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FAQ - Marriage, Foreign Spouses, Divorce

  • Q1: Is a foreigner married to a citizen of the Republic of China who is registered in a household in the Republic of China required to apply for a work permit?

    According to Article 48 of the Employment Services Act, a foreigner married to a citizen of the Republic of China who is registered in a household in the Republic of China is not required to apply for a work permit if his/her residence in the country has been approved.

  • Q2: Do foreign spouses working in R.O.C. territory have to apply for a permit?

    1. Authorized Authority:  Ministry of Labor 

    2. Basis of Laws/Regulations: Article 48, Employment Service Act

    3. Application Procedures: When employing foreigners, the employer should enclose relevant documents to make application to the authorized authority for the permit. However, the foreigners who marry Taiwan citizens who have households registered in R.O.C. territory and are permitted to reside here do not need to apply for the permit.

  • Q3: How do foreign spouses apply for an Alien Residence Certificate?

    I. Authorized Authority: National Immigration Agency

    II. Basis of Laws/Regulations: The Immigration Act and the Enforcement Rules thereof, and the Regulations Governing Visiting, Residency, and Permanent Residency of Aliens.

    III. Application Procedures: Application should be made to the local service center of the National Immigration Agency.

    IV. Required Documents:

    1. A foreign national who enters Taiwan with a residency visa, and modifies the reasons of residency to be joining family.

    (1) An application form.

    (2) One 2” x 2” colored no hat photo, front head and shoulder (the same specifications as required for an ROC(Taiwan) ID card).

    (3) Original passport and residency visa (returned upon verification).

    (4) Original spouse’s ROC Identity Card or original Household Registration Book (returned upon verification).
    (5) Proof of current residence.
    (6) A foreign spouse who is applying for an ARC the first time or applying to modify the residency reason to joining family because of marriage shall be accompanied by his/her Taiwanese spouse, and issued a valid ARC for one year. (One-year term: NT$1,000.)

     

    2. Any foreign national having made entry into Taiwan with a visitor visa valid for over 60 days and has not been restricted from an extension or imposed with other restrictions, may apply for residency and be granted an Alien Resident Certificate (hereinafter referred to as " the ARC") under one of the following conditions:

    (1) An application form.

    (2) One 2” x 2” colored no hat photo, front head and shoulder (the same specifications as required for an ROC(Taiwan) ID card).

    (3) The original passport and visitor visa (returned upon verification).

    (4) A Health Certificate of examinations taken within the past 3 months indicating good health.

    (5) The police records.

    ●The Records shall contain the criminal history of the past 5 years.

    ●An applicant has to submit the Records issued by his/her state of origin within one year starting from the issuing date and not exceeding the validity stated on the document. (The Records should be issued by the nationwide competent authority of the applicant's state of origin, i.e., the Records of a U.S. citizen should be issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (abbreviation as FBI) of the United States of America.)

    ●An applicant who has had residency in Taiwan previously, and is applying for residency after re-entry with a visitor visa, if his/her time outside the border of Taiwan is under 3 months, the applicant does not need to submit the Records of his/her state of origin.

    (6) Original spouse’s ROC Identity Card or original Household Registration Book(returned upon verification).

    (7) Proof of current residence.

    (8) Application fee: NT$1,000 for one year ARC; plus NT$2,200 for Visitor’s Visa changing to residency status.

    V. Notes:

    1. Foreigners entering Taiwan with residence visa should apply for Alien Resident Certificate within 15 days after the day following entry.

    2. Those foreigners who need continuous residence should go to the local service center of the National Immigration Agency to apply for extension within 30 days before expiration of their Alien Resident Certificate.

    3. For those foreigners who apply for an ARC for the first time must be accompanied by their spouses.

    VI. Time needed to review the application: 10 working days. (The receipt must be presented when picking up the ARC).

  • Q4: May foreign spouses in Taiwan participate in vocational training?

    I. Authorized Authority: Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor 

    II. Basis of Laws/Regulations: Paragraph 1 of Article 48, Employment Service Act

    III. Qualifications:

    1. A foreign spouse with a work permit (his/her wife/husband should be an R.O.C. national having household registration in R.O.C. territory and he/she has acquired residence certificate) may participate in t self-conducted training, delegated training or vocational training subsidized by local governments, held by Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor. However, he/she must pay a portion of fees chargeable to trainees.

    2. Those who have obtained an ID card can receive subsidies of 80% or 100% during training as compared with nationals.

  • Q5: How do foreign spouses apply for registration of divorce?
    I. Authorized Authority: Ministry of the Interior (Department of Household Registration)
    II. Basis of Laws/Regulations:  Household Registration Act
    III. Application Procedures:
    A. Divorce in Taiwan:
    1. Divorce by consent
    (1)  The applicant for registration shall be both parties concerned, and the  registration shall be applied for at any household registration office.
    (2)  For due reasons, the party concerned cannot make the application in person, he/she apply for the household registration office’s approval to.
    (3) The effective date of divorce will be the day on which the registration of divorce is completed at the household registration office.
    2. Divorce by decree of court
    (1)The applicant for registration shall be both parties concerned. However, for divorce through final court decree, court mediation or court settlement, the applicant shall be one of the parties concerned. The registration shall be applied for at any household registration office.
    (2)  For due reasons, the party concerned cannot make the application in person, he/she shall apply for the household registration office’s approval to entrust some other person with a Letter of Proxy to make such application.
    (3) The effective date of divorce will be the day on which the decree, mediation or settlement is made by the court.
    B. Divorce abroad:
    1. The applicant for registration shall be both parties concerned. However, for divorce through final court decree, the applicant shall be one of the parties concerned. They shall submit related documents to ROC embassies, consulates general, consulates, representative offices, or offices (hereinafter referred to as “Diplomatic Missions”), or to, organizations or civilian groups in Hong Kong and Macau designated by the Executive Yuan, to have them authenticated. After authentication, the documents will be forwarded to the household registration office where the applicant’s place of domicile is, or was originally, registered for divorce registration; or register in person at any household registration office.
    2. For due reasons, the party concerned cannot make the application in person, he/she shall apply for the household registration office's approval to entrust some other person with a Letter of Proxy to make such application. The Letter of Proxy made abroad should be certified by Diplomatic Missions.
    IV. Required Documents:
    1. Divorce in Taiwan: The concerned parties' IDs (passport or Permanent Resident Certificate for foreigner), a full-face color photo taken within the past two years that meets the specifications, Household Certificate of the R.O.C. national and divorce agreement, court’s judgment, final verdict, or court’s mediation or settlement record.
    2. Divorce abroad: The concerned parties' IDs (passport or Permanent Resident Certificate for foreigner), a full-face color photo taken within the past two years that meets the specifications, Household Certificate of the R.O.C. national, original and Chinese translation copy of divorce certificate, or registration of divorce filed with the foreign government, the documents made abroad shall be certified by Diplomatic Missions.
  • Q6: How do foreign spouses who overstay their visas apply to exit the country?

    I. Authorized authority: The National Immigration Agency
    II. Basis of Laws/Regulations: The Immigration Act and the Enforcement Rules thereof, and the Regulations Governing Visiting, Residency, and Permanent Residency of Aliens, and Penalty Standards for Fine Cases Subject to Immigration Act.
    III. Required Documents: Application should be submitted to the local service center of the National Immigration Agency.

    1. Foreigners who have overstay less than 30 days:
    (1) An application form.
    (2) The original passport
    (3) Original spouse’s ROC Identity Card or original Household Registration Book.
    (4) Pay the fine of overstay.
    (5) Apply a new ARC (NT1,000).
    2. Foreigners who have overstayed less than 90 days: fines can be paid and exit can be processed at the Airport or Port Brigades of the Border Affairs Corps or the local service center of the National Immigration Agency.
    3. Foreigners have overstayed more than 91 days.
    (1) Go to the local NIA’s specialized brigade to make a statement of their overstay.
    (2) The original passport
    (3) Go to the local NIA’s service center to pay the fine and apply for an exit permit.

    IV. Notes:
    Standards of fines imposed upon foreigners who overstay are as follows:

    1. Overstay by 10 days and less: a fine of NT$ 2,000
    2. Overstay by 11 ~ 30 days: a fine of NT$ 4,000
    3. Overstay by 31 ~ 60 days: a fine of NT$6,000
    4. Overstay by 61 ~ 90 days: a fine of NT$ 8,000
    5. Over stay by91 days or more: a fine of NT$10,000
    6. For persons less than 18 years of age: 50% of the above fines