What is the process for getting citizenship and joining the army?
already an old thread about this. search.
Thanks for the help, sorry for the trouble
why not join French Foreign Legion (a much better life experience), get new passport/id upon completion from a new country, then enter Taiwan on that new passport, marry Taiwanese lass, live/work for five years and yada yada yada…
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This is a lengthy thread on the subject of getting citizenship (the thread begins in 2004 and ends in 2016):
I’m posting a link of the same thread, from the old board (bearing in mind that I’m not sure that the link will always work):
According to Wikipedia, an American named Lin Dao-ming, also called T. C. Lin, became a citizen first, in 1994, and was then drafted into the army in 1995:
Lin discusses some of his army experience here:
http://www.romanization.com/books/poagao/chap02.html
This looks like another account, written in 2011, by someone else who was inducted into the army:
For voluntary service, this seems to be a translation of the pertinent law (thanks to @tempogain and @tando):
https://law.mnd.gov.tw/FLAWDAT0202.asp?lsid=FL005463
I got that link from this thread, which is also contained in @WindyTown’s Google results:
I hope this helps, or at least does no harm.
Thanks a bunch, this helps a lot!
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ok old thread but I had to post.
Side question is why???
I’m not talking sh*t but why would you not join the US military. It will probably be the one defending Taiwan anyways. Its a far better military and they will take better care of you later. Are you of Taiwanese descent and you want to reconnect to your homeland? that I can understand.
The reason I ask is that military service in Taiwan will probably really really really suck compared to service in America. If you don’t want to do it for the right reason it will suck even more.
If you just want to get Taiwanese citizenship you can marry a Taiwanese lady. Its almost as traumatizing as military service with about the same chance of getting seriously wounded 
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It really shouldn’t be said, not only that, the OP is long gone from this conversation.
Marrying a Taiwanese DOES NOT grant you citizenship. You may be offered a JFRV, which is a form of ARC that offers an open work permit. After five years you may apply for the APRC or you may apply for citizenship in the same way(Excluding plum blossomers) any other non-citizen resident would after five years. Some countries use defence as a fast track into the country, because, hey, if someone’s willing to die for us, then might as well give him those rights.
But it should be put to rest, Marriage does not confer citizenship here in Taiwan.
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You are absolutly right. I guess I just wanted to throw in a cheap wife joke.
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I will say for vast majority of the conscripts in Taiwan, you will not see combat and you might be able to play around with guns and explosives sometimes.
If you join the US military, you have to meet requirements, and assuming you get in you will have to pass basic training (in Taiwan they rubber stamp you through because you have to be there). Then you have to maintain weight requirement or else you get a general or OTH discharge. You will likely be deployed to a combat zone in Iraq or Afghanistan to fight a pointless war, get shot at or blown up by insurgents, and likely end up with PTSD where the VA will do little for you to cope with it.
Compared to that I rather be in the Taiwanese military. Since Taiwan doesn’t go to pointless wars the most you will ever do is help typhoon victims.
Don’t even get started with French foreign legions. You will face very tough (sometimes deadly) training. You will then be cannon fodders for France when they wish to maintain deniability. In Taiwan all training stops when temperature is above 30
Or you can join the Air Force?
Again, you have to meet the requirements, and it is not likely to be any less demanding compared to the army. It’s not like they’re going to spend a few million dollars to train up a pilot for everyone.
US military is all volunteer and they have strict requirements to get in because everyone who isn’t making the grade to get into college is trying to enlist. The training is tough and there are strict qualification requirements to weed out those who doesn’t make the cut. Until they start drafting again that is.
or Navy or Coast Guard. safer
What are the qualifications to join the Army ?
- You must be a U.S. citizen or a resident alien.
- Be between the ages of 17-34. …
- Have a high school diploma.
- Have no more than two dependents.
- Take and pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test.
- Pass a Military Entrance Processing Station medical exam.
And you think these requirements are “strict?” 
Which training is tough? Basic Training? Infantry School? Computer programmer school? There are more than 800 “jobs” in the US military. Most do not result in overseas deployment to war zones.
And bringing up the draft? 
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I really don’t think you know what you’re talking about, like most of your rants about the US. The majority of the Air Force are not even pilots. My best from my HS is in the Air Force and he’s not a pilot. There are a lot of non combat jobs in the military.
Even army grunts have it easier these days. Ask any Drill Sergeant.
takeout on Chicken Dinner Road, Idaho
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I don’t know the OP’s fitness but ASVAB test is not a walk in the park either…
Compared to Taiwan’s PT test requirement, the US is considerably harder. In Taiwan all you have to do is ONE pull up, and if you can’t pull yourself up, they will push you up and mark it a pass (I’ve seen it happen in basic). You run 3000 meters (not 3 miles) and have 18 minutes to complete it, you can basically walk that distance in 18 minutes if you do so briskly and run in between.
And in the Taiwanese military, there is 0% chance you will ever be deployed for combat. But it is mandatory and if you failed ASVAB and medical exams for the US army it will NOT get you out of a draft in Taiwan.
I thought it was one of the easiest tests I took in high school. And Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island in August was fine.
And all this comparing the US military to Taiwan’s is a distraction. Have you done either?
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
So you mean to say anyone can join the US army? And that the US Army/Navy/Air Force requirements and qualifications are the same as Taiwan military’s qualifications?
For example being flat footed is a disqualification for the US Army. It is not in Taiwan, unless it’s very severe. As far as weight requirements, in Taiwan you have to have morbidly obese BMI before you can be excused for the draft. If it were easy to be medically disqualified for the Taiwanese army, very few people in Taiwan would meet the qualifications (they’ll see to it that they are disqualified).
But I guess you have ample experience in the US army and everything I say is basically hogwash, right?