Can employers withhold my passport or residence permit? How should I refuse?

Can employers withhold migrant workers' passports or residence permits? Quick answer: No! Your passport and residence permit (ARC) are personal documents belonging to you. Unless there is a legal basis or you explicitly agree to entrust them for safekeeping, employers should not forcibly withhold them. In Taiwan, regulations related to migrant worker rights also emphasize that employers or agents must not withhold important identification documents of workers for the purpose of controlling them. Some employers might say: 🫳 "Afraid you'll lose it." 🫳 "It's safer if the company keeps it for you." 🫳 "Everyone does it this way." 🫳 "I'll return it when you resign." Even if the intention is "safekeeping," you still have the right to keep your passport and residence permit yourself. It is recommended to politely refuse: 😉 Thank you for your kind intention, but I would like to keep my passport myself. 😉 These are my important identification documents, it's more convenient for me to keep them myself. 😉 If the company needs a copy, I can provide a photocopy, but I would like to keep the original. 🙋‍♂️ What if the employer insists on taking it? 👉🏻 Stay calm and ask: Under what regulation does the boss/company need to keep my passport? 🙋‍♂️ If they force you to hand it over..... 👉🏻 Keep conversation records, or note down the date and what happened. 🙋‍♂️ Who can help? 👉🏻 "1955 Labor Consultation and Complaint Hotline": Whether you are a local worker or a migrant worker, you can call 1955 if you encounter any labor rights issues.