Hi people — I've spent the last 2 (v. caffeinated) days trawling through Forumosa threads and Taiwanese government websites, trying to get a feel for the red tape hoops I'm gonna be jumping through when I land in Taipei in a few weeks time.

Any help clarifying the deal would be v. appreciated. Let me outline my situation and what I think are my options:

I'm coming from the UK to try and find work teaching English. I don't have a job lined up, hence no resident visa. In fact, I don't have a visa at all, as I understand British nationals don't need one - we can get in with this visa-exemption.

Obviously to stay long-term though I'll need the resident visa. So I'll try to get a job lined up, work permit through, health check done etc... and then apply for my resident visa. Now it seems like there are two routes I could go down here:

1. Change my visa-exemption into a visitor visa and then change this into a resident visa. Looks like I can do all of this in Taiwan: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=77110&start=80, http://iff.immigration.gov.tw/enfront/life.php?id=603&tr_id=2. It'll cost several thousand NT$ (and a guinness) but it's preferable to
2. A visa-run. Leave Taiwan and get a resident visa in a foreign 'embassy' upon returning to the country.

I'd like to aim for the first option. But one thing bothers me. BOCA says ([url]http://www.boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1309&ctNode=533&mp=2
[/url]) that in order to get my ARC, I have to apply for it within 15 days of arriving. Needless to say, even if I set about job-hunting and visa-bagging the second I arrive, it's still going to take longer than 15 days for all the visas and permits to be secured. So perhaps a visa-run becomes the only way to get my ARC within those 15 days...?

I'll phone my local TRO on monday and ask them all these questions, but I'm anticipating they might not be that helpful. If anyone has any experience or expertise on all this guff I'd be very grateful for a slice of it. (And if anyone can show me a way to go STRAIGHT from visa-exemption to Resident Visa & ARC I'll become your most devout and pious follower)

I am in the exact same situation bettyburke. I was planning to just go with the Guinness method. It seems there is so much conflicting information. On the British ROC website it says you cannot change a visa-exempt to any other visa. However on another page it has this:

"1. Visitors who have entered Taiwan on visa-exempt entries or on landing visas, who subsequently obtain white collar work permits within 30 days of entry into Taiwan, may apply for an Employment Visitor Visa at Boca Taipei Headquarters, or at its branch offices in Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Hualien. The dependents, spouse and children of the visa holder may apply for a Dependents Visitor Visa accordingly."

So it seems we have 30 days to obtain work after entering Taiwan. I am sure your local TRO will just tell you that if you want to work, you should get a resident visa direct from them (that's what they told me).

This is all contrary to any actual experiences I've heard of. I haven't heard of a single person who entered on a visa exempt status that didn't have to leave the country to obtain either a visitor or resident visa.

But, just because I've never seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist....

The 15 days means you have to get your ARC within 15 days of arriving on, or receiving a residence visa. Doesn't apply if you don't arrive on a residence visa, so don't worry about that bit.

Tazuk — you're not wrong about all the conflicting information. It's more like a debate than policy! I hadn't come across that Employment Visitor Visa route you mention, so cheers, looks like it could be worth a bash. I'll try putting it to my TRO and let you know if they say anything vaguely useful.

Big Fluffy — one less complication to encounter, that's good news. cheers

I think the employment visitor visa is actually just the first step of the "Guinness method". It is just nice to have this step verified somewhere by the Taiwanese authorities. I assume after obtaining that employment visitor visa, one would then have to get an ARC ("Guinness method" part 2).

ok so TRO edinburgh weren't much use. think the women must have been a trainee. the only thing she was sure of was that you need to leave the country and do a visa-run in order to get the resident visa. she was adamant about that. now that seems to be the general consensus, but I'm encouraged by the stories of people who have got their ARC without leaving. anyway, I'm gonna go to TRO london next week and try to get a visitor visa. I'm not holding my breathe. report back with findings...

Does anyone know what happens if I have a visitor visa, but on my most recent entry they stamped me as "visa exempt permit, 30 days"? Am I actually limited to 30 days even though I have a 60-day visa, just because the guy messed up and I wasn't paying attention (doh!)?

I'm hoping I can just get it fixed (changed to a visa entry)....should I just call Immigration?

Never mind, looks like I got it dealt with, thanks to my awesome native-Chinese-speaker girlfriend....she called the NIA for me ("border control department" or something). They told her that in these cases either:

1. If you're really just staying for 60 days, you can just pretend they gave you the right stamp, and stay for 60 days (since you DO have the visa).

OR

2. If you're going to need to change your visa to a resident visa (or perhaps if you need to get it extended?), then you'll first have to get the stamp fixed, which you can do by bringing or mailing your passport to such-and-such address in Taoyuan.

I'll be taking the second option, since I'm trying to get a job and a work permit.