Visa Run - Pay Taxes - ARC?

Legal Visa & Residency
1

Hello everyone,

I’m so glad I found this forum after 6 years of visa-run and I thought I was the only one. So, I used to work for a trading company in HK and my job is to come to Taiwan to inspect our goods at our customers’ offices. I enter Taiwan with a 30-day Visa-exempt and started visa run and stay in Taiwan for most of the time. Until last year, our HK office closed down and I started receving my salary from our US office and they pay into my usual HK account. However, they are asking me to start paying the Taiwanese tax and has hired an accounting firm to do it for me.

My questions are;

  1. Once I start paying taxes, will I be able to apply for an ARC or some sort of work permit or visas so that I can stop doing visa run?

  2. Since I will only start to pay for 2019 tax, will the tax department ask for taxes from my salary in the previous years at the HK company while I do the visa runs? (probably should ask in the tax forum)

Thank you very much!

2

You could ask the US company if they could open a Representative office in Taiwan. That would allow you to apply for an ARC.

3

They won’t do it because it’s not cost efficient. So I’m wondering if I could apply the ARC myself since I will be paying taxes.

4

no, just you pat taxes cannot be a reason to get an ARC.

Basically, your work permit should be sponsored by a company. There is a gold card if you meet one of some qualifications.

5

Probably… This situation happened to me after I obtained an ARC and of course had to file in Taiwan at that point. Prior to that, I was coming in and out on business trips, but stayed cumulatively above 90 days in the year prior to my ARC…they asked why I didn’t file last year as they now had my immigration profile. So they made me file and I made my company pay the tax bill. I’m not sure if they would only ask you for the prior year or all years you were here over 90 days cumulatively or maybe just some portion. I’d ask your company to hire a local tax expert to help with all of this.

I would also alert your company to this possibility and work something out should you have tax liability for prior years. Good luck, you company is commendable for wanting to do things the right way.

6

Thanks. They did hire a tax firm to help me file my 2019 tax but not for the other years I was here before. I shall find out the answer in May when I file my taxes.

1 Like
7

Thanks. I didn’t know about the gold card. May be I will try to apply for it after I file my taxes.

8

So why couldn’t someone start a staffing agency for this very purpose? Business idea?