Last Updated on 12-30-2023
Regular Application for Taiwan Citizenship
Application Process
If you have legally lived in Taiwan for at least five consecutive years or if you are married to a Taiwanese citizen and have lived in Taiwan for three consecutive years, and you have learned a little Chinese, you can apply for Taiwan citizenship.
But first you will have one year to give up your original citizenship and provide official proof to the Household Registration Office in Taiwan.
Requirements for Residence in Taiwan
When your application is approved, you will receive a certificate of naturalization. At this point you are a Taiwanese, but do not yet have full residency or “citizenship” status. You must first apply for a Taiwan Area Residency Certificate (TARC) and then reside in Taiwan for the following periods of time:
- 1 year, and have not left Taiwan.
- 2 years, and live more than 270 days each year.
- 5 years, and live more than 183 days each year.
Once you have achieved the above residency period, you can apply for account registration, receive a Taiwan ID card and obtain full “Taiwan citizenship” status.
Language Proficiency Certification
You must have a basic level of Chinese language proficiency to be eligible for naturalization. There are two ways you can prove your Chinese language proficiency:
Taking the Examination
The examination may be in the form of a multiple-choice written examination in Mandarin, or an oral examination in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, or an indigenous language, and the following criteria are used to pass the examination:
- Scored 70/100.
- Scored 60/100 if your spouse is Taiwanese, have resided in Taiwan for more than 10 years, or were born here and one of your parents is Taiwanese.
- Scored 50/100 if you are aged 65 years or older.
You can go to the government’s test center to find questions to prepare for the test beforehand.
Go to school
Attend a government-accredited school and receive proof of attendance, which is calculated as follows:
- 200 hours of attendance is normally required
- 100 hours of attendance if you are adopted by a Taiwanese citizen, born in Taiwan, are a custodian of a Taiwanese citizen, or have resided in Taiwan for more than 10 years.
- 72 hours of attendance is required if your parents are Taiwanese, married to a Taiwanese, including divorce or death of spouse, have Taiwanese children, or are 65 years of age or older.
Proof of Financial Resources
Generally, you must collect documents such as your tax records, pay stubs, and bank statements from Taiwan to prove that you have one of the following, but if you already have an APRC, you don’t have to prove your personal financial situation:
- Salary higher than twice the minimum wage (approximately NT$47,600)
- Property or capital of NT$5 million or more
- Professional/technical skills certificates or licenses recognized in Taiwan
- Proof that you are employed in a high-tech industry
Criminal Records Check
You must not have a criminal record in your current country of citizenship or in Taiwan.
You must apply for a criminal record check in your current country of nationality and follow the process below:
- Be certified by the Taiwan diplomatic mission in charge of that country
- Have the document translated into Chinese
- Have the translated document certified by a notary public in Taiwan
- Have the document notarized by the Bureau of Consular Affairs in Taiwan.
Once your current country of citizenship has issued your criminal record, you will not be able to leave Taiwan without it being considered invalid.
Health Check
You must pass the health check in Taiwan. It may take up to two weeks to receive the results. Larger hospitals in city centers may have special health screening areas for tests required for residency.
Many hospitals only offer services at certain times or require an appointment, so it is advisable to call ahead to the hospital to find out when the health check is available.
Foreigners with Taiwanese parents
Introduction
There are important conceptual differences in Taiwan’s citizenship. Essentially, there is only the concept of “nationality” in Taiwan, and what most of us think of as citizenship is tied to the so-called “household registration”. Citizens with full residency and the right to vote are called ” Household Registration Citizens”.
Many Taiwanese residing abroad may be unaware that they are Taiwanese since they do not have the right to live or work in Taiwan without further actions. These individuals are known as “Nationals without Household Registration” (NWOHR). NWOHR can obtain a Taiwan passport but not a Taiwan ID number.
If your parents are Taiwanese and you wish to apply for Taiwanese citizenship, the first step is to find out if your parents have ever had Taiwanese citizenship.
Application Process
In general, there are four steps for foreigners with Taiwanese parents to apply for Taiwanese citizenship:
- Apply for a Taiwan (NWOHR) passport from your local Taiwan embassy.
- Use your Taiwan (NWOHR) passport to enter Taiwan.
- Apply for a Taiwan Area Residence Certificate (TARC) and reside in Taiwan for 1-5 years.
- Register for a Taiwan account and obtain full Taiwan citizenship.
If you are a minor
If you are under 20 years of age and your parents have a valid account registration, you do not need to apply for TARC and can simply register your household.
You may visit the government website for more information.
NWOHR Apply for Taiwan Passport
You can apply for a Taiwan passport at your local Taiwan diplomatic mission. You will need to prepare the following documents:
- A 2-inch photo
- Your birth certificate
- Your parents’ marriage certificate
- Your parents’ account books, ID cards, passports and/or birth certificates
About TARC
If you are an NWOHR seeking full Taiwan citizenship, you must apply for TARC and have lived in Taiwan for the following period of time:
- 1 year, and have not left Taiwan.
- 2 years, and live more than 270 days each year.
- 5 years, and live more than 183 days each year.
You may skip applying for TARC if you meet the following criteria:
- You are under 20 years of age and your parents have a valid household registration in Taiwan.
- You were born in Taiwan between February 10, 1989 and February 9, 1999 and your mother has a Taiwanese household registration (even if your father is not Taiwanese).
- You are a descendant of a Taiwanese soldier stranded in Thailand or Burma after the Civil War (AF391).
You can see more about NWOHRS under different conditions here.
Taiwan Citizenship for High-Level Professional
Application Process
The process of applying for Taiwan citizenship as a high-level professional is mainly of the following two types:
- Apply for a letter of recommendation from a government department recognizing you as a suitable high-level professional for naturalization.
- Apply for naturalization as a high-level professional at your local household registration office.
You can go to the government’s website for a more detailed explanation.
Letter of Recommendation
The primary distinction between this application and others is the naturalized high-level professional endorsement. The first step is to begin collecting documentation to support your application during your career. You must tailor your application to the needs of the department/organization to whom you are requesting a reference.
Once you know which department will be evaluating you for the job, they will provide you with paperwork to fill out. In this document you will describe yourself, your skills and your contribution to Taiwan. After this, you will be evaluated again by the citizenship committee in the Ministry of Interior.
Government documents can tell you which organizations can write recommendations for you.
Time required for the application process
The application process takes some time. It follows the basic schedule below:
- Collection of required documents for recommendation letter: 2-3 months
- Reference letter processing time: 1-3 months
- Time required to apply for Taiwan citizenship: 2-4 months
- Processing time after application: 4-6 weeks
Requirements for Residence in Taiwan
When your application is approved, you will receive a certificate of naturalization. At this point you are a Taiwanese, but do not yet have full residency or “citizenship” status. You must first apply for a Taiwan Area Residency Certificate (TARC) and then reside in Taiwan for the following periods of time:
- 1 year, and have not left Taiwan.
- 2 years, and live more than 270 days each year.
- 5 years, and live more than 183 days each year.
Once you have achieved the above residency period, you can apply for account registration, receive a Taiwan ID card and obtain full “Taiwan citizenship” status.
Language Proficiency Certification
You must have a basic level of Chinese language proficiency to be eligible for naturalization. There are two ways you can prove your Chinese language proficiency:
Taking the Examination
The examination may be in the form of a multiple-choice written examination in Mandarin, or an oral examination in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, or an indigenous language, and the following criteria are used to pass the examination:
- Scored 70/100.
- Scored 60/100 if your spouse is Taiwanese, have resided in Taiwan for more than 10 years, or were born here and one of your parents is Taiwanese.
- Scored 50/100 if you are aged 65 years or older.
You can go to the government’s test center to find questions to prepare for the test beforehand.
Go to school
Attend a government-accredited school and receive proof of attendance, which is calculated as follows:
- 200 hours of attendance is normally required
- 100 hours of attendance if you are adopted by a Taiwanese citizen, born in Taiwan, are a custodian of a Taiwanese citizen, or have resided in Taiwan for more than 10 years.
- 72 hours of attendance is required if your parents are Taiwanese, married to a Taiwanese, including divorce or death of spouse, have Taiwanese children, or are 65 years of age or older.
Proof of Financial Resources
Generally, you must collect documents such as your tax records, pay stubs, and bank statements from Taiwan to prove that you have one of the following, but if you already have an APRC, you don’t have to prove your personal financial situation:
- Salary higher than twice the minimum wage (approximately NT$47,600)
- Property or capital of NT$5 million or more
- Professional/technical skills certificates or licenses recognized in Taiwan
- Proof that you are employed in a high-tech industry
Criminal Records Check
You must not have a criminal record in your current country of citizenship or in Taiwan.
You must apply for a criminal record check in your current country of nationality and follow the process below:
- Be certified by the Taiwan diplomatic mission in charge of that country
- Have the document translated into Chinese
- Have the translated document certified by a notary public in Taiwan
- Have the document notarized by the Bureau of Consular Affairs in Taiwan.
Once your current country of citizenship has issued your criminal record, you will not be able to leave Taiwan without it being considered invalid.
Health Check
You must pass the health check in Taiwan. It may take up to two weeks to receive the results. Larger hospitals in city centers may have special health screening areas for tests required for residency.
Many hospitals only offer services at certain times or require an appointment, so it is advisable to call ahead to the hospital to find out when the health check is available.
Taiwan Citizenship for Outstanding Contributions
Introduction
If you have made special and outstanding contributions to Taiwan, you may apply for Taiwan citizenship upon recommendation by the government and with few requirements.
Qualification
Naturalization by great contributions to Taiwan is uncommon. Typically, the candidate will have spent decades making significant and altruistic efforts to better one or more problems in Taiwan.
If you meet any of the following criteria, you must request documentation and references from the responsible government agency or organization. Submit this information to the local registry office along with your special contribution information:
- Awarded the Brilliant Jade, Order of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Order of Chiang Chung-chen, Order of Propitious Clouds, or Order of Brilliant Star.
- Honors conferred by a government at or above the ministry level or a foreign government.
- Significantly contributed to Taiwan’s democracy, human rights, religion, internal affairs, national defense, international affairs, education, culture, art, science and technology, economics, finance, medicine, sports, agriculture, social welfare, medical care, or other fields.
- You have worked in a medical, social welfare or social education organization for more than 20 years, providing services to disadvantaged groups in rural areas.
- Member of the Mackay Project that have made longstanding contributions.
- Contribute to Taiwan’s global exposure and international presence or relations with other countries.
- Other special contributions to Taiwan or society.
