First post thank you all for the useful information available here! I have looked for this in the forums but there seems to be nothing about ORGINAL birth certificates.
Here is my issue:
-Me: British & French Nationality
-My wife: British & Taiwanese nationality (born in Taiwan)
-We live in the UK but will move to Taiwan soon YEAHHH!
We need to declare our marriage to the French consulate for which they ask our ORIGINAL birth certificates. For me that is not a problem but this start to be complicated with Taiwan:
-Taiwan uses the household registration document for birth certificate purposes (although this seems to be a second “level” documentation for the ones that know about that?)
-Other countries insist on “Birth certificate” and in this case ORIGINAL for France (please no punts about French…)
So,
Step 1: Her mother went to the hospital she was born, obtained a document, which was translated and certified… buuuuut… It was a photocopy then certified - Not good
Step 2: Her mother goes to the equivalent of the local council; sends it to us… buuuut… It is also a photocopy, with at the back (in Chinese), “this copy serves as an original”.
So what is the problem you may ask? Well, for anybody that knows the French administration you will notice that the document is STILL a photocopy (hence not the original), therefore… AU REVOIR! or CHEERIO!
We have asked the local Taiwanese representative office for information or even for them to talk to their French equivalents in the UK… Lets see what happens…
At the same time I have asked to the French “commercial” offices in Taipei in the hope they know more about it.
Hopefully this did not sound too much of a moan, but, anybody has some ideas of where to find the ORIGINAL birth certificate for a Taiwanese?
Surprising that the French gov’t would demand an original document like that, given that most governments won’t release them from their archives, instead releasing certified copies.
My fault, misunderstanding. Yes they did ask for the original but they are happy to have:
-Photocopy from Taiwanese government which is then validated “as original” (stamp,…) by the Taiwanese government (in this case it was some sort of “council office”?)
-This document & “validation” then needs to be legalised by a local Taiwanese office (in this case the UK). Maybe Taiwan would also be ok but I am not sure how that would work out.
-then present the papers and cross fingers…
Although this process is not miles away from:
-Taiwanese Hospital gives document
-Third party translates & certifies (but it was not the TRO)
-Present the papers and they get rejected…
Oh well… as long as they accept them I am happy.
Thanks for looking
NB: In France you request online (from abroad) an original extract (of which you can get several copies, but they are “original”)
As for marriage certificates in the UK, you get an “original” and additional copies (still original), but any subsequent copies of that physical paper and certifications are invalid (because then they are copies). An exception to this is the “legalisation” that the British foreign Commonwealth office performs. This is needed to then translate and certify by the TRO to then apply for partner Visa in Taiwan… my head is exploding…
“Find a legal translation company in Taiwan to translate your document and then send it to court for verify. After verified by the court, you will need to sent it to one of the BOCA office in Taiwan for legalise. Then to UK to use with the french consulate.”
OR
"Alternatively, find a legal translation company in the UK to translate your document and then find a notary(UK) to authorize your document. After authorized by the notary, you will need to send it to FCO(UK) for verify. Finally, after verified by the FCO(UK), you can send it to us(TRO Office) for legalisation. "
There MUST be a more difficult way to do this? Come on! any suggestons? :loco:
Did you manage to find a way? We have exactly the same problem, except we are not planning to go to Taiwan anytime soon.
Cheers
Thomas[/quote]
Taiwan does not have issue birth certificates. Most countries will accept a full household registration transcript. The household registration office is able to provide this document in English. When you apply for it, let the clerk know that you need to have it authenticated at BoCA later on; the household registration office will then affix a stamp to the back of the document. Take the document to the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BoCA) and get it authenticated, processing time might be up to a week. Next, take the document to the representative office of the country you wish to use the document in, i.e. the American Institute for further authentication.
thank you all for the useful information available here! I have looked for this in the forums but there seems to be nothing about ORGINAL birth certificates.
:loco: 
