tripled.
He gave them a story how he didn’t realize they had his wrong address so they agreed to charge him only the original fines. Mind you this was over 5 yrs or more

[the_bear]

Yeah same happened to me. It was a fair cop.

[superking]

@superjo94

Also the fines aren’t being processed yet, it took too long to come to me

So what are you asking? You don’t have the fine yet. You can’t pay it. What is your problem?
Is your passport somehow linked to an unprocessed fine? Only in your mind, it seems.

Two points. 1) When asking for unsolicited advice from strangers, a little civility doesn’t go amiss. 2) Taiwan issues smoking fines now? For being near a convenience store? Wow. That sucks. What happened to the lawlessness that many of us used to enjoy?

[Rera]

@superjo94

But will i get denied at taoyuan airport if i had those unpaid? In terms of exit? And especially in the e-gates?

Seeing as how you seem really anxious about this, and fines aren’t very high here, why not just pay it and move on with your life?

[BigDave]

Could be a cram school boss. This is the new threat. I will get you banned from leaving by reporting you for smoking.

[kahnclusions]

@Taiwan_Luthiers

they’ll just take it right out of your account after so long. I had money taken out of my account for jaywalking.

Without a court order for recovery of funds? What if you can’t buy food after they take it out?

[the_bear]

Yeah nah they have absolute power. In fact when I called the Hsinchu transport office they told me to look upon it as a convenient payment service. Which I did. The last time they did this they bizarrely managed to find some funds in a long abandoned bank account of mine. I.e. a sub 1000 fine.