Household registration basics

Common situation: Foreigner marries Taiwanese citizen. Marriage is often registered with the local Household Registration Office (HHRO). A few questions:

  1. Is registration with the HHRO mandatory?

  2. If not mandatory, what benefits are lost by not registering?

  3. Some people in this situation register on an existing household registration certificate belonging to the Taiwanese spouse’s family. I would assume that some do not, and actually apply for a new certificate on their own. Assuming that a person wants to pursue Option #2, what is required? Pros and cons?

Thanks.

Do you want to get your ARC based on marriage? As in a Joining Family Residency Visa? If so, I don’t think you can avoid registering with the HHRO.

I’m not sure about your Question 3). My wife and I were on her parent’s household registration certificate until we bought our own house. Now we have our own household registration certificate.

Does that mean one cannot have one’s own household registry while renting? Can’t I establish my own household register with my rented apt. address, and then have her added to that, instead of having me added to her parents’?

Only Taiwanese can have household registration. regardless of whether you own or rent. The lease can be in your name, and your name can be on your wife’s household registration, but it’s not your HR, it’s hers.

This turned out to be quite easy to do. BTW, if for any reason her family doesn’t want you on their registration book, you can first have her take their book to the office, and have her move out and become a head of household (without mentioning you at this point). Something like a lease for the new address is needed; we had my landlord write up a new lease with her name on it. Then, after the marriage, you take the wedding certificate, household registry, ID’s, your passport, and both chops back to the household registry and have you added to her book. Return her family’s book to them, and you’re done.

If anything happens to your spouse, a household registry with you on it is necessary for you to probate her estate. I would strongly suggest that she set up her own, rather than add you to her family’s, because there won’t be any confusion that you are her next of kin.

Question: I am a recently divorced to my Taiwanese husband, i have a Taiwan i.d. but i dont have a household registration yet ,is it mandatory to have a household registration? i recently moved here in Hsinchu and im still taking time to process a lot of authentication for my divorce papers.

Be careful there, philippine_ xiao _jie. If you are on a JFRV, then the only reason you had for being allowed to reside in Taiwan was your marriage. If you are divorced, or if your partner dies, then you no longer have grounds to live in Taiwan, unless you managed to get permanent residence.

You say you have Taiwan ID, so I presume that you are a permaennt resident and this isn’t the green Alien Resident Card. If so, not a problem. You should sort out your Household Registration as part of the divorce paper work.

HG

[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Be careful there, philippine_ xiao _jie. If you are on a JFRV, then the only reason you had for being allowed to reside in Taiwan was your marriage. If you are divorced, or if your partner dies, then you no longer have grounds to live in Taiwan, unless you managed to get permanent residence.

You say you have Taiwan ID, so I presume that you are a permaennt resident and this isn’t the green Alien Resident Card. If so, not a problem. You should sort out your Household Registration as part of the divorce paper work.

HG[/quote]

Taiwan ID is not an ARC… after all I have had both an ARC and have a Taiwan ID. Yes you can simply register you own Hukou and Household Registration document when divorced.

Are you supposed to actually live at the place that you put on your Household Registration?
1)
What if your Taiwanese spouse-to-be is actually registered in another town, but lives with you in a rented apartment that is in your name?

Can he just go down to that town himself and register you, and you happily go on living in your rented apartment together? Do you need to go with your spouse to the Household Registration place to get on his household registration, or can he do everything himself?

So, basically, is it legal to have your registration just any old place, just to get it done, and then you move it to your own house or household one day when you buy or whatever?
What is the best option for us if we want to keep the rental house in my (non-Taiwanese) name?

[quote=“twonavels”]Are you supposed to actually live at the place that you put on your Household Registration?
[/quote]

Yes in theory. In practice, many, many people do not. The penalties are very nominal and almost never applied. It’s more convenient though because some official mail must go to your registered address and you vote based on that address.

[quote]
1)
What if your Taiwanese spouse-to-be is actually registered in another town, but lives with you in a rented apartment that is in your name? [/quote]

Nothing.

Yes.

[quote]
Do you need to go with your spouse to the Household Registration place to get on his household registration, or can he do everything himself?[/quote]
He should be able to do this himself. But have him call and ask first.

Yes

[quote]
What is the best option for us if we want to keep the rental house in my (non-Taiwanese) name?[/quote]

Do nothing. It doesn’t matter unless you want to move his household registration or create a new household with him as the head of the household to the rented apartment. Most landlords don’t want you to do this because it creates tax issues for them.

And reviving the topic 10 years later.

Can I get a copy of the household register by myself? do I need her stamp or her sign a form, etc? I wish I could get it tomorrow but she will be at school for the next 2 weeks.