NWOHR from Citizen Grandparents?

Legal Dual Nationality
1

Hello everyone,

Greetings from sunny California!

While going through my grandparents’ things over the weekend, I was able to find both of my grandparents’ ROC passports. My grandmother’s is from the 50’s and she never renewed since coming to America. My grandfather’s is from the 80’s and he kept his up-to-date until he was no longer healthy to make the trip back to the island. From my understanding, that makes my father (who was born in America) a national by blood, and if he were to pursue a passport, he could obtain NWOHR status pretty easily, despite my grandfather’s passing (my grandmother is still alive for what it’s worth).

I stopped by the TECO in LA today to ask if I, the son of my American father, am eligible for potential NWOHR status and the accompanying passport. The internet (God love it) suggests that I inherited this status through my blood, and some informed/uninformed people stated that to obtain the NWOHR passport, all I would need to do is prove my blood connection to ROC by bringing the grandparents’ passports, as well as birth certificates for both myself and my father. When I showed up to TECO today, the helpful staff stated clearly that I needed my father’s ROC passport to get my own. I called the SF TECO shortly thereafter and they stated the same. Mind you this is not what the internet had been telling me.

Getting my dad down to a TECO shouldn’t be a big issue. However, I don’t want to make him a part of the ROC bureaucracy if I don’t have to- so who is wrong here? The helpful staff (probably not), or the internet (probably)?

Secondly, if my dad were to get a NWOHR passport, am I eligible for one as well? Or does he actually need to have both NWOHR AND present/past HHR status with the ROC for me to be eligible?

Thanks in advance for your assistance. I’m hoping I can keep a tenuous hold on my ancestral bloodline and “reinvigorate” it one day in full!

~Justin, LA

2

Dear Justin,

You and your father are both ROC nationals by law and you also have the right to apply for the passport. What the internet has been telling you is true.

However and unfortunately what the helpful TECO staff told you is also true most of the times. They are instructed to accept only ROC-issued documents of your parents as proof of your ROC nationality. Put it this way, you have an underlying ROC nationality but you have no acceptable way to prove it at the moment.

Your case is quite straightforward as all you need to do is to have your father go through the bureaucracy and apply for a ROC passport or a nationality certificate for himself.

If you don’t want to do this, you may try to find other TECO locations willing to accept your 2 American birth certificates together with your grandfather ROC passport as a proof of your ROC nationality.

Good luck and keep us updated!

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Thanks a lot for the help. This is very helpful! I appreciate it.

~Justin

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