This post has all the steps in detail. You’ve already completed the first bullet point, so start from the second.
Health check is still required. Stool sample is not needed unless you’re Mainland Chinese.
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I just emailed TECO UK about this but they seems haven’t updated their knowledge about the new laws yet.
" Hi
First, you will have to prepared all the documents listed on immigration website.
Second, use your ROC passport to enter Taiwan
Third, go to immigration to get your resident card
Fourth, live there for one year
Then you will receive the certificate from immigration
Then you can go to household registration office to get your ID and ID card
Finally, you can renew your ROC passport with ID number and exit Taiwan using this passport。"
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Went to Taiwan last month and visited an NIA office, here are some notes:
The lady working there said she had helped others with the new process. However, I got instantly denied because my health certificate was not authenticated by the TECO office nearest to where I got it done. I had everything else authenticated (birth certificate, criminal background check, etc) but for some reason, I did not see that the health certificate needed to be authenticated.
The criminal background check now expires after 1 year, compared to 6 months before.
I believe the lady was pulling my leg on one issue, because she told me that I’d have to stay in Taiwan continuously for several weeks after the application submission. She said that to complete the process (get residence certificate → get hukou → get ID card → new passport with ID card), I’d have to enter Taiwan with the NWOHR passport, and leave with the new passport with the new ID number (as you aren’t allowed to leave on a foreign passport if you enter with a Taiwan passport).
I didn’t bother arguing with her, since I know the local TECO can handle taking the application and getting a copy of the residence certificate. In addition, since the new passport is not needed for hukou and getting an ID card, I don’t believe anybody would need to stay in Taiwan once those are completed, either. One other potential trick would be to leave Taiwan after getting the ID card, and then applying for a new passport at a TECO office instead.
TLDR: Do as much as possible at your TECO office, don’t waste your time/money going to Taiwan.
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Yes, do as much as you can in the US; even the notarized translation process is cheaper and less of a headache… I wouldn’t book the plane ticket plane until all the documents are in hand; I learned that the hard way since I was actually trying to coincide my departure with my first ever concert, plus a long story on top of all my ramblings that I’m sure are kinda irrelevant.
For me, the process took a lot longer than it should’ve and was more complicated than it needed to be since I kept getting vague answers, my dad died without any ID on him and thus had trouble authenticating files, and my mom had an English name AND gave herself a new Mandarin name after divorce (e.g. not her actual name to remain some anonymity, but if she started out as Teresa Lijun Deng on her US papers 鄧麗君, but changed to 鄧小鳳(Xiaofeng Deng) in Taiwan but kept the US the same, so I needed a sworn statement saying she didn’t change her English name… The NIA eventually told me I had to put her current Chinese name in the translation despite it being factually incorrect. Paradoxically, your name can be the original translation, such as John Doe = 強‧兜).
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For the US, a similar test is probably gonna be in the hundred-dollar ranges. In Taiwan, it was $1,200 TWD (about $38 USD), and if there’s any hiccups in your paperwork and was anything like the authentication process of my driver’s license, it might buy you a few days since I finally got everything 3 days short of the 3-month cutoff period.
However, the foreign country has to be well equipped enough to do everything on the form (e.g. if they don’t have an X-Ray machine) but doesn’t matter where you go, but in Taiwan there are specific hospitals on the NIA’s website.
Also yes, I HATED the stool examination part; if you thought
stank in the toilet, wait until it’s in a plastic cup AND you have to fidget it into a sample container with a stick. -
They want your foreign records; in the US it means the FBI.
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You’d be surprised at how little interconnection happens between government organizations here. Just because the passport issuing authority has your records doesn’t mean that other organizations will, and they are often stricter and place a HEAVY emphasis on paperwork, even things they already collected (so far they haven’t asked for the same things twice, but I’ve brought every single document with me in case to avoid having to run back home and wait all over again); not only do they want to see the authenticated+translated documents regardless.
I got away with using the transliteration of my mom’s name for my NWOHR passport and just signed my name and “under penalty of perjury [blah blah] translation is true and correct [blah]”, whereas like I said in Item 1 above, the NIA insisted on her actual name in Mandarin and the translation to be notarized. If you do it in the US, it’s cheaper and more straightforward, but for Taiwan it’s up to $1,500 TWD ($47 USD) per document, works only by appointment, and THEY have to be the one that translates the document and won’t give you a discount for having it pre-translated.
Because the resources (e.g. websites and such) are horribly vague and doesn’t cover everything… Although like I said in the reply above, I got it done in Taiwan since it was cheaper and I figured it’d be less drama, never thought I’d be right.
I don’t remember where I read it from, but that’s what I heard too. For me, I had to juggle a full-time job that I preferred not to take time off from, but let me change it a bit:
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Hukou would be a better bet as your first step, which prevents the NIA from backtracking and saying that there’s no proof you’re related if you’re going the Taiwanese relative route (it seemed like they stopped looking that far into it, but I don’t feel like requesting another early day off LOL), and the next few steps would want your hukou, so it’s better to have an updated document. 10 minute wait, then for some reason it took about 2.5 hours at the HHR office since my situation was a bit complicated, but they print it instantly once they finish mulling over your paperwork.
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With your newly updated hukou in hand, apply for your residence certificate. I lucked out and only had 2 people ahead of me and got called right away, but I had to wait 2 hours for another NIA visit once. Took only about 10 minutes to apply, then 2 weeks for what’s just 2 sheets of A4 paper to arrive in the mail
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Like you said, head back to the HHR for your ID card. It took about 45 minutes to process my paperwork, then about 15 minutes to print your ID.
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The passport agency is usually crowded; less crowded if it’s during the day, but for Wednesday night (which they are open until 8 PM), since I already had a job by then, was a nightmare; I had to wait for about 2.5 hours with 349 people ahead of me for them to call my number, but they work pretty quickly once you get in; I dropped off both mine AND my mom’s passport (hers happened to be expiring soon) and paid in less than 10 minutes. The post office desk closes at 8 PM so you can’t request for the passport to be mailed if your application is processed after that, so you’ll have to pick it up. Standard processing time is 2 weeks and costs $1,300 TWD, but you can rush it to next day for $900 more.
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Thanks for the info, 007edw- very helpful.
Further update:
I went to the TECO in my local area and ran into a few more issues, which I will share below in hopes that other people can avoid them.
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They want background checks from each of the countries you’ve lived in for the past 5 years. Each background check lasts for 1 year, and must be authenticated. Since I’ve lived in 2 countries in the past 5 years, I will need one from my current country. My current country has a backlog and it takes 1 month to get an appointment, and another month for them to mail out the results.
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I got my health exam done outside of Taiwan and attempted to authenticate it at my TECO. But they said I would first need to find a 3rd party to first notarize it before it can be authenticated. No idea why this is a requirement, since the notaries here stamp any document as long as you pay them. Anyway, the health reports only last for 3 months, so it needs to be well-timed with getting your background checks, otherwise you risk needing to do another health check.
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The person helping me said birth certificates must be translated AND that translation must be authenticated as well. Previously, I thought only the original needed to be authenticated, not the translation. Luckily, they accept google translate and it does not need to be done professionally. Original birth certificates must be authenticated at the TECO that is assigned to your birth place, but I do not yet know if the translation must be authenticated there as well. Let’s hope not, otherwise that would complicate things further.
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I forgot to ask, but because of #3, I assume that background checks must also be translated, with the translation being authenticated as well.
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Yes, it needs to be authenticated by TECO first and then translated, and then the translated Chinese copy needs to be notarized by a notary public in Taiwan.
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- The FBI issued a background check.
- TECRO, which is in the consular area of the FBI, authenticated this check.
- I translated this background check.
- A public notary in the consular area of my residence notarized my statement that my translation was a true and accurate Chinese translation of the check.
- The TECO in the consular area of my residence verified this translation together with the authenticated original.
- NIA accepted this document.
So it doesn’t need to be notarized in Taiwan
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If you had waited until you moved to Taiwan, you could have skipped this step.
I don’t know if policy has changed, but my birth certificate was authenticated in 2007. They authenticated a copy with its translation together, and this document has been accepted for multiple purposes. In the authentication process, they issue a serialized cover letter, and stamp across the cover letter and all documents submitted for authentication. They will (should) not stamp your original birth certificate, instead submit the translation with copy and they will authenticate that as a unit.
Sure. I intentionally chose to do it outside of Taiwan.
(2) Taiwan is less likely to notarize any paper willy-nilly, so I guess it’s a carryover of that mindset.
(3) I initially thought so too; I have some documents I’ve notarized in the US for nothing since I didn’t have enough time left before my flight to authenticate it in the US and thought it’d be cheaper and easier in Taiwan. Nope.
The stamp-across-all-documents thing did include my birth certificate, but then again I do have another copy (thought I lost one but I found it after the fact), or I could always request another one if I really need an unmarked copy.
So your birth certificate had to be translated and then notarized by a Taiwan notary?
I have a birth certificate authenticated by TECO, that’s not enough I suppose?
sorry if this is over asked but what is the mandarin term for the “ residence certificate” that NWOHR are supposed to get? Is this 定居or 居留證？and is this like a special piece of paper?
Also, why did NIA ask for an authenticated health check certificate from TECO? Couldn’t you just have done the health check in Taiwan?
Good to hear that the FBI Background Check is valid for 1 year now
The health check can be done in Taiwan (and would probably be cheaper than doing it outside of Taiwan) and would not need to be authenticated. But if you are outside of Taiwan, like many NWOHRs, then it would probably be easier to do it locally and authenticate via your local TECO, than fly to Taiwan to get it done.
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Out of curiosity, did you need to find a notary in your area that understands Chinese for them to notarize? There a lot notaries where I live but just a few who are Chinese.
No, my statement had parallel statements in English and Chinese, and in my state, a notary public doesn’t verify anything about a statement, only that they have verified the identity of the person who has signed the statement in their presence.
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Which would type something out like “ I hereby declare that this translation is a true and correct Chinese version of the attached original to the best of my knowledge and belief” and then sign it in front of them along with the translated document?
I personally had it a bit more bulletproof that leaves some wiggle room for errors, strong in your authority, AND if you have documents that solidify both names, leaves no doubt that it’s you:
I, (English full name) AKA (legal name in Mandarin if you have supporting documents, otherwise you can leave it out), hereby declare that I am fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese. I hereby certify that I have translated the attached document to the best of my knowledge, the attached document is a true, accurate, and complete translation of (document name).
I used the following statement reference which I found on the web site of TECO Los Angeles. I signed in both Chinese and English names in the presence of the notary public who had nothing to say about it.
本人聲明上述中文譯本與英文原件文義相符.
申請人: ________
日期: ________
I hereby declare that this translation is a true and correct Chinese version of the attached original to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Applicant: ________
Date: ________
Grateful for all of the helpful details and information, I am still in the process, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone’s guidance here.
Just wanted to share an experience a few weeks ago with TECO LA regarding a self-translated birth certificate — I did a google translation and got it notarized by a local notary with the wording similar to the above statement (thank you Hikkymemo). The first time I went to TECO LA, the person at the window had no problems with the notarized translation, but then she needed both my parents’ passports to match the names on BC.
Well, I didn’t bring the orig passports since they had already been sent to TECO LA for renewal a couple weeks earlier. The new passports wouldn’t be available for another 8 weeks due to processing. Rather than wait, I remembered I had made some passport scans prior to sending them. As luck would have it, I got an appointment the next day. They are usually booked for weeks.
Next day, a different person was at the window — I presented the same self-translated/notarized doc this time with scanned copies of my folks’ passports. The person was fine with the passport copies, but took the translation to ask her supervisor. She then came back to ask me if the notary knew Chinese, I said ‘no’ ( notary did specifically say he cannot read my translated doc and no refunds if I ran into an issue).
She said I would need to get the translation notarized by a notary who does know Chinese. She informed me of a place behind the Starbucks across the street from TECO. When I arrived, the translator/notary was able to review my translation. She made some minor changes and then notarized my signature on a new sheet with wording similar to 007edw (thank you). Walked back to TECO LA and got everything got accepted.
tl;dr The acceptance criteria varies with every TECO and sometimes even within staffers at the same location. On a subsequent trip, I was asked to have my self-translated birth certificate reviewed by a notary fluent in Chinese, who then revised and notarized it.
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