Living in Taiwan, explained properly.
ARC, banking, health insurance, tax and housing — written for people who actually have to do it, and sourced from the published rules.
How to extend a visa in Taiwan: step-by-step (visitor visa and ARC)
The exact process for extending a visa in Taiwan: where to go, when to apply, what documents to bring, fees and processing time for both a visitor visa extension and an ARC stay extension.
how to extend visa in taiwan — Read guideWhat's in this guide
- A Taiwan visitor visa is extended only in person at an NIA service counter, can be submitted no later than 15 days before the expiry date, and the fee is NT$300.
- For an ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) the extension is filed no later than 3 months before expiry, processing takes around 10 working days, and fees run from NT$1,000 for one year up to NT$5,000 for five years.
- Both applications are done on paper — there is no fully online route for the standard cases — so the practical step is to book a service visit, bring the listed documents, and keep the receipt while the case is processed.
Recently updated
- Visa
Can I Extend My Visa in Taiwan? Eligibility by Entry Type
Which Taiwan visas can be extended and which cannot — the 60-day visitor visa rule, the 180-day stay cap, visas marked 'no extension', landing and visa-waiver entries, and the separate ARC renewal for long-stay residents.
- Visa
Taiwan Visa Extension: Visitor Stay and ARC Renewal Explained
How to extend a visitor visa in Taiwan, the 180-day stay cap, the NT$300 fee, and the separate ARC (resident certificate) renewal that long-stay residents actually use.
- Visa
Taiwan Gold Card: Eligibility, Salary Route and How to Apply
The Taiwan Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, ARC and re-entry permit in one. Eligibility fields, the NT$160,000 salary route, 1-3 year validity, and the online application process.
- Visa
Taiwan ARC Renewal: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Renewing on Time
How to renew your Taiwan Alien Resident Certificate without a gap — when the renewal window opens, what you bring, and which situations require a new application rather than an extension.
- Banking
Opening a Bank Account in Taiwan: ARC, Seals and Which Branch Says Yes
What foreigners actually need to open a Taiwanese bank account — the two-document rule, the personal seal question, why branches differ, and the post office fallback.
- Visa
Taiwan ARC: What It Is, Who Needs One, and How Renewal Works
The Alien Resident Certificate is the document everything else in Taiwan hangs off — banking, health insurance, phone contracts. Here is how you get one, when to renew, and what catches people out.
- Living
Taiwan NHI for Foreigners: When Coverage Starts and How It Works Day to Day
Taiwan's National Health Insurance is famously good — but foreigners' enrolment timing depends on employment status. Here is who enrols when, what it costs conceptually, and how using it actually works.
- Phone
Getting a SIM Card in Taiwan: Prepaid vs Contract, and the Two-ID Rule
How foreigners get connected in Taiwan — airport prepaid SIMs, the two-document rule, when a postpaid contract becomes possible, and why your phone number matters more here than you expect.