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What is the difference between a residence permit, a residence permit, and an ID card? What you need to know about the "three certificates" for immigrating to Taiwan
Many Hong Kong people immigrate to Taiwan to obtain a Taiwan ID card, so that they can travel to and from Taiwan more conveniently, and enjoy its advanced and comprehensive health insurance system, educational resources, living allowances and other national benefits. More importantly, after obtaining a Taiwan ID card, there is no need to Give up Hong Kong and Macau SAR passports or BNO, this special preferential policy for Hong Kong and Macau people, even before the social situation in Hong Kong is not tense, many Hong Kong people have already listed "culturally similar" Taiwan as their first choice for immigration .
Under normal circumstances, no matter which method you use to immigrate to Taiwan (8 minutes to understand 5 ways for Hong Kong people to immigrate to Taiwan (2020 new version)), you must go through the "Trilogy of Obtaining a Permit" during the process: Residence Permit->Residence Permit- > ID card, then, what is the difference between these three "certificates"?
1. Residence Permit
The residence permit is an identity document used by the government of the Republic of China to prove that foreigners and nationals without household registration legally reside in Taiwan. It can be used for residence in Taiwan, application for health insurance, visa-free entry and exit in Taiwan, etc. In terms of work, if you want to work, you can apply for a work permit to the Labor Bureau with your residence permit (except for investment immigration). It should be noted that those who live in Taiwan with a residence permit need to renew their permit every one and a half to two years.
2. Residence Permit
Holding a residence permit and meeting the qualifications for naturalization (leaving the country for <30 days within one year, or staying in Taiwan for >270 days each year for two consecutive years), you can apply for a residence permit. At this time, the residence permit will be confiscated, and the residence permit requires 30 days Built-in membership.
3. ID card
You can apply for an ID card only after you have a residence permit. After successfully obtaining an ID card, it means that you are a citizen of Taiwan, have the right to vote, enjoy national benefits and fulfill national obligations. If you need to go abroad, you need to apply for a passport with your ID card. By the way, on March 5, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China updated the list of "Countries and regions where Chinese citizens can travel visa-free". There are 112 countries/regions for the Republic of China Taiwan Passport visa-free.
The difference between the three "certificates" of residence permit, residence permit and ID card is, in the final analysis, the difference between "residence permit" and "ID card". The differences between the two mainly include the following:
- No national subsidy
- no voting rights
- No Taiwan passport
- Cannot hold public office
In addition to the above points, the residence permit is actually the same as the ID card, which can meet all the needs in Taiwan, such as the same health insurance benefits (Taiwan’s national health insurance system), and can buy cars, houses, loans, rent houses, apply for telecommunications, surf the Internet, Traveling abroad, changing license plates, doing business...etc.
In addition, it is worth noting that Taiwan does not accept dual nationals to be naturalized in Taiwan. If you already have a foreign passport (except BNO or SAR passport), you must give up your foreign status before you can become a Taiwanese citizen and get an ID card. However, the residence card status does not need to give up foreign status, and there is no restriction on staying in Taiwan, and only needs to be renewed every two years. The residence card status does not require military service even if it is 18 to 36 years old.
Therefore, if you don't want to give up your foreign status, don't want to live in Taiwan for a long time, don't want to serve in the army, and don't mind voting rights or subsidies, then a residence permit is enough. But I believe that for many Hong Kong people, renewal is quite troublesome. More importantly, if the Taiwan authorities introduce new policies, it may lead to changes in the application conditions, validity period and scope of use of the residence permit. , Therefore, I would rather spend a little more time and money in the early stage to obtain a Taiwan ID card once and for all.
