I’ll be out of Taiwan for many months at a time, without a rented apartment. I’m on a gold card APRC. I’m wondering what’s the best way to make sure no problems arise because no apartment in TW, meaning no mail can be received. I’m thinking about things like:
Banks HSBC and first bank
Telecom CHT
Tax returns
NIA
The last time I was out of taiwan for a while was for a few years, returning around 6 years ago. I don’t remember changing my address back then anywhere before leaving. My bank account survived, also no problems with ARC. Taxes I’m not sure, they were done by my company back then. I didn’t keep any SIM card.
This time I need to keep my bank account and SIM card (for bank SMS), in order to keep paying some stuff in Taiwan that runs longer than my planned departure date. Including my monthly plan CHT SIM card that I hope to keep “forever”.
Any ideas? Any experience?
I could just leave everything as it is, with my last address, then at least for a while probably the bank and phone stuff would keep working. But how about tax return for 2022… And how about when the bank or Telecom company send anything that gets returned? Like the new credit card when my old one expires?
Or I could tell all the companies my new address abroad… But not sure if they would still allow me to continue the contracts without registered TW address?
I do have a friend kindly offering to use his address as mail address, but I guess I cant register my APRC address there (I won’t have a rental contract, he’s not willing to provide that). Not sure if banks etc. Allow to register any address without proof?
Are there any virtual addresses that can forward mail electronically, and allow to register as ARC living address?
To be honest I don’t remember whether you need it or not. I think I always showed the contract when changing addresses, so I’m not sure if it would have worked without.
Maybe time to search Forumosa for that specific question, as it should have been answered many times I expect. Thanks for the hint!
I would find the cheapest rental property possible, perhaps somewhere in the south for a few thousand a month. As long as you have a rental agreement you can register your ARC to that address.
PO box you cannot store mail very long. Depends how moody the staff is. we have a few po boxes in different places, and none are willing to hold onto registered stuff more than a week. some get downright rude.
A workaround for po boxes as well as home addresses, is you can fill out a paper at the post office that allows mail forwarding. Example: Things are addressed to your po box or your friends house, the paperwork sets in motion their reroute to whatever address you need. This might be a decent workaround to send to your friends house. reroute it there and leave him a stamp for receiving.
Issue with this is it only lasts 6 months. you need to go resign, in person, to renew. As I remember it is free. Ot perhaps very cheap.
potential issue:many government places wont allow you to use a po box, we have argued to no end with places like traffic department, wont budge. I tell them if we have late fees for say speeding tickets or something they sent us but doesnt arrive. I need to write the head honcho, refuse payment and give evidence why we will not pay the late fees, just the fine. Maybe someday they will change? some are fine. check first!
I’ve been wondering how I will maintain my APRC and NHI when I retire and no longer live here full time. Am I expected to keep leasing an apartment all year every year, even when I’m not here, just so I have a physical address? Or do I have to convince a friend to let me use their address? (I know people who have done this, but I’m also told immigration lawyers advise homeowners/landlords not to allow it.)
Surely enough people have this need that there should be an officially acceptable way to do it, since one isn’t required to live here all year in order to maintain the APRC?
Apologies if this was already answered somewhere in the 230-ish posts in this thread.
Never answered here as this is relating to tax residence issues, however I think that as long as you have a valid A(P)RC and keep paying the premiums, no one will cancel it unless you ask for it
Any idea why immigration lawyers advise against this?
A related issue is for NWOHRs born abroad who want to establish HHR under the new 2024 law (allowing immediate HHR establishment without a 1-year TARC wait), but who do not have a permanent address of their own in Taiwan. For now, the only way I see to solve this is for the applicant to sign some kind of a lease contract with a traditional apartment, that can then be used as evidence of an address, that can then be used to establish HHR. But that’s inconvenient because you’re dealing with an unknown landlord (who may be evading taxes and wanting to avoid any kind of official acknowledgement that anyone is renting a room), and the lease may have some minimum term like a 1-year rental.
I think there is a business opportunity here if someone in Taiwan (a Forumosan perhaps?) could open up a short-term, month-to-month, dormitory-style residence where people would be allowed to rent and live in a room for some months as needed, to register that address with the HHR office or other agencies as needed, and as an option, whenever not living in Taiwan, to pay somewhat less just to keep an “address” to receive mail and possibly store belongings. And if the property would be willing to run a mail scanning and/or forwarding service to overseas, for people like the OP who temporarily moved away but plan to return to Taiwan, that would be even better.
Not sure about the legal implications for the landlord in this case, but as a tenant, I would certainly find such a service convenient.
Not sure, but maybe it’s related to the legality of saying someone lives at your property when they don’t, and/or perhaps liability that could arise from that? Just a guess.
I could see that working as long as no actual mail gets sent there in your name. If it does, and the landlord tells immigration you no longer live there, it could be a problem.
Just make a normal rent contract. A person in not obligated to stay in a place they rent and it the owner is not affected if the person renting is physically there or not.
I don’t see any legal issues.
Well, I keep my scooter registered while I’m away and the dmv has got bounced mail for years and hasn’t said anything yet, as long as they get the $$. Perhaps it’s one of those your milage may vary situations.
