Pissed. Wasted 3 hours. Was never an issue in the US and my home country. Couldn’t open a bank account in Taipei since my ARC address is in Taichung. I’m currently in Taipei looking for an apartment. Monthly Airbnb in Taipei didn’t work.
Bank’s explanation: It’s weird that your address is in Taichung.
NIA wouldn’t let you change your ARC address with an Airbnb receipt?
Hmmm! Perhaps get your new address settled, then get your ARC updated (in your new NIA district), then deal with the bank? In the meantime, it doesn’t really matter that your previous bank (I assume you have one?) is in Taichung, as you can still keep using it as before.
Did I get that right?
Guy
It costs 500 NTD and 2 weeks to get a new ARC in my case. I was doing an Airbnb temporarily so I could find a permanent place in the meantime. I didn’t want to change my ARC address right now since it would need another change in a month or so.
Don’t have a bank in Taichung unfortunately. Been using a foreign debit card which is annoying to deal with.
I’d do the usual spiel: Go to a different brach of
that bank and try again. Or change the bank.
How about opening an account in Taichung and later move it to Taipei?
OK, do you now have an employer in Taipei? If so, does that employer require you to use a specific bank? Then go for that choice based on your employment contract, which you can show to the bank to get this done.
I hope you can sort this out.
Guy
Have employer in Taipei with no specific bank requirement.
Bring your work contract in and show the bank.
Put on a sad (not outraged) foreigner face.
Tell them you’ll be updating your ARC soon.
And if that doesn’t work, find another bank. : )
Guy
Beware, when your residential address changes, it is mandatory to update it to the immigration and get a new ARC in the next 15 days, otherwise you can get fined.
No way the NIA will go after the OP for that.
Once you find a place, then update your ARC without delay. Should be good enough!
Guy
Yeah a hotel/short term airbnb is not an address change.
I know someone who was fined last week for this. They went to his house and the neighbours and landlord said he hadn’t lived there for months. It is rare but it happens. I had NIA officers at my house a few years ago, but my address was right so no issue.
I don’t think the OP is in this situation.
And I don’t think the NIA really has the manpower to do this widely, especially in the absence of other irregularities.
Guy
Wow. Wonder what these guys were on about?
Are you sure you’re not mixing up the ROC and the PRC? 
Guy
As far as I know, they check on everyone with a marriage ARC. They are checking you actually live with your spouse, that was the reason for the visit in my case. You may not even know they have visited as they talk to your neighbours or security guards.
It seems that are worried about scam marriages. Must be linked to human trafficking and related issues. I doubt very much any of this applies to the OP who simply needs a bank account!
Guy
I also remember reading here recently about the authorities checking up on people’s home addresses, but don’t remember the specifics - maybe a local census or something?.
In addition to that, my girlfriend mentioned a couple of weeks ago that our landlady had told her that she’d received some letter and the authorities (police? NIA? Not sure) might be coming by to check that we lived here. It seemed a bit surprising to me as well, but maybe somebody else knows more?
One other thing that surprised me a couple of times recently is how interconnected local databases seem to be. For example, when i registered with NHI in September the clerk knew the name of my girlfriend and asked what our relationship was, and when I opened a Mega Bank account earlier this month the teller knew which other banks I’d opened accounts with recently and when. I wasn’t aware that so much data gets shared between various organizations, especially private (or private-ish) companies like banks.
Interesting…
It looks like the newly established Ministry of Digital Affairs (or whatever it is called) has been busy at work.
Guy