I came to Taipei to see my girlfriend 3 year relationship and I have visited and stayed her apartment 5 times in that period. My Intension to stay permently if things are good, very good so I want to stay.
However in my own stupidity I came on 90 visa waiver expecting to able to extend another 90 days after time expired.
However I go to immigration office Taipei to see how I go about it, very friendly guy I spoke with tells me bad news.
I can’t extend because I did’nt come on a stay Visa so I have to go back to UK apply for Visa if I’m given one can come straight back and deal with it from there.
Strangely I can get a job and stay! that’s very unlikely to happen?
However I am considering asking to stay before hand I have a month, as I have a monthly income from UK via property I let of 100000NTD+ I live at girlfriend’s apartment she wants me to stay and I’m happy to take out health insurance and any stuff needed.
What does anybody think of my chances and who do I contact as immigration have told me noy in their juristiction.
I know marriage can solve all, I intend to marry she but not for that reason.
In the short run, you can probably get away with visa runs to HK, Philippines or some other nearby place. Take a 1-2 day vacation and come back on visa waiver. Shouldn’t cost you more than a few NT$1000.
You might also be able to get a visitor visa in HK, as opposed to having to fly back to the UK.
Taiwan is fairly “visa run” friendly (especially from western countries) so as @rooftopclown mentioned you can just fly to a nearby country (Macau, HK, Okinawa, etc) for a small vacation, fly back to Taiwan, and get another 90 days.
Just make sure that you aren’t trying to take a local job while using the visa exempt status (your profile mentions becoming a Tour Guide – do NOT do that on visa exempt status) and I wouldn’t expect you’d run into issues (I did visa runs for about 3 years without any issues)
Applicants who enter the R.O.C. (Taiwan) without a visa and have obtained a work permit issued by competent authorities of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) may apply to the Bureau of Consular Affairs or any of its Central, Southwestern, Southern, or Eastern Taiwan Offices for an extendable Visitor Visa. Subsequently and with the extendable Visitor Visa, the applicants must apply to the National Immigration Agency for an Alien Resident Certificate.
pplicants who enter the R.O.C. (Taiwan) without a visa and have obtained a work permit issued by competent authorities of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) may apply to the Bureau of Consular Affairs or any of its Central, Southwestern, Southern, or Eastern Taiwan Offices for an extendable Visitor Visa. Subsequently and with the extendable Visitor Visa, the applicants must apply to the National Immigration Agency for an Alien Resident Certificate.
If you don’t get a white collar job, visa to study mandarin may be easiest, if you dont plan a marriage right now.
Thanks for all the replies, Extension to stay document very interesting.
We have decided as a couple to have 4 days in Hong Kong (going home. Country of birth)
Never been a white collar worker so I guess signing up to Manderin college my best bet?, She wants me to anyhow, my home learning is a slow proccess.
Her Burmese, English, French, are superb and any other language she has 2 days to learn!!
To much cycling along the river and not enough interaction with locals.
PS: have been given a phone number by immigration to call for extension of stay but they’ve never answered, thinking leave us alone number.
OK I go to Bureau of Consuler Affairs & Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week and apply for extension of my Waiver Visa, all very straightforward.
Today I collect my passport. I have been given 180 day visitor Visa from day I entered Taiwan clearly stated NO extension!and no charge? Happy I don’t have to leave to gain it but not sure what to do after period of time.
Apply again in another Country? or leave and do 90 wiaver again?
Was that 3 years on a tourist visa? If so, didn’t you have any trouble with renting a place or health insurance, banking etc.? Interested to know, as I am considering visa runs for starters
You still have to live a “tourist” life which may not be sustainable depending on what you need – there is quite a bit more information on this type of thing in “digital nomad” circles but:
I stayed with my Taiwanese wife (then girlfriend) so this wasn’t an issue. You can also look at doing long-term AirBnBs though those are more difficult to find in Taiwan than other Asian countries. You may also be able to find a landlord that is willing to let you stay month-to-month (though that may be difficult if you don’t speak fluent Chinese). I’d think that if you were willing to have roommates this would also be fairly painless
I’m young and typical “clinic” care is fairly cheap even without health insurance here. I went to the doctor perhaps 2-3 times during that period of time for various colds and it never ended up costing me more than $400-500NTD
My money is stored in an USA Bank account – so I’d just run down to the local 711 to grab some cash when needed
Please let me know if you have any questions – it’s definitely more of a “gray area” but I surprisingly didn’t run into a single issue during my 3 years
“Sightseeing” is what I usually checked with a “Student” occupation (which wasn’t far from the truth – I did quite a bit of independent studying during that period of time, including my 不夠好的中文)
