The ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) is your ticket to Taipei. It can be a little frustrating getting your ARC but all foreigners need one. Your place of employment or school should help you out with any major problems you may run into. For this guide I am assuming that you have not yet left for Taiwan. If you have already completed some of the steps just move on down the page.

Supplies:the main things you will need are a passport with six months of validity, an employer or school to sponsor you, a visitor visa, six passport size photos, a health check and an ARC application. You may also need a bank statement, and a diploma depending on your employer.


     
Step 1 : find an employer

       While it's possible to find a job after you arrive in Taipei, it is much better to set something up before you arrive here. Once you arrive in Taipei you will have 2 months on your visitor visa before you have to leave the country again. If you wait until you arrive in Taiwan to find a job you will be hard pressed to find a job and get your ARC before your two months is up. Good places to look for jobs are Glowfish Jobs , Dave's ESL Cafe and Tealit.

       
Step 2: get a visitors visa

       Before arriving in Taiwan you will need to get a 60 day visitor's visa from a TECO (Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office) center. For a list of US and Canadian centers click here. If you don't get a sixty day visa before arriving in Taiwan you will have to make an extra trip outside of the country to renew your visa which can be costly and time consuming. When going to the TECO office bear in mind that it the process cannot be completed in a day and you will likely have to have your visa mailed to you (along with your passport which you must leave with the office) or you will have to stay in the city an extra day.

visa supplies: To get the visa you will need a passport, your flight ticket, some cash and three passport photos. When you get your visa make sure that you say you are coming for vacation and don't list yourself as a teacher or student.




Step 3: get your health check certificate

        You will have to go to the hospital to get your health check certificate. For more information on your health check visit our guide here. You will have to wait a few days after applying before your health certificate is ready for pick up. You will be responsible for picking up the certificate from the same place where you got the examination. Remember, no STDS, no amphetamines and only small amounts of morphine.



Step 4: get your work permit

        The work permit/student permit is one of the main documents you will need to get your resident visa which you will need to get your ARC. Thankfully your school or employer will do most of the work for you. Depending on your sponsor you will have to fill out different forms to get your permit. The processing will take 2-3 weeks while the government decides whether or not you are cleared for a work permit.


Step 5: apply for resident visa

       To get your ARC you will need to change your visitors visa to a resident visa. Once again your school/employer will do all the work, you just sign a few papers. You will also have to give your passport and some money to your sponsor. The visa costs 4,400nt for American citizens and 3,000nt for most other countries. It will take about a week for your new visa to be processed.

Step 6: apply for your ARC

       After getting your new visa you will have 15 days to get to the police office and apply for your ARC. The police office is located at Guangzhou st. It's a bit of a walk from the Ximen MRT station. If you get off the MRT at Zhonghua rd. and walk south you will arrive at the police station in about ten minutes. Once you get to the police station you will have to show them your passport (with the valid resident visa inside), a work permit (from the government given to you by your employer), an employment certificate (a piece of paper from your employer saying you work for them), two passport pictures (they have a photo machine at the police station), an application form (available at the police station) and 1000nt per year that you will be staying in Taiwan(500nt if you are a student). Inside the police station you will have to take a number and then wait to be called. They are usually quite busy and you may be waiting for a while. It's never a bad idea to bring a book. If you decide to leave and come back don't be surprised if your number has been called and you are forced to weasel your way into the line making everyone else have to wait that much longer. If you are this person then try waiting like everyone else instead of being an ass hole.