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.
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.
taiwan arc renewal — Read guideWhat's in this guide
- File the ARC renewal before your card expires — Taiwan's National Immigration Agency accepts extension applications in the months before the expiry date.
- The renewal pack covers a valid passport, continued proof of your residence purpose, address proof and the fee; passport issues cause the most delays.
- A change of employer or residence purpose is not a simple renewal — it generally needs a new work permit and a new application rather than an extension.
Recently updated
- 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.
- Tax
Taiwan Income Tax for Foreigners: The 183-Day Line and What It Changes
How Taiwan taxes foreign residents and non-residents — why day counting decides your rate, how withholding works in your first months, and what the May filing season involves.