Hey everyone, I’m sorry if this is not the correct place to post this. I’m going to apply for university in Taiwan soon, and they told me that I need to have my documents notarized by the Taiwan Overseas Mission. Since I’m in Taiwan now, I was wondering if there was any place in Taiwan where I could have them notarized locally? Does anyone have this experience? I emailed the school directly and they just sent me a list of Taiwan Overseas Missions (I get they feeling they didn’t actually read my email). Thanks a lot!
I believe, though I may be wrong, that MOFA in Taipei may be able to help you. OTOH, there may be some rule in place that you have to receive notarization from the overseas mission closest to where you received your credentials. Check with the ministry of foreign affairs in Taipei to find out for sure.
What they want you to do is have them legalized, that is, you send the documents to the Taiwan trade office in your home country so the trade office can stamp that the documents are not bogus. Some schools might also want you to have your documents notarized in your home country first, then sent to be legalized.
Before the Taiwan Trade Office will stamp them you usually have to send them to your own country’s foreign-affairs office to have them stamped. Basically your foreign affairs office stamps that the documents are legal, official documents, and then the Taiwan Trade Office stamps that your foreign affairs office’s stamp is a real stamp.
I sent mine to the TECO in my hometown. They stamped them and then sent them back. Pretty easy, but not cheap. You’re applying to NCCU, aren’t you?
Yes! Do you go there?
I did. I could tell that was the school because of how unhelpful their email reply was…Nearly every office worker I had to deal with – from the international affairs office to the staff in my department office – were the laziest and most unhelpful bunch I have ever encountered. The the international affairs office (or whatever it’s called) resemble a travel agency more than a university service, and whatever you do, don’t give them your email address (it’s probably too late): they will spam it endlessly with travel packages and activities – which all cost money – and continue to do so even after you leave the school…