# How to request a Taiwan birth certificate if born before 1946 **URL:** \ **Category:** Legal - Certification\ **Created:** [December 2, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689 "2022-12-02T01:55:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/1 "2022-12-02T01:55:22Z")
My mom needs her Taiwan birth certificate for some legal matters in the U.S. where’s she’s a citizen and to apply for retirement residency, probably in Central / South America, but she’s still deciding. When I called the Dept of Household Registration in Taiwan where she was born, they told me that they don’t issue birth certificates for people born before 1946. After asking the representative three times what my mom should do and being told that she’s out of the luck three times, the rep said on the fourth try that she should use her household registration instead. Has anyone successfully used the HHR in place of a birth certificate? Is there some general certification procedure I can use on the HHR to make more countries accept it? I see posts like [this one](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/original-birth-certificate-for-taiwanese/66794/7) recommending that I authenticate the HHR at Taiwan’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and in the foreign country, but has anyone successfully used this method? ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/2 "2022-12-02T02:04:12Z")
I know the British government will accept HHR certificate instead of a birth certificate. If the US won’t, you could try getting the birth certificate from the hospital she was born at, if it’s still around. ---
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/3 "2022-12-02T17:22:27Z")
Thanks for your reply, meishijia. Do you know what type of authentication the British government needs? Can you get TECO to authenticate your own translation or did they need you to do something like have the HHR office issue an English report and have Bureau of Consular Affairs authenticate it? Unfortunately, she was born in her own house instead of a hospital - I’m guessing things were less developed back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Taiwan\_Luthiers](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Taiwan\_Luthiers](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Taiwan_Luthiers)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/4 "2022-12-02T18:07:05Z")
China was a backwater country in those days, having been devastated by Japanese aggression. Actually the industrial capacity of almost all countries save for the US was devastated after WWII. China was kinda ruled by warlords before the communist took over. ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:03am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/5 "2022-12-03T00:03:07Z")
> [@pull\_forward](#): > > Do you know what type of authentication the British government needs? Can you get TECO to authenticate your own translation or did they need you to do something like have the HHR office issue an English report and have Bureau of Consular Affairs authenticate it? Issued an English version of the HHR certificate and that was enough. Didn’t need to have it authenticated or anything. ---
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/6 "2022-12-03T15:23:33Z")
I know that Mainland China really suffered during WWII, but did Taiwan as well? ---
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/7 "2022-12-03T15:27:00Z")
I’ll get an English version. Thanks. If any one else has experience using their Taiwan HHR as a birth certificate in a foreign country, I’d appreciate hearing about it! ---
**Author:** ![Taiwan\_Luthiers](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Taiwan\_Luthiers](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Taiwan_Luthiers)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/8 "2022-12-03T16:01:12Z")
Taiwan was a Japanese colony at the time ---
**Author:** ![justintaiwan](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7ea924/32.png) [@justintaiwan](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/justintaiwan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/9 "2022-12-03T16:50:07Z")
I used the English HHR doc as ID for my husbands Australian PR application as both proof of marriage and birth certificate and address. It didn’t need to be certified or anything but Australia generally doesn’t require scanned copies of original docs to be certified ---
**Author:** ![shaokilai](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@shaokilai](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/shaokilai)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/10 "2022-12-03T17:15:55Z")
I would agree - the HHR usually work, and assuming she has one, you may wish to consider using a Taiwan passport which will have the birth date and location. My wife has a similar issue (no Birth Certificate) and these two docs usually suffice. ---
**Author:** ![Andrew0409](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/andrew0409/32/69821_2.png) [@Andrew0409](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Andrew0409)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/11 "2022-12-03T17:21:35Z")
> [@meishijia](#): > > getting the birth certificate from the hospital she was born at Crazy story. I went to get my birth certificate from the hospital I was born at. The nurse helping me got it for me and then saw it was her name as the nurse that helped deliver me. ---
**Author:** ![11173](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/11173/32/191308_2.png) [@11173](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/11173)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/12 "2022-12-03T21:13:12Z")
I don’t suppose Japan would be able to issue one? ---
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/13 "2022-12-04T02:27:52Z")
@justintaiwan @shaokilai Thanks for your replies. When it took four tries for receptionist to say that the HHR can substitute as a birth certificate, I thought she was saying something random to get me off the phone. But hearing from you and others gives me confidence that the HHR can work. ---
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 2:52am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/14 "2022-12-04T02:52:24Z")
> [@Taiwan\_Luthiers](#): > > Taiwan was a Japanese colony at the time Right, I was aware that Taiwan was a Japanese colony for about 50 years until the end of WWII and suffered what people usually suffer during colonization. My question was more on to what extent Taiwan was damaged during WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Taiwan\_Luthiers](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Taiwan\_Luthiers](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Taiwan_Luthiers)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 3:13am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/15 "2022-12-04T03:13:13Z")
I’m sure Taiwan had their share of allied bombing… I was thinking that the OP’s parent is from China because a lot of them came over, and while they are ROC citizens with household registration, their houkou was originally established in China. ---
**Author:** ![cycleroc](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@cycleroc](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/cycleroc)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/16 "2022-12-04T03:18:56Z")
> [@pull\_forward](#): > > Unfortunately, she was born in her own house instead of a hospital - I’m guessing things were less developed back in the day Don’t know if it’ll help but I know you can get some kind of family ancestry HHR record form. My son did it and it went back to Japanese era records. Had interesting census information such as jobs, education level, how many women with bound feet, opium users etc… ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 6:51am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/17 "2022-12-04T06:51:48Z")
> [@cycleroc](#): > > you can get some kind of family ancestry HHR record form. My son did it and it went back to Japanese era records. Had interesting census information such as jobs, education level, how many women with bound feet, opium users etc… Can you share more info on how to do this? ---
**Author:** ![Belgian\_Pie](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8dc957/32.png) [@Belgian\_Pie](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Belgian_Pie)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 8:33am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/18 "2022-12-04T08:33:13Z")
I actually know of people that were born at home/farm but registered three months later due too busy farming times. ---
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/19 "2022-12-05T02:02:17Z")
What is this form called and how did your son request the form? ---
**Author:** ![pull\_forward](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@pull\_forward](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/pull_forward)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689/20 "2022-12-05T02:05:22Z")
Seems possible. I’ll keep your suggestion in mind if the HHR doesn’t work. [Next page](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/how-to-request-a-taiwan-birth-certificate-if-born-before-1946/225689.md?page=2)