What are consequences if you do not renew visa / ARC?

Legal Visa & Residency
#1

I’ve been planning to stay in Taiwan for a total of 185 days. So I only plan to stay about a week past when my visa expires and I can’t leave before that. If I stay past the expiration date and plan to leave within a week afterwards, are there any conseqeunces such as not being able to return to Taiwan in the future, etc? Will they let me through immigration at the airport?

I’m wondering if it’s really necessary for me to apply for an ARC if I am going to leave anyways. But of course, I would like to return to Taiwan sometime in the far future!

Thank you for any informative responses!! =)

#2

Probably best to check with immigration just in case, but a week overstay shouldn’t give you any problems I don’t think.
The ARC you only really need if you plan to work legally.

#3

[quote=“sandman”]Probably best to check with immigration just in case, but a week overstay shouldn’t give you any problems I don’t think.

The ARC you only really need if you plan to work legally.[/quote]

I know one who overstayed a week after having an ARC, got banned for a year.

#4

[quote=“chrancey”]I’ve been planning to stay in Taiwan for a total of 185 days. So I only plan to stay about a week past when my visa expires and I can’t leave before that. If I stay past the expiration date and plan to leave within a week afterwards, are there any conseqeunces such as not being able to return to Taiwan in the future, etc? Will they let me through immigration at the airport?

I’m wondering if it’s really necessary for me to apply for an ARC if I am going to leave anyways. But of course, I would like to return to Taiwan sometime in the far future!

Thank you for any informative responses!! =)[/quote]

There might be a fine for overstaying, and that fine cannot be paid at teh airport, but in taipei, so you might miss your flight… Better get an extension, and avoid the hassle.

#5

If you apply in advance and only request one or two weeks, chances are they’ll give you an extension. Do this well in advance, so that just in case the request is rejected you’ll have time to prepare.

#6

[quote=“chrancey”]I’ve been planning to stay in Taiwan for a total of 185 days. So I only plan to stay about a week past when my visa expires and I can’t leave before that. If I stay past the expiration date and plan to leave within a week afterwards, are there any conseqeunces such as not being able to return to Taiwan in the future, etc? Will they let me through immigration at the airport?

I’m wondering if it’s really necessary for me to apply for an ARC if I am going to leave anyways. But of course, I would like to return to Taiwan sometime in the far future!

Thank you for any informative responses!! =)[/quote]
What kind of visa allows you to stay 185 days, minus about a week? Are you on a tourist visa that allows 60-days, extendable to 180 days?

Every case I’ve ever heard of or read about that involved an over-stay had consequences, including fines and bans from re-entry for a variety of time periods. Others have given good advice. Go to the foreign affairs police (or whatever they’re calling themselves these days) well in advance and ask.

#7

I overstayed one day by accident and was fined $2000nt and I got a big stamp in my passport saying that I am not allowed in Taiwan without a visa for one year. I have a tourist visa so it wasn’t a problem, just gave me a bit of a heart attack. But despite what someone else said, I could pay the fine at the airport and just be on my way. But that stamp causes immigration to give you the once over…not only just in Taiwan.

#8

Wow! Thanks for all the advice and sharing your past experiences. Maybe I can seduce the visa guy into changing the expiration date to a longer one… hehe :slight_smile: Anyways, I’m on the visitor/student visa which is extendable twice up to 6 months (180 days). After 4 months, you can apply for the ARC however I feel like it’s kind of a waste since I will only be staying a week past the 180 days expiration…

#9

If you want to come back here in the near future, don’t “overstay”! It will cause you many problems in the future. I mistakenly overstayed a few days and have a stamp in my passport that I can’t come back for a year with a visitors visa and getting any other visa will be out of the question. Just don’t overstay without an extension. This government is now fairly well computerized and even with a new passport, you are going to have problems. Just do it right and avoid the hassle. That makes it better for you and, by the way, all the rest of us.

#10

Had to go out to Taoyuan to vouch for a friend last friday and get him out of the immigration detention centre. He was 3 MONTHS overdue on his visa [twit :loco: ] and went up to his local cop shop with a shiteating grin, his plane ticket out and $10000 for his fine. the cops were not amused and sent him of to sit in a cell with 40 oversexed thai and vietnamese illegal workers for the day. The AIT called me as they weren’t prepared to go out there and help him ["sorry our work hours end at 5pm friday :raspberry: ] and were fully prepared to let the poor mongeral sit there for the rest of the weekend. :bluemad:
So be aware of you ARC expiry dates boys and girls as there is no certainty that it will all be O.K and the fellow behind the counter is just there to help you. :no-no:

#11

Probably this is something that happens fairly often to Americans here so they’re not taking it seriously. Plus you can’t blame them, it’s not like they’re really an embassy.

#12

Ugh! The guy didn’t extend my visa for more than 180 days as I was hoping… Now I have to apply for the ARC which is a more expensive and arduous process just to stay a week past my visitor extendable visa. T_T

Wonder if anyone has had success in staying more than 180 days past their visitor visa without ARC?

I’ve read that:
the Taiwan government and it’s affiliated overseas consulate visa processing officers are given a lot of latitude with regard to who, how and why they give out visas and they may give a shorter or longer visa depending on a variety of factors including your appearance, your reason for travel (tourism, visiting friends/family, business, medical, transit & language study) and how they feel that day, literally!

I think I should have tried to slip him some money… He seemed a little bit cranky. Just my luck to get a disgruntled worker…

#13

Also, he did mention I could just stay past the expiration date, get fined $2000NT, and not be allowed back in Taiwan on a landing visa for a year. Of course, it was I who said that is not a good option because then it gets noted in the passport and any time I go to another country, they’re going to see this black mark and ask me about it… He was saying this to me as if it was a viable option! ~_~

#14

Cant you make a quick trip to hongkong or something and come back in with 30 days towards the end of your current stay?

Or you just dont want to do that?

Make a nice over nite trip out of it , a forced holiday so to speak?

#15

you can get cheap flights to the Philippines from Taipei and Kaohsiung with Philippine airlines, it used to be about $3000nt one way a year ago.

Fly in, and then fly back out if you can get the visa free entry. That way you dont need to get the dreaded immigration stamp.

#16

After a series of excruciating calls, someone finally told me I can just fly in and out of Taiwan and my duration of stay would get reset which is perfect. I’m new to this visa stuff so I had no idea I could do that and luckily I got a multiple entry visa. It works out perfectly because if I go to Hong Kong, I can also get a Chinese visa while I am there. Getting an ARC just for staying that extra week is totally not worth it. The ARC would have cost me the equivalent of a plane ticket and more headaches and time to prepare all the requirements. Thank you everyone for all the advice!! =)