Background: both parents are Taiwanese, I was born in the US
Here’s my step by step plan:
Go back to US to apply/obtain ROC Passport
Enter Taiwan with ROC passport
Use ROC passport to apply for ROC ID
Sounds easy but after reading a bit more, it seems like I need to stay in Taiwan 1 year before applying? And that there are 2 different residencies, temporary/permanent?
Like some other posts I read, if you are required to leave Taiwan every 3/4 months to avoid drafting, doesn’t the requirement of not leaving Taiwan for 1 year force you to be drafted? Or because you are not a legitimate Taiwanese citizenship yet then you are exempted and that they start counting AFTER you receive your Taiwanese ID?
PS The search engine here doesn’t give me results I want and googling this site doesn’t answer any of my answers.
Sounds like a good plan to me. Of course, you’ll be drafted, but that will be a small price to pay for citizenship in a non-sovereign country – THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN.
[quote=“fcqmax”]Background: both parents are Taiwanese, I was born in the US
Here’s my step by step plan:
Go back to US to apply/obtain ROC Passport
Enter Taiwan with ROC passport
Use ROC passport to apply for ROC ID
Sounds easy but after reading a bit more, it seems like I need to stay in Taiwan 1 year before applying? And that there are 2 different residencies, temporary/permanent?
Like some other posts I read, if you are required to leave Taiwan every 3/4 months to avoid drafting, doesn’t the requirement of not leaving Taiwan for 1 year force you to be drafted? Or because you are not a legitimate Taiwanese citizenship yet then you are exempted and that they start counting AFTER you receive your Taiwanese ID?
PS The search engine here doesn’t give me results I want and googling this site doesn’t answer any of my answers.[/quote]
I’ve researched this extensively, but since I have not gone through the process myself, everything I’m about to say should be verified with the proper authorities. I’m not responsible if you get drafted or don’t get your citizenship.
That said, I’d be interested if you could tell me where the proper places to go and the proper forms to fill out to get this started are. I have no idea where to go or who to ask to get this started, which is why I keep putting this off.
Your step by step listed above is the basic proper procedure.
To answer your questions:
You apply for the ROC passport first. It’s a special overseas ROC passport, and does not guarantee citizenship. You have to enter Taiwan on that ROC passport, and that is when the 1 year begins counting. Within that one year, you can leave, but you cannot be outside Taiwan for more than a total of 30 days. After the one year, you can then apply for full fledged citizenship and get your Taiwan ID. Technically, you are also not allowed to be legally employed during that one year, but I’ve been told by several sources that it’s relatively easy to get exceptions to this.
You do have to leave every 4 months. Don’t even overstay by one day. Before you can get this exemption, make sure you confirm your Overseas status with the proper authorities. I believe there is some paperwork. Additionally, you can’t have stayed in Taiwan for more than 4 months at a given time since your 19th birthday. If you have ever stayed for more than 4 months consecutively since your 19th birthday, then you cannot get this exemption.
If you hold a master’s degree in a technical field, you can apply for a program where you work in Taiwan’s high tech industry for 4 years to fulfill your military service. This seems like the ideal option, as you get to collect a regular salary and live normally during that time. The only difference between this and normal life is that you cannot leave that particular company for 4 years. There are a few people in my company who are going through this program. After the 4 years, you are free to come and go as you please, and you will have a certificate that you did your military service, just like everyone else.
You have to be a citizen to get an ID. No way around it. Temporary residence then you get an ARC. If you want citizenship, you have to go through the 1 year period of residence in Taiwan.
Thanks for the information! I will double check with the authorities since I will be applying for my Taiwan passport soon. There’s no harm in getting the Taiwan passport so you might as well get it ASAP and then see what options are available from that step.
Search for TECO or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the country/state/city where you will be applying for the Taiwan passport. The websites have the PDF forms available and so should the walk-in offices. You might be able to do mail in or have someone else apply and get the passport for you also. Check on that since I didn’t look into that in depth and will be doing it myself in person.
How would you apply for an ARC with a Taiwanese passport?
Exploring the ARC option as a US Citizen, some methods are to:
Marry a Taiwanese
Get a work permit
Now that I shall be holding a Taiwan passport will it be the same requirements when applying for ARC? Or will the ARC be given automatically because I’m a natural Taiwanese by birth?
I’ll post an update once I go through this process starting next year.
[quote=“fcqmax”]Background: both parents are Taiwanese, I was born in the US
Here’s my step by step plan:
Go back to US to apply/obtain ROC Passport
Enter Taiwan with ROC passport
Use ROC passport to apply for ROC ID
Sounds easy but after reading a bit more, it seems like I need to stay in Taiwan 1 year before applying? And that there are 2 different residencies, temporary/permanent?
Like some other posts I read, if you are required to leave Taiwan every 3/4 months to avoid drafting, doesn’t the requirement of not leaving Taiwan for 1 year force you to be drafted? Or because you are not a legitimate Taiwanese citizenship yet then you are exempted and that they start counting AFTER you receive your Taiwanese ID?
PS The search engine here doesn’t give me results I want and googling this site doesn’t answer any of my answers.[/quote]
Have you ever lived in Taiwan as a child? I was born outside of Taiwan but then my parents returned to Taiwan and I lived there for a few years. I went to the Visa Office in Canada and applied for a Taiwanese passport. Then I went back to Taiwan and went to the office where they issue ID’s and showed them my passport and the papers showing where I used to live as a child (
Again, everything I write here on this subject should be verified with proper authorities, and I’m not responsible if you are drafted or denied citizenship.
Correct, get the Overseas Taiwanese passport first. Holding the passport doesn’t make you a citizen, so you are not subject to draft at this point.
I went to TECO in San Francisco, and they had no idea what I was talking about, hence I’m still at square one about where to get the proper paperwork, and where to turn it in to get an Overseas Taiwanese passport. On top of that, your parents citizenship status, and marriage status has to be verified in the locale where they came in, or where they were married. For example, if your parents were married in New York, then you have to get all the proper documents verified at TECO New York even if they now live in LA.
You can’t. ARC is for foreign citizens, you can’t get one as a Taiwanese Citizen. You’ll have to use your US passport to get the ARC. And, all that allows you to do is stay longer than a normal visa would allow you to. It has no rights pertaining to citizenship or obtaining citizenship.
I’m pretty sure it’s done at TECO because that’s where I found all the PDF forms and info (Found it on the Seattle TECO site). What you want to look for is the Normal ROC passport application form. I did extensive online searching and this is the only form I found - there’s no special form for ABC’s. After looking at the app form, I noticed it asks if what type of applicant you are and the correct box to check would be Overseas “military male”, so this form looks pretty right to me. The extra steps would be to present them with documents to prove your parents are Taiwanese, are married and that you are their child.
In your last sentence, you’re saying if the parents didn’t register in Taiwan for their marriage correct? My parents registered their marriage a long time ago so I guess I can skip that part.
This just all sounds so rediculus. I know it isn’t any of my business, but why would you want to go through it? And what’s with the Taiwanese government? I’d think that they’d be more than accomadating to anyone, especially ethnic Chinese, who wanted citizenship. I mean, they want to be an international player, but they even create hurdles for “natural citizens by birth.” I just don’t understand the thinking. They should give citizenship to any non criminal westerner who wants it, or at least to anyone with family ties to anyone here, so that more people in/from the west would care about what goes on here. Sorry. I know this rant isn’t helpful. Just need to vent.
Preface:
I am an American born Taiwanese going through this process now. If you have questions, pm me. I actually have the whole story now. There are 3 levels for the “ID” thing.
Housecat:
To be granted citizenship here is more than just being a “citizen.” One of the big ones is medical insurance. As a tw citizen you are entitled to gov’t supplmented medical insurance. Which if you’ve done the math before can be pretty bloody expensive. I won’t debate the quality of medical care, because that is a whole other thread. But the id card will also allow you to own property, etc.
For a westerner who’s income is on the whole vastly more than the typical taiwanese person, to simply allow anyone in would be irresponsible to it’s citizens here. Imagine the simple cost of the medical care the gov’t supplements. Double or triple it would be horrendous for the local economy.
Marky:
Taiwan is an international player. Being the US’s 8th largest trading partner I’d say is a significant qualification. Esp if you take the size of taiwan into account.
International forms?? All the other countries trade with Taiwan, but refuse to officially recognize Taiwan as in independent country. Give the respect Taiwan is due and Im sure they’d be happy to follow the norms of all RECOGNIZED nations.
Yeah, I was thinking that anyone wanting to go through this process must be in a position to own some land or something. And, sure, if there were enough people from western countries trying to become citizens of Taiwan, I could see the problem. But the point is that almost no one wants to be a citizen here if they aren’t born one. For folks like me, an American spouce, it could be very nice to actually have rights in the country where I live with my husband and child.
Yes, health insurance is nice enough for big things, like childbirth. But for the most part it isn’t worth the cost as long as you aren’t in any majior accidents. The fees without insurance, while blindingly high compared to having insurance, are still very reasonable compared to those in the States. So I can’t see going through such efforst for health insurance that you could get anyway if you had a job.
But my main point was that you are Taiwanese by birth, right? Your parents are Taiwanese. I don’t see the point in making it so difficult for you to become a citizen of Taiwan, when you already are one, or have the right to be one. Granting citizenship to westerners with family ties to Taiwan could only highten western interests in Taiwan and that could only be a good thing.
[quote=“grayson”]Marky:
Taiwan is an international player. Being the US’s 8th largest trading partner I’d say is a significant qualification. Esp if you take the size of Taiwan into account.
International forms?? All the other countries trade with Taiwan, but refuse to officially recognize Taiwan as in independent country. Give the respect Taiwan is due and I’m sure they’d be happy to follow the norms of all RECOGNIZED nations.Nuff said.[/quote]
NOPE !!! It doesn’t work that way!!
You give us the respect we are due first, and you recognize reciprocal rights!! You treat foreigners here in Taiwan the way that Taiwanese are treated in other countries . . . . .
THEN, the world community will give you respect . . . . and not before!!
*** NO TO TAIWAN IN 2004!!! *** Let’s keep this non-sovereign nation out of the United Nations until they learn some respect!!
[quote=“marky”]
NOPE !!! It doesn’t work that way!!
You give us the respect we are due first, and you recognize reciprocal rights!! You treat foreigners here in Taiwan the way that Taiwanese are treated in other countries . . . . .
THEN, the world community will give you respect . . . . and not before!!
*** NO TO Taiwan IN 2004!!! *** Let’s keep this non-sovereign nation out of the United Nations until they learn some respect!![/quote]
And you wonder why Taiwan doesn’t treat foreigners well. With that kind of attitude, I don’t see why they would. If recriprocation were true, you’d either have a significant amount of money (not just a paltry $2500US) or actually have a company willing to go through a mountain of paperwork (HB1) to even stay. Taiwan could start there with reciprocation. How about that?
If grayson’s attitude is typical of Taiwanese officialdom, it is no wonder that Taiwan is regarded as an international orphan, and not considered a sovereign nation by the United Nations, Canada, the U.K., the USA, or hardly anyone else. The Taiwanese are simply incapable of dealing with the issues of “fair government” with this kind of attitude.
If grayson’s attitude is typical of Taiwanese officialdom, it is no wonder that Taiwan is regarded as an international orphan, and not considered a sovereign nation by the United Nations, Canada, the U.K., the USA, or hardly anyone else. The Taiwanese are simply incapable of dealing with the issues of “fair government” with this kind of attitude.
Shame on you![/quote]
Shame on you! You can’t have your cake and eat it too. You have relative ease in which to enter and stay here. Whereas, in the States it’s a lot harder to even get in, let alone stay. I’m not sure how it is in Europe, so someone will have to chime in on that.
If you want reciprocal treatment, it works both ways. Not just one. It’s no wonder the disdain for foreigners here with your attitude.
And you wonder why Taiwan doesn’t treat foreigners well. With that kind of attitude, I don’t see why they would. If recriprocation were true, you’d either have a significant amount of money (not just a paltry $2500US) or actually have a company willing to go through a mountain of paperwork (HB1) to even stay. Taiwan could start there with reciprocation. How about that?