Suppose a caller says there is a problem with your Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and asks you to send a passport scan to a messaging account. Before sending it, contact the National Immigration Agency (NIA) through a number you obtained independently.
The NIA's June 9, 2026 fraud-prevention notice advises people receiving unfamiliar calls or messages to note the details and check through official channels or the 165 anti-fraud hotline. A call by itself does not tell you whether the request is genuine.
Make the verification call yourself
Write down the name, unit, extension and file number the caller gives you, along with the document or payment requested. Treat these as details to check. Open the NIA's service-center directory independently and call the relevant office. Ask whether that unit made the contact, which file it concerns, and how you should respond. A callback number supplied in the same message is still part of the unverified contact.
End the original call before making the new one. In a November 24, 2024 warning, Taiwan's police described callers who instructed victims to press 165 without hanging up, then connected them to accomplices. The police instruction is to disconnect first and then verify. Being “transferred to 165” by the person you are checking is not an independent call.
Which contact can answer which question?
| What you need to establish | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Whether a contact or document request relates to your NIA application | The service center handling your application, using its number in the official directory. Have your own application receipt available. |
| English-language guidance on residence matters and finding the appropriate office | Dial 1990 from within Taiwan. The NIA lists English service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. |
| Whether a suspicious demand resembles a fraud attempt | Dial 165 yourself. The police warning also directs people who discover a fraud to 165 or 110 for assistance. |
The 1990 service provides advice about residence and other aspects of living in Taiwan. For a pending application, ask the responsible office to confirm what its file requires. The English service hours above apply to 1990; they are not a statement about language availability on 165.
A document request and a payment demand need separate checks
An application can legitimately require identity documents and a fee. For example, the NIA's student residence guidelines dated August 28, 2026 list a passport among the required documents and describe uploading supporting documents and paying through the online application process. That example concerns the students covered by those guidelines; it is not a procedure for every ARC holder.
Ask the verified office to identify the missing document, the reason it is needed, the submission channel and any applicable deadline. If payment is due, confirm the application it relates to, the amount, the official payment method and how you will obtain a receipt. Use the agency's own website or an existing application account reached independently, rather than following a new link while the caller directs you.
Do not give an unverified caller a passport or ARC copy, bank password or payment verification code. The police's March 10, 2025 warning advises checking demands for transfers and identity or financial documents through 165 or 110. Confirming an official need for a passport copy does not justify disclosing your bank login.
Keep the real application moving
If you already have an application in progress or an approaching expiry date, check that matter promptly with the responsible office while you verify the unexpected contact. Do not assume that ending a suspicious call has resolved the underlying residence issue. If the office confirms a document request, ask it to confirm the deadline and where the request can be read in the official process.
If you have already sent material, keep the original message, attachments and call details, and record exactly what you sent and when. Keep any payment record too. When seeking help from the NIA or police, distinguish a copy of an identity document from a bank credential or a completed transfer. If banking information or money is involved, contact your bank through its established channel and explain what happened. These are practical steps for checking the contact and preserving records, not a guarantee about residence status or recovery of funds.
For a legal inquiry, start with the claimed issuing office, the type of request, the deadline shown and whether you have already responded. You do not need to put an unredacted passport or ARC scan in an initial inquiry merely to explain the problem.
Sources checked
Opened and checked on October 3, 2026. The earlier police notices below are prevention guidance, not reports of a new ARC scam campaign.
- NIA, Changhua County Service Center: advice on unfamiliar calls and verification, June 9, 2026, Chinese.
- NIA: service-center directory, English, no individual publication date displayed; 1990 hotline services and hours, April 20, 2022, English.
- National Police Agency, published by the Ministry of the Interior: hang up before dialing 165, November 24, 2024, Chinese.
- NIA: student residence application guidelines, No. 0929, August 28, 2026, English, points 3–5.
- National Police Agency, Third Special Police Corps: verify calls, messages and requests for money or documents, March 10, 2025, Chinese.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice on any individual matter.
