Leaving Taiwan as an overseas Chinese

I recently visited Taiwan using my ROC passport with overseas endorsement, as I was told it was the safest way to visit without facing issues with the military service.

After obtaining an exit permit from the immigration office in Taipei I left the country. However, when I was going thru the exit immigration control in the airport, the immigration officer wanted more documentation, and asked for documents from the military exempting me from doing the service etc. After telling her I only had the stamps in my passport, and that the immigration office had told me it was all I needed, she let me thru. Could I meet a stricter officer next time I visit? Shouldn’t the exit permit be enough - Why did she ask for other documentation then?

Because I don’t speak any Chinese at all, I want the process of entering and exiting the country to be as easy and possible. So I want to be sure that I in fact have everything I need. Has anyone else here been asked to produce more documents, even tho they had a valid exit permit in their passport?

Maybe the easiest way to visit Taiwan is actually by using a foreign passport?

Thank you!

Can you get the overseas chinese endorsement on your foreign passport? If not that might actually be riskier - for conscription purposes they don’t care which passport you use to enter or leave the country, AND they might be able to link your foreign passport to your ROC one, so they might still realize that you’re a ROC national even if you use a foreign passport.

Actually that officer just sounds like a newbie… I think you’ve went through all the hoops and you don’t have to worry about it.

It is my belief that according to Taiwan Immigration Law (Article 3 http://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?PCode=D0040005) if you have the Overseas Chinese endorsement you will not be subject to military conscription unless you exceed the 1 year mark. The 1 year mark is dependent on whether you were born before or after 1985.