# Real English name on household registration/passport. Need advice **URL:** \ **Category:** General Legal Matters\ **Created:** [November 2, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483 "2020-11-02T12:29:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TaipeiWolf](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/c2a13f/32.png) [@TaipeiWolf](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/TaipeiWolf)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/1 "2020-11-02T12:29:12Z")
I recently registered my child’s household registration. I am now looking to get an English version of the 戶口名捕. However, when I went to the office, they told me that I could not use the child’s real English name, but instead had to use the pinyin equivalent of the Chinese name, which I don’t want to do, as then my child will have to use a pinyin name on their British passport as well. I know there is a law about minorities being able to use real names rather than pinyin ones, can someone send me the law in Chinese, and English if possible? Many thanks ---
**Author:** ![fifieldt](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/fifieldt/32/176346_2.png) [@fifieldt](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/fifieldt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/2 "2020-11-02T12:49:17Z")
Name Act: - EN [https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030011](https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030011) - ZH [https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030011](https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030011) Enforcement Rules of the Passport Act: - EN [https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-144-470-469a7-2.html](https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-144-470-469a7-2.html) - ZH [https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-211-4273-a354f-1.html](https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-211-4273-a354f-1.html) Good luck, this is not easy to do and you may end up in a bureaucratic loop between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Bureau of Consular Affairs and the Household Registration Office. Advice: be very, very nice to the household registration office, and very, very well prepared for the Bureau of Consular Affairs 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![welcome](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/58f4c7/32.png) [@welcome](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/welcome)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2020, 12:58pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/3 "2020-11-02T12:58:23Z")
> [@TaipeiWolf](#): > > I am now looking to get an English version of the 戶口名捕. Do they provide an English version? ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2020, 12:59pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/4 "2020-11-02T12:59:45Z")
Yes, they do, although I believe it is called a transcript rather than a certificate. ---
**Author:** ![fifieldt](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/fifieldt/32/176346_2.png) [@fifieldt](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/fifieldt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/5 "2020-11-02T13:05:54Z")
aka 戶籍謄本 Of interest may also be these proposed changes to the regulations from a couple weeks ago, many of which relate to foreign names: [https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-211-5966-822cb-1.html](https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-211-5966-822cb-1.html) (ZH only) ---
**Author:** ![slawa](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/slawa/32/112823_2.png) [@slawa](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/slawa)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/6 "2020-11-03T00:40:29Z")
This is hard to do afterwards. But fairly easy when initially registering the newborn at the HHR office. Make sure the hospital will put the English name on the birth certificate. > [@Changing child's legal English name from Pinyin to real name](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/changing-childs-legal-english-name-from-pinyin-to-real-name/183407/23): > > For the benefit of future readers, as far as I know you MUST insist that the child be registered with both Chinese name (characters) and foreign name in the HHR from the get-go and no pinyin version for his “foreign” name (that’s how my son’s name appears in his HHR). In order to accomplish this, you must have the English-version birth certificate from the hospital where your child was born - and that means getting it before mom checks out after the birth. There are threads discussing this issue: > [@Changing child's legal English name from Pinyin to real name](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/changing-childs-legal-english-name-from-pinyin-to-real-name/183407/19): > > Found a scanned copy in my digital folder of English HHR record. The english name [Name in English] for both our kids in HHR is Pinyin name (English name) in the same row. Not under notes Same applies for my entry in HHR as their father. ---
**Author:** ![tando](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@tando](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tando)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/7 "2020-11-03T01:02:53Z")
As for passport, the current law says 第十四條護照外文姓名之記載方式如下 申請人首次申請護照時，已有英文字母拼寫之外文姓名，載於下列文件者，得優先採用： (三) 國內外醫院所核發之出生證明。 ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/8 "2020-11-03T02:00:41Z")
Hi Tando, do you have a link to this law on the government website? I am about to apply for a Taiwan passport for my daughter and luckily I have an English birth certificate with a real English name. ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 2:03am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/9 "2020-11-03T02:03:19Z")
> [@tando](#): > > 國內外 By 國內外 do they mean both at home or abroad? My daughters English BC was issued in Taiwan. ---
**Author:** ![tando](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@tando](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tando)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/10 "2020-11-03T03:06:00Z")
> [@meishijia](#): > > do you have a link to this law on the government website? Hi, fifieldt posted links to the law in his first reply to this thread, Enforcement Rules of the Passport Act. His post has links to both of English and Chinese versions. It is Article 14. > [@tando](#): > > 國內外醫院所核發之出生證明。 A baby cannot be delivered at two hospitals, so I’m sure it means at home or abroad. ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 3:30am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/11 "2020-11-03T03:30:58Z")
Sorry, I meant “or” not “and”, fixed it now 😆. ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/12 "2020-11-03T14:10:21Z")
To be fair though. It is possible to get two birth certificates from different countries in certain cases. For example, despite my daughter being born in Taiwan, as she is a British citizen by descent I could also apply for a British consular birth certificate. Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe German nationals can also apply for this. ---
**Author:** ![FenjaJie](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/fenjajie/32/177281_2.png) [@FenjaJie](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/FenjaJie)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/13 "2020-11-03T14:30:37Z")
The thing is, that these two are totally different documents. What’s called a birth certificate here is a birth report in Germany. The birth certificate in Germany is your most important document as it legally proves who you are. Passports and ID cards depend on the birth certificate in german law AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![meishijia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/meishijia/32/178949_2.png) [@meishijia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/meishijia)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/real-english-name-on-household-registration-passport-need-advice/198483/14 "2020-11-05T04:19:04Z")
I made a post about this which covers everything you will need to know about registering an English name. If you have any problems you can message me and I’ll try to help. > [@Guide: How to register a 'real' English name for your Taiwanese child](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/guide-how-to-register-a-real-english-name-for-your-taiwanese-child/198586): > > Today I registered my Taiwanese daughters English name, not using a transliteration of her Chinese name, but using a ‘real’ English name. The English surname I registered is also different to the Chinese surname. The Chinese surname matches my wife’s surname, and the English surname matches mine. I hope that in this post I can explain how I did it, as many parents have posted that they were not allowed to do it or met resistance. As far as I know, there are two ways to register an official Engl…