Form for adopting a Chinese name

[muubie]

I was told one of the requirements for obtaining an ARC is that we have to adopt a Chinese name. Is there an official form to adopt a Chinese name or do we just choose one and start using it?

[Charlie_Jack]

I think that after I’d gone to Yadong Hospital excessively in the old days (heck, I still spend a lot of time there), they must have got tired of pronouncing my English name and just slapped a three-character Chinese name on me. And then I guess during one of my ARC renewals, I must have given the ARC folks that name, maybe from my National Health Insurance card.

But I don’t know; for all I know, maybe there is some requirement these days, like the one you mentioned, so maybe you shouldn’t use my experience as a guide.

Edited to add:

Here’s a 2016 thread that seems to be about that subject (I don’t know whether things have changed since then):

Chinese name missing from ARC

Well, I only have one given name and no middle name, but I have TWO family names, as most people registered in Spain (you need to supply the father’s family name first, then the mother’s). I can see their neurons frying inside their brain when I have to explain that.

2011 thread, related subject:

Should I give myself a Chinese name?

Should I give myself a Chinese name? Here is a problem that I never imagined I would have in Taiwan, my plain old English name. I believe that my name is one of the most common names in the English speaking world (it’s biblical after all). However Taiwanese people have a real problem pronouncing it whether it’s written in English or Mandarin. (My name is the only thing I can write in Mandarin). The problem is that people are breaking up the 2 syllables that form my name, missing out the “r” …

Here’s a discussion from 2003:

Change of chinese name on ARC

My first employer here got me an ARC, and someone picked a chinese name for me without bothering to speak to me about it. The name has since been transferred to my new ARC, and I was wondering if I was stuck with it. Can I just go to the police station and ask for a change? Do I have to go through some special process? Or do I have to live and die with the name chosen for me? Thanks

A poll and discussion from 2020:

Do you have an "official" Chinese name? [poll and discussion]

poll This issue arises from another thread. I have a Chinese name on my ARC, which facilitates document/identity verification. I was required to have one to open a bank account, so my first boss just gave me the name. It is “supposedly” a lucky name, but is obviously a foreigner’s name. Other posters report not needing a Chinese name and not having one on their ARC. I use my Chinese name and signature for practically every official purpose. Curious about others’ use (or not) of a Chinese name.

Another thread from 2003:

Foreigners registering their Chinese names

I read something in one of the English-language newspapers a few weeks ago (sorry to be vague, but segue went down then and a lot of time passed) that said foreigners would be allowed / required (not sure which) to register their Chinese names with the government somewhere. It also said that names would be required to conform to “Chinese custom,” without saying whether that meant Han Chinese custom (one surname chosen from a shortish list, followed by one or two more characters) or non-Han Chine…

In a 2002 thread, one poster seems to express surprise that foreigners are allowed to have Chinese names on their ARCs:

@littleiron

Brian,

You got your Chinese name on your ARC? How’d you do that? I’d like my Chinese name to be somewhere… official. Can you just ask them to do that when you apply?

A 2020 thread on chops (name stamps), and whether one needs to have a chop:

Do I need a chop?

I lost one. You get a new one but banks charge a fee for registering the new one, usually $50NT. Post office for letters and other places generally don’t check nor is it registered anywhere To the op you can get a cheap one for $100 nt for those rare times it’s needed.

[muubie]

Wow, thanks for this. I’ll just deal with it when I go to apply for my ARC. If they need me to fill out a form I’ll do it there on the spot.

[Charlie_Jack]

@muubie

Wow, thanks for this. I’ll just deal with it when I go to apply for my ARC. If they need me to fill out a form I’ll do it there on the spot.

You’re welcome, and I hope everything goes smoothly for you.

[Mataiou]

BTW it is not mandatory at all, only when you marry a citizen you are required to adopt one if you don’t have one already.

[Marco]

@muubie

Wow, thanks for this. I’ll just deal with it when I go to apply for my ARC. If they need me to fill out a form I’ll do it there on the spot.

I chose mine directly.

I didn’t consult any books or anything. I just picked my name from my own knowledge of characters.

[muubie]

@Mataiou

BTW it is not mandatory at all, only when you marry a citizen you are required to adopt one if you don’t have one already.

Ok, this explains it as I’m married to a Taiwanese citizen.

[Mataiou]

Well, always best to give the full picture, or advices might be either irrelevant or full wrong

[muubie]

Yea, I didn’t know it was just for that one situation. I thought it was for all who are applying for an ARC.

[carrotpotato]

From what it sounds like I think this is the form if you’re able to access the link:
外國人取用中文姓名聲明書

I’m a citizen and my husband is applying for visa/ARC, and this is one of the things they required from us. From what I’ve read it also needs to be notarized. I assume you are in a similar situation? Also if you’re already in Taiwan you can get this form at the immigration or HHR offices.

[Mataiou]

if u fill it in at the HHRO while registering the marriage no need for notarisation, the officer will certify it (this is what I understood).

[muubie]

Thank you. I’ll be in Taiwan later this week.

[carrotpotato]

Oh nice! That would make the process easier. I’m actually going this week and gonna ask about this just to be safe because it sounds like I also need to have it authenticated at a TECO which is really annoying…

[cycleroc]

Not sure it’ll help anyone or it still works but I basically officialized my Chinese name when registering our marriage at the courthouse on the certificate forms. I just included my Chinese name and chopped it real quick while they looked a little confused.
According to a friend it could have been a bit of a hassle using my wife’s surname…something about maybe having to prove there’s no close relationship.
Anyway, with it on the marriage certificate it was just then put on my ARC.
This was 20 years ago.

[Mataiou]

It all depends where you are doing the process though, at TECO might be somewhat different

[Satellite_TV]

I had my Chinese name on my ARC back in 1989. I was careful in choosing my name due to my Surname and first name. Also I did not want a name that people would identify as a foreigner name translated to Chinese. I did it due to getting married and it was a requirement.

[cycleroc]

Sure. I was just throwing that in for reference for anyone reading this in the future.

[cycleroc]

I did mine through marriage about 2004. I don’t remember if it was required, I for some reason recall I needed it on my NHI card…and it’s still on there as well as my ARC … but I know when ARCs first came out and the foreign affairs police gave me some strange foreigner Chinese name without even asking for one, back when single. It sounded like Parker Pen in Chinese and it got lots of laughs.
Then on a renewal another cop told me it was wrong and changed it which resulted in me getting locked out of my postal account when it was time to renew my bank book…that was a major pain.
That’s why I just slipped it onto the marriage certificate with a normal sounding Chinese name…so it wouldn’t be mangled for life. And to make sure kids would just have my wife’s surname.
It’s just what worked for me at the time.

[TaipeiGuy2000]

I registered a Chinese name long ago. It was pretty standard but my then-girlfriend accidentally added an extra stroke to one of the characters. It was still accepted. Then many years later when I got re-married, I had to change that name. The character with the extra stroke that I had been using going-on 20 years could not be typed into the computer at the place where we were registering the marriage. So in fact I used to have one Chinese name and now I have a different one (minus one small stroke). But because the difference is so minor nobody else cares or notices. It annoyed the hell out of me. Almost did not get married again.

[DogmaticStoic]

My advice is to choose an authentic Chinese name and not a directly translated form of your English name.

What I did is asked my wife to come up with a good Chinese name. This way you won’t stand out on official forms or documents which might make things process easier.