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國家發展委員會(以下稱國發會)歷經多年協調解決外僑居留證證號與國人身分證字號格式不一致之問題，新版「外來人口統一證號」終於在今(110)年啟用換發，為打造友善外來人口生活環境立下一個嶄新的里程碑。內政部移民署於今年1月2日起推動外來人口新式統一證號，比照國人身分證號之編碼方式，未來外國人將可便利在臺申辦各項日常生活業務，如交通購票、網路購物、申辦證件等。
外籍人才、歐洲在台商會以及美國商會等團體，過去經常反映外僑居留證證號與國人身分證字號格式不一致，造成生活上諸多不便。為加強提供外國人在臺生活服務，國發會積極尋求解決做法，協調之初，請內政部移民署建置「使用外僑居留證面臨各類問題之解決平臺」，盤點各類外僑居留證面臨之問題，如：大眾運輸購票、網路平台購物、便利商店機台系統使用等，要求各大平台不得拒絕外僑居留證證號之使用。
此外，以往外國人在臺進行銀行開戶、電信公司申辦門號等服務時，均須提供雙證件，為使外僑居留證更被認識並廣為接受(而非只接受護照)，國發會亦協請移民署及相關單位盤點及修正各類相關法規，使外僑居留證（永居證）得視為與護照同等效力之身分證明文件，持居留證之外籍人士可憑居留證及具辨識力之第二身分證明文件如護照、駕照或健保卡辦理相關業務，大幅改善外國人士在臺生活遭遇問題。
上揭各項努力已讓外國人生活上較為便利，但尚未能根本解決證號格式不同所帶來之困擾，為使外國人更融入臺灣生活，將臺灣視為第二個家，國發會近2年多來，多次協調各相關部會針對推動外僑居留證與國人身分證號相同格式進行研議，經多次會議討論、協助爭取經費及要求公民營機構評估規劃辦理時程等努力下，這項眾所期待的改變，終於付諸實現。新式統一證號已比照國人的身分證號編碼，保留第一個英文字作為地區別，第二碼會從英文字改為代表性別碼的數字8或9，後面接身分碼及流水號，改版之後將讓在臺居留的外國朋友生活更便利(相關文宣請參考附件)。
未來國發會將持續推動友善外國人環境相關政策，如雙語國家政策及積極性攬才留才政策等，期提升外國朋友在臺生活歸屬感，營造我國成為全球人才匯聚的中心。
聯絡人：人力發展處林處長至美
辦公室電話：(02)2316-5379
The National Development Council (NDC) has for years past been coordinating a solution to the problem of inconsistency between the numbering of Alien Resident Certificates (ARCs) and the numbering of citizens’ ID cards. Now, at last, this problem will be solved with the introduction of a new uniform identity number (UI No.) format for foreign nationals, consistent with the format of national ID cards, marking a new milestone in creating a friendly environment for foreign nationals in Taiwan. The Ministry of the Interior’s National Immigration Agency (NIA) will start to issue the new UI No.’s from today – January 2, 2021 – and Taiwan’s foreign residents will in the future be able to use the new numbers to smoothly conduct all kinds of daily transactions such as booking public transport tickets, shopping online, and applying for certifications.
Taiwan’s foreign residents and organizations representing them, including AmCham and the ECCT, have long expressed concern at the inconveniences caused by the inconsistency between ARC and ID card numbers. To better serve the lives of foreign nationals in Taiwan, the NDC set about actively pursuing a solution to this problem. As the first step, it requested the NIA to set up a platform for solving the various problems encountered in using ARCs, to identify these problems (such as booking tickets for public transport, buying things online, and using digital kiosks in convenience stores), and to press all major platforms to enable access with ARCs.
Furthermore, in the past foreign nationals were frequently required to provide double identification to utilize services such as opening a bank account or applying for a mobile phone contract. To make ARCs better recognized and more widely accepted (without requiring presentation of a passport), the NDC requested the NIA and related agencies to amend relevant regulations to prescribe that ARCs and APRCs be deemed equivalent to passports for proof of identity. By enabling ARCs and APRCs to be used together with another sufficiently identifying document – such as passport, driver’s license or NHI card – for transacting matters requiring double ID, this substantially reduced the difficulties faced by foreign residents in everyday life.
The aforementioned initiatives have already made life more convenient for foreign nationals in Taiwan, but have not fundamentally solved the difficulties stemming from the different UI No. formats. With the aim of enabling foreign nationals to integrate into life in Taiwan and consider this land as their second home, the NDC has over the past two years coordinated a number of meetings with other government agencies to pursue making the ARC/APRC format consistent with the national ID card format. After conducting numerous meetings and discussions, helping to secure funding, and asking private organizations to evaluate planning and scheduling, this much anticipated change has at last come to realization.
The new UI No. is consistent with the national ID number. The initial English letter, the area code, remains unchanged. The second English letter of the old format is replaced by a number 8 or 9, indicating gender. The eight digits that follow are the identity code and serial number. This change of numbering format will surely make living in Taiwan more convenient for our foreign friends. (See attachment for related information.)
In the future, the NDC will continue promoting policies for a foreigner-friendly environment, such as the bilingual nation policy and the active recruitment and retention of foreign talent. We hope that, by giving foreign friends a stronger sense of belonging in Taiwan, we can make our country a gathering hub for global talent.
Contact person: Lin Gyh-mei, Director of the Department of Human Resources, NDC
Office phone: (02)2316-5379