Taiwan Visa Questions (for a new, full time student)

[etm001]

Hello,

I've been accepted to the MTC at NTNU, and I'll be starting in September 2012. My goal is to study for at least a year. The MTC's FAQ indicates that an online visa application form must be completed and brought to a Taiwan embassy or TECO office when applying for a visa (the MTC FAQ also states that the visa should have a "FR" visa code). Although the online form has an accompanying FAQ, it's not that helpful. Here are some questions I have:

• The form asks whether you are applying for a single or multiple entry visa. I assumed that I would want a multiple entry visa, but I'm not sure is this really matters since I'll be studying full time and don't plan on leaving the country (other than when having to renew my visa, see below).
  
• The form requires that a Taiwan address and telphone be provided. I don't have either, as I'm not sure yet where I'll be living. Do you need a Taiwan address/tephone before a visa is granted?
  
• Is the expiration date of the visa calculated from the date it was granted, or the date you first enter the country? I would think (or hope) it's from the date of entry. If not, I would need to wait until closer to September before applying for it.
  

Some other information I gleaned from this blog post:

• A student visa has to be renewed every two months.
  
• A student visa is good for up to six months, but then you have to leave Taiwan and apply for a new visa (in other words, you can only renew a student visa twice before having to apply for a new one).
  
• After four months, you can apply for an Alien Residency Certificate (ARC), which can be extended indefinitely. It also entitles you to participate in the national healthcare system, have a Taiwan driver's license, etc.
  

Any answers to the above would be greatly appreciated. I'll update this thread with any new information I learn as I go through the visa application process.

[Lu]

I am tempted to answer but realise I don't know anything for sure. When I studied in Taiwan it was with a one year visa, perhaps because the school was already arranged? My best advice at the moment is to also ask this question on the more Taiwan-oriented forums, such as forumosa and tealit.

[OneEye]

You want multiple entry.

I don't remember what I did about an address. I think I put the address of the hostel I would be staying at, but please look into this further before you take my advice.

It's calculated from the date you enter the country.

A student visa is good for two to three months, depending on which country your passport is from. You can renew for up to a total of 6 months. After four months of being enrolled at MTC, you can get an ARC. Start on the process as soon as you hit four months because it takes some time, since you have to get a health check and all that (don't worry, it's fairly affordable). Once you have an ARC, you can go and come as you please, no visa or leaving the country required, for as long as the ARC is valid. If you do leave the country, you can come back without a new visa as long as your ARC is valid (I'm pretty sure). And the ARC is renewable indefinitely, as far as I know, as long as you can still prove residency in Taiwan.

If you have any other questions, I'd say call the MTC office and ask for Jenny. She's very helpful, and she's an American, so language issues won't get in the way of getting the information you need.

And yes, posting on Forumosa would be a good idea too.

[etm001]

Hi,

Thanks Lu and OneEye for the replies. I'll definitely chat with Jenny and check out Forumosa (the site was off line when I first posted this thread).

I'm going to do some research on places to live in Taipei. If I have any questions (I'm sure I will) I'll post them in a new thread.

[aguna]

I'm actually planning to attend the Fall 2012 class in NTNU MTC as well, but I haven't got my ticket yet.

What should I do with the expiration date of the visa? Or I just need to make sure that I have my ticket on my hand before applying?

I just get a little confused because this's a different method of applying visa.

Thank you.

[etm001]

Hi,

Thus far, nothing that I've read on the web indicates that you need a ticket before applying for a visa. I contacted my local TECO office, and they indicated the following was required:

1. your passport
   
2. two 2”x2” photos
   
3. the admission letter
   

I believe the MTU FAQ also states that you should create a "study plan" that describes your studying goals, etc. (At the moment, I can't find the link to the FAQ).

I'll also say that this ebook, availbale for $4.99 USD, contains helpful information about applying for visas, ARCs, etc., in addition to helpful information about daily life in Taiwan. I wasn't sure at first whether it was worth $4.99, since most of the information could probably be found by searching the web. In the end, it definitely found it helpful and worth the small price.

[etm001]

Hi,

I thought I'd update this thread with my experience getting a Taiwan visa. In short, it was very easy (as a US citizen). I went to my local TECO office, and as I indicated earlier, they only needed:

• A completed visa application. (You must use the online form available here).
  
• Two 2"x2" passport photos
  
• The original admission letter from your language school
  
• Application fee ($160, cash is best)
  

I brought a copy of my bank statement and I did create a "study plan", but neither were asked for. I took about 3 business days to process the visa.