I had a long talk with the key people in the Ministry of the Interior’s NATIONALITY DEPT. and their legal staff today, March 6, 2002.
Here is an important fact which I found out: The MOI officials are under the impression that a foreigner from a almost any country (including the USA, Ireland, etc.) can renounce his/her nationality, obtain ROC nationality, and then re-acquire his/her original nationality. (We will ignore for the present moment those persons from the so-called underdeveloped nations who actually would prefer to have ROC nationality, rather than their own original nationality.)
Hence, from the point of view of these MOI officials, the requirement that foreigners must first renounce their original nationality before being accepted for ROC NATIONALITY, is no big deal.
Although this line of reasoning make strike you as bizarre, nevertheless it makes little sense to argue about it. Let’s don’t argue. Let’s do something else.
At this point, what it does make sense to do is to get some sort of official letter from your government about what the true situation is.
In other words ----
How difficult is it to re-acquire your “home country” nationality after you have renounced it?
This afternoon I have submitted an official inquiry to the American Institute in Taiwan about this. My Irish friend will have his parents submit a letter to the Irish government to clarify the situation there.
If you can help clarify the situation for other countries, please advise me, and note your email address. I will be happy to email a “sample” inquiry letter to you for your use in contacting your home country officials.
If we can collect this type of data for a number of “advanced nations” I think that it could be very useful in our future negotiations with the MOI about DUAL NATIONALITY FOR FOREIGNERS in the ROC.