How to get Taiwan Citizenship - Primer, FAQ, and Resources

Legal Dual Nationality
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341

You might find that these kind of landlords will not rent to you no matter what paperwork you show them. But why would you want such a landlord anyway?

342

Oh that’s for sure. But what I wanted to point out is that even an “officially sanctioned” list by the university had it’s cookoos…

And of course, once you have your nationality, buying a house is next on the list. Problem solved. :smiley:

343

If you’re from the UK or any other country/state that allows ROC nationals to own immovable property in their territory, then you don’t need citizenship to buy a home here. Both of my homes in Taiwan are registered in my own name, and the bank had no hesitation in lending me part of the money to buy the second one.

344

Yep. I have no problem, either (told you how helpful the guys at Fubon were). But many other people face struggles when placing properties or businesses under their names. If you already have a guarantee you are staying here -like citizenship- buying a house would be the next logical move -even if it is to avoid pesky landlords! (mine is a gem) However, it does not mean you can avoid pesky neighbors. :smiley:

345

If you’re from the UK or any other country/state that allows ROC nationals to own immovable property in their territory, then you don’t need citizenship to buy a home here. Both of my homes in Taiwan are registered in my own name, and the bank had no hesitation in lending me part of the money to buy the second one.[/quote]
So no one anywhere in the process had to sign anything with you? Nothing at all? You did everything by yourself?

I have a mate from Scotland who’s on an APRC and he claims to have bought his house all by himself, also. But everywhere I’ve tried to find out anything about this it always seems someone has to co-sign at least one thing somewhere along the line. And as I understand it, if that person dies, the property automatically goes to the Taiwanese co-signers closest male relative.

But if your properties are solely and completely on your name, excellent stuff!! :bravo:
AFAIK, Saffas can’t own property here by themselves, so this is another reason that has formed a large part of my consideration. I simply can’t get anything done here without a “babysitter”. Credit cards, cel phone contracts, owning property, business licenses, non-ARC non-bushiban related work. I just want to feel like an adult again, in control of my own life and finances.

346

okay A-ha if tha is the case why don’t you just apply for citizenship once you complete the required 200 hours?? most of the paper work that you do for getting the PRC will be the same as that for getting your “preparation for ROC naturalization.” (Zun Gui Hua Zhong Hua Min Guo Guo Ji Zheng Ming).

of course the good thing about having the PRC is that will not be at the mercy of your employer and can change jobs as and when u like…

also like in my case ( because I had the PRC ) the paperwork ( aka headache ) required is much less when you apply for your “preparation for ROC naturalization.”[/quote]

And you will have to wait at least two more years to get citizenship after you get your APRC. the upside is you get it done faster.[/quote]

thanks for pointing this out, i was not aware of it…A-ha sorry if i misguided you…

347

SatTv…Cooling Tower had mentioned that we need to get our parent’s names translated into Chinese…do we have to translate just their names or even the family name???

I remember earlier my family name was translated into Chinese and it worked out to 3 Chinese characters…if to that i add say my dad’s name it will become 5 - 6 Chinese characters ( family name + name )…will so many characters fit on the ID card???

also you must have selected a Chinese family name ( it was Zhang if I am not mistaken…read it in one of the posts )…and that may / will not match the Chinese translation of your real family name…so doesn’t all this get pretty confusing???

guess i am too bored today !!!

348

If you’re from the UK or any other country/state that allows ROC nationals to own immovable property in their territory, then you don’t need citizenship to buy a home here. Both of my homes in Taiwan are registered in my own name, and the bank had no hesitation in lending me part of the money to buy the second one.[/quote]
So no one anywhere in the process had to sign anything with you? Nothing at all? You did everything by yourself?

I have a mate from Scotland who’s on an APRC and he claims to have bought his house all by himself, also. But everywhere I’ve tried to find out anything about this it always seems someone has to co-sign at least one thing somewhere along the line. [/quote]

Absolutely all on my ownsome.

I bought the first one in 2002, before I was married. The then wife-to-be went house-hunting with me, but didn’t have to put her signature to anything. The construction company wasn’t sure if a foreigner could be registered as the owner of real estate here, but once I’d explained the law and insisted that there was no impediment to their transferring the property to my name, thay were happy enough to go along with it. There’s a bit of extra mafan for them when it’s a foreigner, but since I paid in cash, didn’t need a bank loan, and barely haggled over the price, they were more than glad to do whatever was needed to complete the sale.

The second purchase, late last year, went even more smoothly. Again, they weren’t sure about a foreigner being able to own a home here, but once I told them that I already owned one under my own name, there wasn’t another murmur of doubt. The only blip was that the legal formalities of the conveyance took a couple of weeks longer than they’d initially estimated, which they explained as being due to the extra paperwork required because of my being a foreigner.

349

[quote=“bismarck”]But if your properties are solely and completely on your name, excellent stuff!! :bravo:
AFAIK, Saffas can’t own property here by themselves, so this is another reason that has formed a large part of my consideration. I simply can’t get anything done here without a “babysitter”. Credit cards, cel phone contracts, owning property, business licenses, non-ARC non-buxiban related work. I just want to feel like an adult again, in control of my own life and finances.[/quote]

This is for others who may be reading this thread because it won’t apply to you much longer anyway, but I have to point out that while I am now married to a Taiwanese, most of the stuff I have was dealt with before I got married and is 100% in my name with no guarantor:

  • business license
  • non-buxiban work (see business license :slight_smile:
  • cellphones, data service etc. (needed a small deposit but hey)
  • credit cards
  • checking account
  • overdraft
  • mortgage
  • property
  • cars etc.
350

Reading this topic and thinking about my own status (lived here for 21+ years – PARC – married for 17+ years to a Taiwanese woman – two children born here), and contemplating the consequences of giving up my original citizenship to become a Taiwan citizen, one thought worries me.

If I renounce my original citizenship and the day should come when Taiwan is taken over by the PRC (not an impossibility given the current political circumstances), what would be my status as a Taiwan citizen in law – but not by ethnicity?

Should the new rulers of the island decide not to recognize me as a ‘real’ citizen (not an impossibility, given the the arbitrariness of of the ‘legal’ process, and the general disposition to xenophobia that is even stronger over there [according to my experience] than here), I worry that I could wind up as a stateless individual – with no country, no rights, no nothing.

For those of you who have thought about becoming, or have become, Taiwan citizens, I’d like to hear your thinking on this.

RJF

351

RJF,

I have thought a bit about the potential perils of Taiwan being absorbed by the PRC. If it’s all done peacefully and by agreement, then I don’t think there’s likely to be any problem. But if it’s done forcibly, and the US intervenes to try to stop it or punish the PRC for it, then our situation could be quite difficult. And if there is fighting between China and the US, resulting in the loss of Chinese lives, then anti-Western sentiment in China will almost certainly reach a hysterical level, and I can see us either being summarily booted out of Taiwan, regardless of what IDs or passports we hold, or else simply ferreted out and slaughtered with impunity by PLA soldiers.

If it’s just a matter of the PRC cancelling or refusing to recognize our naturalization, then it won’t be too much of a problem for people like me who have or will have renounced British citizenship, since we’ll be entitled to regain that citizenship. I don’t know whether the same applies to citizens of the US and other countries.

352

I was trying to find the answer to this question by looking at what happened to Hong Kong born and naturalized “foreigners” after the takeover. I remember some Forumosans talking about their own situation on this regard -does anyone have the link to that discussion? Those are actual testimonies, and we may suppose they might follow the same premise… unless as Omni says, all hell breaks loose.

In my case, one more Central American refugee in the world won’t make a big difference… As a matter of fact, there will be a quota of Taiwanese refugees if we get expelled. One more time starting from scratch. As long as we are alive, there is hope.

353

[quote=“Icon”]I was trying to find the answer to this question by looking at what happened to Hong Kong born and naturalized “foreigners” after the takeover. I remember some Forumosans talking about their own situation on this regard -does anyone have the link to that discussion? Those are actual testimonies, and we may suppose they might follow the same premise… unless as Omni says, all hell breaks loose.

In my case, one more Central American refugee in the world won’t make a big difference… As a matter of fact, [color=#FF0000]there will be a quota of Taiwanese refugees if we get expelled[/color]. One more time starting from scratch. As long as we are alive, there is hope.[/quote]
Might be able to get into Aus then. :smiley:

Well, I don’t really lose my citizenship anyway, so it doesn’t really make a difference from my point of view. But it really is something to think about if you’re from the US or somewhere esle that takes a dim and final view of citizens giving up their passports…

354

Seriously speaking, Australia or New Zealand (which is always looking for in-migrants) are options I hadn’t thought about should a worst-case scenario ever present itself.

355

[quote=“RJF”]Reading this topic and thinking about my own status (lived here for 21+ years – PARC – married for 17+ years to a Taiwanese woman – two children born here), and contemplating the consequences of giving up my original citizenship to become a Taiwan citizen, one thought worries me.

If I renounce my original citizenship and the day should come when Taiwan is taken over by the PRC (not an impossibility given the current political circumstances), what would be my status as a Taiwan citizen in law – but not by ethnicity?

Should the new rulers of the island decide not to recognize me as a ‘real’ citizen (not an impossibility, given the the arbitrariness of of the ‘legal’ process, and the general disposition to xenophobia that is even stronger over there [according to my experience] than here), I worry that I could wind up as a stateless individual – with no country, no rights, no nothing.

For those of you who have thought about becoming, or have become, Taiwan citizens, I’d like to hear your thinking on this.

RJF[/quote]

I think you worry to much. If the PRC wasnt going to recognize those who obtained ROC Nationality then they could do so already. Not really an ssue to worry about.

356

Can someoe tell me what an APRC is? I am new to forums and have yet find anything on it.

Taiwan has to be the most confusing place to understand anything regarding VISAs and Businesses!

Thanks!

357

[quote=“conshynewbie”]Can someoe tell me what an APRC is? I am new to forums and have yet find anything on it.

Taiwan has to be the most confusing place to understand anything regarding VISAs and Businesses!

Thanks![/quote]
If you haven’t been here (Taiwan) long enough to know what an APRC is, then chances are you haven’t been here long enough to qualify. But, basically it’s a permanent residence visa. You need to be in Taiwan for five years on the same visa (not student visa, because there’s also a financial/tax requirement). There are threads on the subject here.

358

Bismark, Thanks- no , I am coming this June, 2009. So an ARPC is different than an ARC?

This website rocks btw…

359

[quote=“conshynewbie”]Bismark, Thanks- no , I am coming this June, 2009. [color=#FF0000]So an ARPC is different than an ARC?[/color]

This website rocks btw…[/quote]
Very different, yes. If you come here you’ll need to find a job and get an ARC and work permit through your work. If studying, you can apply for a work visa.

360

[quote=“bismarck”]To review (for married persons - with special notes for Saffas), my situation is as follows.

Ok, I need the following documents to apply for a Certificate of ROC Naturalization Candidature:

  1. Application for Certificate of ROC Naturalization Candidature (including two photographs).
  2. A legal and valid Alien Residence Certificate or Permanent Residence certificate.
  3. An ARC certificate; this is a proof of residence certificate (3 years for JFRV holders, and 5 years for ARC holders) which is actually a piece of paper that you get from the NIA offices.
  4. Certificate of arrival and departure dates (HHR office applies for this on your behalf).
  5. [color=#FF0000]Police criminal record certificate issued by the South African Police Services.[/color]
  6. Certificates of sufficient property or professional skills to be self reliant; which basically amounts to tax returns for the last year (although some websites say 3 years), obtainable through your employer or the tax offices.
  7. Copy of Household registration with completed marriage registration (HHR office applies for this on your behalf).
    7.1 [color=#FF0000]If you got married in the ROC (as I did), you need to add a marital status certificate (a document issued by Home Affairs that states you are married, and to whom), translated into Chinese.[/color]
  8. Certificate of basic language competency (test or 200 hours of sitting in classes). If you’re going to do the test you need to apply for it beforehand, and they issue you with a booklet to prepare for it.
  9. Certificate fee of NT$200.

So, all you really need to get from SA is your Police Clearance certificate and the letter from home affairs stating your marital status. However, both these documents need to be authenticated by the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa. The Taipei office has this to say about authentication:

  1. The document must first be [color=#FF0000]notarized by the High Court[/color]. The document must get Apostille - red sticker and green or pink ribbon.

  2. It then needs to be [color=#FF0000]authenticated at the Department of Foreign Affairs[/color].

  3. The [color=#FF0000]Taipei Liaison Office in the RSA will then authenticate the documentation[/color]. Please note: should you be from Cape Town or Bloemfontein, these documents must be notarized by the High Court in Cape Town or Bloemfontein.

  4. Authentication fee: R112
    Working days: 2 - 3days

This is a hell of a bitch for the person in SA doing all the leg work for you so I called the Taipei Liaison office to confirm details. I spoke to a wonderful lady, Maya Du Rand, who said:

  1. The fee for processing each document is R400 in Pretoria.
  2. This fee (only in Pretoria - if you apply at other branches this doesn’t apply to you and you have to do the leg work yourself) covers everything. She takes the documents to the High Court and the Dept. of Foreign Affairs to be authenticated and then she hands them in at the Taipei Liaison offices where they authenticate the documents for you.
  3. Your “agent”/family member can caome pick them up and they get sent to you from there. No mess, no fuss.

The other documents still need to be collected here and when you have everything together you go to the HHR offices to apply.

After you’ve successfully applied you have to go back to your trade office in Taiwan and cancel your original citizenship. With that document in hand you take all the above mentioned paperwork (except the police clearance isn’t necessary, unless you left the country in the interim, as they apply for a police clearance cert. from the Taiwanese police) and apply for Naturalization.

I’m heading up to Taipei tomorrow to get the ball rolling.[/quote]

[quote=“bismarck”]Just got back from my Taipei run. What a pain in the arse!! Had my fingerprints taken and filled in all the required documents so now I have to post off the application for my Criminal Record Check to SA.

The SA Liaison Office in Taipei handles our marriage status certificates and said it’ll take about a month before it’ll be ready. I’m thinking it’s more like 6 to 8 weeks and then I’ll probably still have to send it back to SA to have it authenticated by the Taipei Liaison Office in SA.

So, right now, I’m marking time…[/quote]
Update: This Friday it’ll be seven weeks since I went to Taipei to apply for my Criminal Record Check and Marital Status Certificate. I delayed posting off the Police Clearance application because I was worried it would arrive here before the Marital Status certificate, and as it only has a life span of 3 months I didn’t want to rick having to do it again in case it expires. As you can see from my previous posts, the SA Liaison Office prediction of 1 month for the marital status cert. was, as expected, overly optimistic. Still haven’t received any word on that. If I’ve heard nothing by next Friday I’ll be giving them a call.

Tomorrow I’m going to the HHR office to make an appointment for the Chinese Language Proficiency test to get that ball rolling. And to make some inquiries regarding the financial requirement etc…