Say - I eventually I get Taiwanese citizenship - I would then be free to take up any others that are avaliable - Is there a bar on “foreign” Taiwanese citizens becoming citizens of another country??
I for one can’t comment on official policy because I haven’t checked lately with the appropriate authorities (I strongly suggest you ask there first) and Richard may know otherwise but I have friends (whom I won’t be naming here for obvious reasons) who have at least four. ROC, PRC, South African, and American. I myself have dual.
My guess is that dual and/or multiple nationalities are allowed provided you don’t apply for and receive citizenship from countries that are considered “hostile” or otherwise perform acts which would subject you to loss of citizenship(s), but the rule of thumb is to check with the immigration authorities of ALL the countries in question before proceeding.
[url=http://www.oriented.org/legal/ID-3.shtml]See Policies on Dual Citizenship[/url].
Even the U.S. allows for dual citizenship. I would imagine that Taiwan - being such a small and not-quite-recognized country - wouldn’t be so restrictive in this regard but then again, I’m speculating.
In some cases the GENERAL POLICY is “no” and you may be asked to renounce whatever citizenship you currently hold only to find out later that the answer was “no but there are exceptions.”
Case in point, when my parents who are from Taiwan applied for and received U.S. citizenship many years back, they were requested to renounce their R.O.C. citizenship (which they did) not realizing that they didn’t HAVE to.
Do check with the appropriate authorities…
Holders of ROC citizenship may obtain other foreign citizenships.
My latest study of the legal in’s and out’s here in Taiwan suggest that it would indeed be possible for a foreigner to go through the judicial process and obtain ROC nationality without renouncing his/her original nationality. AT this point, I would estimate legal costs at about NT$ 260,000, and the time required at 28 months or more.
Thanks for the advice - Maybe things will change in the 4 years before I am eligible - With the benefit of hindsight - I could have had two nationalities when I came here - renouncing one would probably make everyone happy
Just to clarify, I am much more familiar with the process of attaining R.O.C. citizenship by someone who was either a) born in the R.O.C. (and of Chinese/Taiwanese descent) or b) born abroad but whose parents are or were R.O.C. citizens and spoke earlier in this context. There are no legal fees associated, costs are minimal.
I’m not nearly as familiar with the ins and outs of applying for or being qualified for R.O.C. citizenship by individuals who are not of Chinese/Taiwanese descent.
Richard, if you have documentation on the latter (and would be willing of course, with the appropriate credits), we’d love to add it to the Legal Matters section of this site (page 2 which, as you may have noticed, is lacking in information in this regard).
Cheers.
$260,000 and 28 months? Richard, you’re brilliant!! How long did it take you to figure that out? I’m only HALF kidding when I say “Why don’t we take up a collection and do it?”
No, actually. Now that I think about it - I’m not kidding at all.
Christine: four citizenships?! What’s more, one pair being ROC/PRC? I know for sure that the PRC does not recognize dual citizenships (I tried to apply for a “Taiwan compatriot’s document” at the PRC Consulate in New York and was told to use my American passport instead).
Can you confirm?
Actually this might not be so far removed for me. My girlfriend (who is a PRC citizen residing in HK) wants to emigrate to Australia. Would I be able to obtain Australian citizenship in addition to my ROC and US citizenship?
Thanks.
Clarification: I asked the individual who I had remembered had four (one of my uncles).
He was born in Bombay as a PRC citizen and at the time could have applied for a British passport but didn’t (though he says he can still if he wanted to), later moved to Taiwan where he grew up and thus has an ROC passport, immigrated to the U.S. and lived there long enough to apply for his U.S. citizenship which he did, came back to Taiwan, re-instated his R.O.C. citizenship and also attained a TAI BAO ZEN, I guess you could call that a special visa given only to Taiwanese citizens who want to enter China.
So my previous posting was incorrect. He only has 2, plus a TAI BAO ZEN, and supposedly CAN apply for British citizenship if he wishes.
Actually I would be interested in learning more about the privileges of this TAI BAO ZEN for Taiwanese citizens living and/or working in China. I have one myself which I got when I entered China last.
But theoretically I think I’m better understanding how it (having PRC citizenship and then some) could be technically possible.
The ROC government recognizes multiple citizenships. The PRC may not. But because they claim that Taiwan is a part of China, and because some ROC citizens will have multiple passports, and because they give ROC citizens certain privileges (details I need to find out) to live and work there if they wish (else the PRC would then come across as being outright hypocritical?), it is possible for an ROC citizen who wishes to apply for PRC citizenship to hold multiple passports?
I.e., PRC citizens cannot hold other passports. But ROC citizens – because of their ‘Special/Convoluted/GreyArea’ status under the PRC – may be able to get around the technicalities, for the time being at least?
Wow. It’s all political and perhaps in this case I am confusing PRC residency with PRC citizenship from the point-of-view of an ROC citizen, though it does open up doors to a lot of interesting discourse.
I guess I need to find out more about ROC nationals wanting to apply for PRC citizenship. If anyone has any info do post it up.
As to your last question BAH, I’m not familiar with Australian immigration laws, but I am certain that the ROC recognizes multiple passports and the US, dual. I suggest that you contact the appropriate immigration offices about your query, I can’t confirm for sure and am just speculating about the political implications above. =)
This is a very interesting theoretical discussion.
I suspect, though, Christine, that your uncle (depending on how old he is) was actually born with ROC citizenship in India. (Remember, before 1949, there was no PRC).
By the way, why is it that you can rank certain members and not others? And why do I have only 1 star? Is it payback from when I wrote a nasty post about some guy’s poor grammar? (Hey, he asked for it – he wanted to teach English!)
Good point. But he is most definitely from Fujien province. Born there. As for your ratings, you can go into your profile and have that deactivated. It’s a default option offered on this software. Cheers
There are several categories of “overseas Chinese” who, although they obtained foreign nationality first, can obtain ROC nationality without renunciation of their quote original nationality unquote. The key point here is that they are of quote Chinese ancestry unquote.
For those of minority races such as caucasians, negroes, Indians, etc., or even those of other Oriental groups such as Japanese, Thai, Burmese, etc., etc. this is not allowed however, under the current ROC legal structure. (Refer to Article 9 of the Nationality Law.)
BAH
As I understand it (and regret that I did not do it) - you can get Australian citizenship after 3 years residence (first step) and keep any others that you already have.
Curiously - if you then apply for another citizenship, you lose your Australian citizenship!? (if they know about it I guess)
Please continue this discussion here:
http://oriented.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=36&t=000040
[quote=“rian”]BAH
As I understand it (and regret that I did not do it) - you can get Australian citizenship after 3 years residence (first step) and keep any others that you already have.
Curiously - if you then apply for another citizenship, you lose your Australian citizenship!? (if they know about it I guess)[/quote]
Crap… it’s 2 years or in special circumstances 12 months
Australia now allows dual nationality…
do i have to have a taiwan personal id before i can apply for visas to the US or europe, canada new zealand or australia?, or my roc passport is already acceptable?
[quote=“rian”]BAH
As I understand it (and regret that I did not do it) - you can get Australian citizenship after 3 years residence (first step) and keep any others that you already have.
Curiously - if you then apply for another citizenship, you lose your Australian citizenship!? (if they know about it I guess)[/quote]
It’s 2 years residency in Oz for citizenship unless special circumstances apply in which case it can be 12 months. Australians can now have dual nationality.
An ROC citizen is allowed to acquire another nationality without recinding ROC Nationality. I may resume my Australian Citizenship and still keep my ROC nationality, and therefor hold dual nationality.
I could also immigrate to another country and acquire nationality there as well.
[quote=“Hartzell”]Holders of ROC citizenship may obtain other foreign citizenships.
My latest study of the legal in’s and out’s here in Taiwan suggest that it would indeed be possible for a foreigner to go through the judicial process and obtain ROC nationality without renouncing his/her original nationality. AT this point, I would estimate legal costs at about NT$ 260,000, and the time required at 28 months or more.[/quote]
Your studies only suggest it maybe possible to obtain ROC nationality without renouncing ones own nationality. I’d hate for someone to spend the time and money and have that refused. I thought you had tried that avenue already and not been succesful. Has there been changes which now might make it possible for others to try this process?
[quote=“Satellite TV”][quote=“Hartzell”]Holders of ROC citizenship may obtain other foreign citizenships.
My latest study of the legal in’s and out’s here in Taiwan suggest that it would indeed be possible for a foreigner to go through the judicial process and obtain ROC nationality without renouncing his/her original nationality. AT this point, I would estimate legal costs at about NT$ 260,000, and the time required at 28 months or more.[/quote]
Your studies only suggest it maybe possible to obtain ROC nationality without renouncing ones own nationality. I’d hate for someone to spend the time and money and have that refused. I thought you had tried that avenue already and not been succesful. Has there been changes which now might make it possible for others to try this process?[/quote]
I am sorry…and no offense indeeded but for something like this I would prefer to use a lawyer licensed to practice in Taiwan and legally liable for giving incorrect information.
RE: Foreigners’ Feelings that We Are Being Treated Unfairly by the Provisions of Taiwan’s Nationality Law
I also did some research on this entire matter some time ago. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any Taiwanese lawyers who knew anything about “challenging the law” through the courts. They suggested trying to get the law changed via the Legislative Yuan, but admitted that with the current political climate, that would probably not be feasible. As for “challenging a law” … based on various criteria, they were clueless.
Hence … as a final resort, I was forced to invite Hartzell out for coffee and donuts, and he explained his view of the entire situation. I found his comments very illuminating, and I think he is sincerely interested in the predicament of “foreigners” in Taiwan.
Of interest is that he is now approaching this topic from a different angle. He is hoping to see some positive results within a year or so … hence, for the lack of better alternatives, I say “Go Get 'Em Hartzell!”