0929 Guidelines for Online Application for Residence, Extension of Residence, and Registration of Changes for Foreign Students and Overseas Compatriot Students
- Date：
- Source：Residency Section 2
- Hit：2652
- Updated date：2026-08-28
(1) Articles 22, 23, 23-1, 31, and Subparagraphs 2 and 3 of Article 85 of the Immigration Act (hereinafter referred to as "the Act").
(2) Articles 5, 6, 9, and 12 of Regulations Governing Visiting, Residency, and Permanent Residency of Aliens.
2. Eligible Applicants:
(1) Students permitted to study in the Republic of China (R.O.C. (Taiwan), hereinafter referred to as “the State”) by schools approved by the competent authorities to admit international students.
(2) Overseas compatriot students permitted to study in the State by the competent authorities, universities, or overseas joint admission committees formed by universities.
(3) Overseas compatriot students who return to study in the State and are distributed by the competent authority of overseas community affairs, then forwarded to various levels of educational administrative agencies for allocation.
(4) Those who have reached the age of eighteen (18), who were originally granted residency based on the reason of being dependent lineal ascendants, and who are students enrolled in schools approved by educational administrative authorities at all levels to admit foreign students, or overseas students studying in the State.
(5) Students who have studied for a minimum of four (4) months at Mandarin teaching institutions affiliated with higher education institutions accredited by the Ministry of Education and continue their registration for more than three (3) months.
(6) Students originally permitted to reside for the purpose of learning Mandarin, and are permitted to study in the State by schools approved by the competent authorities to admit international students.
3. Required Documents:
(1) Joint Documents:
a. Passport.
b. A recent, 2-inch, half-body, uncovered head photo taken within the last two (2) years (following the same specifications as a national ID photo).
(2) Individual Documents:
a. Applicants for residency:
(i) Applicants under Subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the preceding point: A resident visa or a visitor visa for the purpose of study, an admission permit or proof of enrollment issued within one (1) month, proof of residence address in the State. Applicants holding a visitor visa shall additionally submit a health examination certificate issued within the last three (3) months.
(ii) Applicants under Subparagraph 3 of the preceding point: A resident visa, a visitor visa of sixty (60) days or more with no restrictions endorsed or an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), an admission permit or proof of enrollment issued within one (1) month, proof of residence address in the State. Applicants holding a visitor visa must also submit a health examination certificate issued within the last three (3) months.
(iii)Applicants under Subparagraphs 4 or 6 of the preceding point: A Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), an admission permit or proof of enrollment issued within one (1) month.
(iv)Applicants under Subparagraph 5 of the preceding point: A resident visa or a visitor visa for the purpose of studying Mandarin, proof of enrollment and registration (proof of enrollment must indicate completion of at least four (4) months of study and continuous registration for at least three (3) months, with attendance records showing a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of classes per week from Monday to Friday, with absences, including approved leave, not exceeding one-fourth of the total class hours), evidence of residence in the State. Applicants holding a visitor visa must also submit a health examination certificate issued within the last three (3) months.
b. Applicants seeking to extend their residence: A Alien Resident Certificate, proof of enrollment issued within one (1) month. Applicants applying for the purpose of studying Mandarin shall additionally submit proof of attendance for the most recent semester (with absences, including leave hours, not exceeding one-fourth of the total class hours). The validity period of the residence permit shall be issued based on the validity period of the proof of enrollment (not exceeding six (6) months at maximum), with the total duration of stay and residency, in principle, not exceeding two (2) years.
c. Applicants requesting registration of information changes: An Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), documentary evidence of the change(s) (depending on the nature of the change), including relevant proofs such as proof of residence address, updated passport, or, in the case of lost or replaced documents, a declaration of loss or a police report.
4. Application Procedure and Certificate Collection:
(1) Applicants shall register an account and apply for the Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) through “Online Application System for Foreign and Overseas Chinese, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, Nationals without registered household in the Taiwan Area Students” of the National Immigration Agency (NIA), accessible via the website: https://coa.immigration.gov.tw/coa-frontend/student/entry (hereinafter referred to as “the online system”).
(2) After completing the online application and uploading required supporting documents, applicants shall make the payment within five (5) working days from the approval date, using various methods such as online ATMs, virtual accounts, or e-Bill nationwide payment network.
(3) Method of Collection:
a. Electronic Alien Resident Certificate (ARC): After completing the payment through the online system, applicants shall download and print the electronic ARC, which is valid for six (6) months or less.
b. Smart-chip Alien Resident Certificate (ARC): Applicants should download and print the online payment receipt from the online system. They shall then collect the smart-chip ARC at the designated NIA service center specified at the time of application, three (3) working days after payment has been completed (applicants applying for extension must return the old certificate).
5. Fees:
(1) The fee for the Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) is NTD 1,000 per certificate per year. Applicants who entered the State on a visitor visa, an additional NTD 2,200 is charged. Applicants applying as overseas compatriot students are entitled to a fifty percent (50%) reduction in fees.
(2) For the reissuance of the ARC due to damage, destruction, loss, or for updating personal information such as changes in name (in both Chinese and English), date of birth, gender, photograph, etc., a fee of NTD 500 per certificate is charged (new document issuance is required).
6. Processing Time: Five (5) working days. Applicants with incomplete or insufficient documents must submit required supporting documents fifteen (15) days from the day of notification. For those who need to apply from overseas, the rectification period is extended to three (3) months. Failure to submit required supporting documents or incomplete submission by the deadline will result in the rejection of the application. After rectification, the processing time will be recalculated with a duration of five (5) working days.
7. Notes:
(1) The required documents must be uploaded to the online system as color images with a file size of no more than 512KB, formatted as JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, or PDF. The content must be clear and legible, and the file names should correspond to the type of document. The applicant's photo uploaded must be a color image with unnecessary blank margins removed. The face should occupy approximately two-thirds of the image area, and it must be recognizable as the same person as shown in the passport.
(2) Documents produced overseas must be accompanied by a Chinese translation and authenticated by the overseas mission. If the overseas mission only authenticates the document and not the Chinese translation, then the Chinese translation must be notarized by courts (or notary public) in the State.
(3) Any R.O.C. (Taiwan) national residing in the Taiwan Area with household registration, who has entered the State on a foreign passport and intends to apply for residency or an extension of residency, shall first apply to a household registration office for cancelation of household registration. The NIA will not process applications for males approaching or reaching the age of mandatory military service who have not yet fulfilled their military service obligation if any of the following conditions is met:
a. The applicant does not hold an Overseas Compatriot Identity Certificate for Military Service Purposes.
b. An overseas compatriot conscript who has resided in the State for 183 days (i.e., continuous residence of 183 days), or has accumulated residence for 183 days within any calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
c. They are subjects to conscription processing and are prohibited from leaving the country in accordance with the laws.
(4) Foreign students and overseas compatriot students should apply for residency within thirty (30) days after entering the State. Failure to apply within the specified period shall result in a fine of not less than NTD 2,000 and not more than NTD 10,000.
(5) When there is a change in the residential address, the applicant must prepare the necessary documents and apply for registration of the change within thirty (30) days from the day after the change occurs. Individuals who fail to apply for registration of changes as required shall be subject to a fine of not less than NTD 2,000 and not more than NTD 10,000.
(6) For the extension of the Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), it should be applied for within three (3) months before the expiration of the residence period. If the individual overstays their residency period for less than thirty (30) days and the original reason for residency still exists, they may reapply for residency after being penalized according to Paragraph 2 of Article 74- 1 of the Act. If the individual overstays their residency period for thirty (30) days or more and has been penalized accordingly, they must reapply for a visa to enter the State after departing.
(7) The health examination certificate must comply with the health check items announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. For examinations conducted domestically, individuals must visit the designated hospitals for health checks on foreigners, as announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. If the examination is conducted overseas, it should be verified by the overseas mission. If the examination items are incomplete, individuals must supplement the omitted examination item(s) at a designated hospital in the State.
(8) For individuals born in the Mainland Area and originally hold household registration in the Mainland Area, in addition to providing supporting documents according to Article 7 of Enforcement Rules for the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, demonstrating residence overseas for more than four (4) years (such as passport entry and exit records, or entry and exit certificates issued by the competent authority in the place of overseas residence), the applicant shall also submit one of the following documents:
a. The original certificate authenticated by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) proving that the individual does not have household registration in the Mainland Area.
b. The original certificate of cancellation of Mainland Area household registration authenticated by the SEF.
c. Other supporting documents demonstrating the loss of status as the people of the Mainland Area (such as entry and exit inspection stamps for Mainland Area appearing in a foreign passport, visas or residence permits for in the mainland China appearing in a foreign passport, Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macau Residents, employment permits for foreign nationals issued in Mainland Area authenticated by the SEF, adoption certificates authenticated by a foreign court, or other documents sufficient to demonstrate that household registration has not been maintained in Mainland Area). Where deemed necessary, the NIA may require the applicant to submit one of the supporting documents referred to in the preceding two subparagraphs.
(9) Applicants who fail to complete the change of purpose of residence, or fail to obtain an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) before the expiration of their period of stay or residence shall depart the State within the prescribed period. For those whose change of purpose of residence has been approved, the validity period of their residence shall be re-determined.
(10) Applicants who enter the State on a visitor visa and apply for an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), but depart the State during the application process shall be deemed to have withdrawn the application, and their applications will be closed and archived accordingly. If they subsequently re-enter the State on a visitor visa and meet the requirements stipulated in Paragraph 4 of Article 23 of the Act, they shall submit a new application.
Related File(s)
- 0929 Guidelines for Online Application for Residence, Extension of Residence, and Registration of Changes for Foreign Students and Overseas Compatriot Students pdf