I’m an ABT and plan to live in Taiwan next year for at least 365 days. I have the opportunity to apply for TARC and then Taiwanese citizenship (would be dual citizenship, no need to renounce), however, it’s an arduous process now that I’m over 20 years old. I need some help figuring out if going through the process is worth it. My question mainly pertains to whether the TARC is worth it.
I’m female and do not need to worry about the draft.
I’m a freelancer and my work is all online/remote and based in the U.S. I also have no health insurance. U.S. health insurance for freelancers is expensive and sucks.
All my close family is in the U.S. (I’m an American citizen) so I may or may not stay in Taiwan after the first year.
The paperwork I’d have to get together to apply would take a lot of time (the physical check up that they require is basically a bunch of tests. I’m in contact with insurance companies to see if they’d be able to cover them - no health facility has been able to give me a no-insurance price quote) and is potentially quite expensive (hundreds of dollars). If/when I get all the paperwork together, I can apply for TARC at the NIA. Then I’d have to wait 365 days to get my ID card and household registration.
So far, the biggest reason I can see for getting TARC (and subsequently citizenship) is healthcare and banking. And the right to work. Am I missing anything? The U.S. passport is much more powerful when it comes to entering foreign countries, but let me know if Taiwan has a leg up on the U.S. passport in this regard anywhere (China doesn’t count; if you have dual U.S./Taiwan, their govt will only recognize the U.S. one unless you renounce it)
Reasons why I’m thinking I shouldn’t get it: I’ve read that the Taiwanese healthcare system is pretty affordable (compared to the U.S.) even without insurance. Also, I read here (http://jsphfrtz.com/no-taiwan-arc-no-problem/) that foreigners can easily apply for an ID number, which grants access to banking and all the other ID number benefits. If I don’t go through with it I’ll probably stay visa-exempt, get an ID number, and do visa runs every 90 days (I like travel, it’s not a big deal to me).
Honestly, part of me does want to go through with the process for the sake of doing it but right now it sounds like it might not be worth it (it’s seriously a huge and expensive pain to go through with). What say ye forumosa? Can you convince me to go through with the process?
TL;DR: Applying for an ARC (it’s TARC actually) in my case is really annoying. Sounds like I can get an ID number without it and getting healthcare without insurance isn’t that expensive anyway. Is it worth going through the TARC process and getting Taiwanese citizenship? What are downsides of not getting it?
@aNYCtransplant: What? This is my first post on forumosa, ever. Was there a recent thread about this same thing? If so, I haven’t seen it so please link it.
having dual passports can be super-handy when travelling to certain countries, such as the middle east with Israel and what not, you can use one passport for arab countries and one for other places.
Also great is having dual driving lisences, simply drive in Taiwan on your US-international permit (if pulled over) and drive in the states on your Taiwan international permit, no points deducted and a lot of the time the cops will let you off as they can’t be bothered with paperwork.
Then you can also open bank accounts under the different passport in offshore locations if you want to make your money a little harder to find (I believe as a US citizen you need to keep paying US tax regardless of where you live, so this can be useful - although I’m not from the US, so someone else would have to go into the technicalities of the US taxation system).
Lastly, in some places Americans are not that well liked (likewise being Taiwanese can have some impacts on dealing with the Chinese), having an alternate national identity can help you get along with locals / smooth things along.
[quote=“tmz_99”]having dual passports can be super-handy when travelling to certain countries, such as the middle east with Israel and what not, you can use one passport for arab countries and one for other places.
Also great is having dual driving lisences, simply drive in Taiwan on your US-international permit (if pulled over) and drive in the states on your Taiwan international permit, no points deducted and a lot of the time the cops will let you off as they can’t be bothered with paperwork.[/quote]
Even more convenient: ROC nationals with foreign driving licenses can simply convert their foreign license to a local one. Minimum paperwork involved and no concern for reciprocity. Sucks to be a foreigner.
At the airport they have a separate line for Resident Card Holder and 99% of the time this is the shortest line.[/quote]
Oh man when I’ve come back from China and I was able to walk through that (empty) gate, rather than joining 200+ people in the line for foreigners…holy cow, best feeling in the world.
Arriving with family, Taoyuan airport, December 2015, wife’s Taiwanese, son also (well mixed), foreigner lane long waiting time, went with wife and son to the Resident counters, no people waiting, got through with no waiting
I think it’s worth going through the process to get your TARC and eventually your local ID.
The process for TARC is a tedious one, but national health insurance alone is enough of a reason to go for the whole nine yards. I’ve had plenty of friends and family members that have come back to Taiwan to do normal medical check ups and even for minor surgeries. In some cases (not all), the flight to Taiwan (from the east coast) and the medical bills added up cost less than the medical expenses in the states.
Of course, one can argue that without NHI, a lot of the medical expenses can still be cheaper compared to the states. Visits to the physical therapist cost me 150NT for the visit and another 50NT for some medication. That’s a total of around $6USD. I haven’t done the research, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a quick visit/check-up like I had would be an extra 0 at the end of that 6 in the states.
Going through the citizen line or applying for e-gate is definitely a plus, but not the main benefit of a TARC and local ID.
hey quick question, how are you apple to apply for Taiwan citizenship without renouncing your USA citizenship? Everywhere I’ve looked states that you need to renounce before you can apply.
Also, anybody have information on the benefits of a Taiwan Citizenship compared to just an ARC (aside from the shorter lines at the airport)?
Actually, just sign up for the e-gate (even with ARC) and 99% of the time there is no line at all!
As for advantages of the Taiwan ID, no need for finding a local to sign as a guarantor when renting (not all landlords require this, but was told last week by one that I would need it), getting a loan, or other legal matters. Can get a CC much easier, purchase property, voting rights, etc. Also, no more trips to get your ARC renewed.
Unless it’s farmland or mountain land - for which even the majority of citizens are not qualified - purchasing property is not restrictive at all.[/quote]
Assuming you can purchase it without a loan, right? TBH, I am not familiar with restrictions (or lack thereof) for property purchase as I’d need a guarantor for the mortgage. Well…that, and I can’t afford the down payment.
Unless it’s farmland or mountain land - for which even the majority of citizens are not qualified - purchasing property is not restrictive at all.[/quote]
Assuming you can purchase it without a loan, right? TBH, I am not familiar with restrictions (or lack thereof) for property purchase as I’d need a guarantor for the mortgage. Well…that, and I can’t afford the down payment. [/quote]
Well if you require a loan this is more a question of whether the bank trusts you, not whether the law allows you to buy land or take out a mortgage.
Unless it’s farmland or mountain land - for which even the majority of citizens are not qualified - purchasing property is not restrictive at all.[/quote]
Assuming you can purchase it without a loan, right? TBH, I am not familiar with restrictions (or lack thereof) for property purchase as I’d need a guarantor for the mortgage. Well…that, and I can’t afford the down payment. [/quote]
Well if you require a loan this is more a question of whether the bank trusts you, not whether the law allows you to buy land or take out a mortgage.[/quote]
True. However, Taiwan banks are much more trusting if you have a Taiwan ID. Hence a benefit of Taiwan citizenship over an ARC. I can’t imagine there are many people buying property in Taiwan without a loan.
Whether laws permit or not is irrelevant in this case. OP just wanted to know potential benefits and getting a loan is where citizenship would be advantageous.
Indeed. Not to mention credit cards, legal requisits for company registration, ownership of certain types of cars -especially trucks- and the ever annoying phone contracts -not to mention other small annoyances like even renting bank security boxes.
