I. Apply for a Visitor Visa Extension
1. Required documents
- Multiple-Purpose Application Form for Foreigners (Pick up at the CLC office)
- A passport with Visitor visa
- An Enrollment Verification of THU & attendance record (Apply from the CLC office)
- Fee: Free
2. Requirements & Notes
- Issuing Authority：National Immigration Agency – Taichung Service Office
- The applicant holds at least 60-day visitor visa without a stamp of no-extension. The applicant shall apply for extension within 15days before the expiry date of their visitor visa. Foreigners who authorize an agent shall submit an authorization statement on the application form or attach an authorization letter.
- The duration of stay starts from the day following arrival.
- Those who hold landing visa or visa-exempt to enter Taiwan may not apply for extension.
- Each extension must not exceed the originally permitted period on the visa. The cumulative length of stay must not exceed six months or 180 days.
-
In case of forces major or other major events and the stay period may exceed six months or 180 days, the visitor visa holder shall go the local NIA’s service center and apply for extension in advance.
II. Apply for an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC)
Starting from January 1, 2024, individuals holding visitor visas for the purpose of studying in Taiwan must apply for a ARC before the expiration of their stay period. This can be done at the service stations of the immigration teams in various districts, directly governed cities, counties, or through the online application system
1. Required documents
- One recent, front-facing, color, passport-sized photo taken within the last 2 years
- Original passport with blank pages and at least six months validity and one copy of it
- Visitor visa page
- A certificate of study (The completion of four months of study and matriculation for another course for at least three months)& an attendance record (The completion of four months of study; the rate of absence cannot over 25% of the classes)
- Health certificate issued within the last three months. Items Required for Health Certificate (Type B)
- Proof of current residence (such as a lease agreement, submission of a photocopy of the property ownership deed if assisted by the property owner, including both sides of the Taiwanese property owner's ID card and a letter of consent from the property owner, or other sufficient documents proving the applicant's actual residential address
- Supporting documents or official letters of approval from a competent authority of the ROC; and other relevant documents
2. Notes
- Issuing Authority：National Immigration Agency – Taichung Service Office
- Fee：The fee for each foreign resident permit is NT$1,000 per year. However, for those applying through visa-exempt entry or holding a visitor visa upon entry, an additional NT$2,200 will be charged.
- Review processing time: Ten working days (excluding time for returns, supplements, and interviews). If the application documents are incorrect or incomplete, the applicant should make corrections within fifteen days from the day following the notification. For applicants from overseas, mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, the correction period is three months for incorrect or incomplete documents. Failure to make corrections within the specified period or incomplete corrections will result in the rejection of the application (after correction, a new calculation of ten working days for reevaluation).
- A stay visa is valid for one hundred and eighty days; those marked with "No Extension" may apply.
- Applications may be submitted starting fifteen days before the expiration of the stay period.
- The effective period of the Alien Resident Certificate begins from the day after approval.
- For those studying Mandarin Chinese, the maximum validity period of the Alien Resident Certificate shall not exceed one year.
- If applicants are unable to obtain the Alien Resident Certificate before the expiration of the stay period, please leave the country within the specified time.