I would like to ask regarding renouncing of Taiwan citizen:
First of all, I’m Taiwanese man who born in Taiwan but grown up in overseas. I been entering Taiwan every 5 years and stay less then a month.
Recently i received a news that my overseas citizen application had been approved. But what i need to do is to renouncing my Taiwan citizen. Here comes the problem, i’m now 34 year old and yet to serve the military service. I’m holding a overseas permanent resident ID, i’m assuming that the Taiwan Embassy of overseas will not be able accept my requesting for renouncing the citizen.
Is there anyone who faced the same problem as me? Is there any solution to solve the problem? Appreciate to who able to help me out with my problem.
Loss of nationality is Application 3, and I think you fall under reason 5 for application, Applicant is above 20 years old and has the capacity to act according to the laws of the ROC and acquires the nationality of another country voluntarily.
Documents required:
Application form for loss of nationality
Certificate of ROC nationality (e.g. Household Registration Transcript, National ID Card, Household Certificate, passport, … etc)
Police criminal record certificate (The applicant does not need to submit. The household registration authority takes responsibility to retrieve and check on behalf of the applicant). (The applicant who is under 14 years old or never has household registration in the ROC may omit this certificate.)
A certificate proving that no tax or tax-related fine is due.
A certificate of completion of military service, decommissioning, retirement or service exemption for a male of service age.
For an ROC overseas national as defined in the Proviso of Subparagraph 1 of Article 12 of the Nationality Act shall submit the following documents:
(1) ROC passport has been endorsed as an Overseas Compatriot, or obtaining Overseas Compatriot Identity Certificate or Overseas Compatriot Identity Certificate for Conscription
(2) A Household Registration Transcript evidencing date of moving abroad
(3) Certificate of Entry and Exit Date (The applicant does not need to submit. The household registration authority takes responsibility to retrieve and check on behalf of the applicant).
Applicant who has or had once household registration in the ROC shall submit Household Registration Transcript.
One photos (with the applicant’s name in hand writing on the back, same specification applied to National ID cards.)
Permit fees paid for the certificate (with amount NT$1000, payment must be remitted via a postal money order, on which the recipient is indicated as the Ministry of the Interior).
Notes: 1. For the concerned party residing in the ROC, application shall be filed by the concerned party in person with the local household registration office in the district where he/she resides in and will be transferred to the municipal government or county (city) government and granted permission from the Ministry of the Interior. For the concerned party residing abroad, application shall be filed by the concerned party in person with an ROC Embassy or Mission Abroad and will be transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and granted permission from the Ministry of the Interior.
There’s more info in the word document, but it seems like you can apply to the embassy.
I’m only the permanent resident and not yet a citizen. But I apply for a citizenship a year ago, and recently it approved.
But 1 of the procedure is, I need to go to Taiwan embassy to renounce my Taiwan citizenship.
But the problem is, I not yet complete my military services yet, and I’m 34 year old now. Too added on, I’m married with a foreign spouse and have a lovely kid.
Based on my above scenario, I don’t know whether Taiwan embassy will approve my renouncing of Taiwan citizenship.
Based on your experience, is there anyway to do the renouncing of Taiwan citizen ?
Thanks for the applications, but as you mentioned , I don’t fulfill the point 5 that you mentioned, which is to provide the completion certificate of my military services.
Thanks and really appreciated for your kind reply.
Just out of curiosity, which country are you becoming a citizen of? Most countries (barring China, Japan, India, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, most of the Stans, Indonesia, a handful of African countries, and a few others) allow multiple citizenships.
If you have an Overseas Compatriot Identity Certificate, usually it’s on your ROC passport, then I think you are exempted from serving as long as you don’t spend an extended period of time in Taiwan.
If you do, you pretty much CAN’T renounce and you should get a letter from TECO stating that fact. If you haven’t served in the army you CANNOT renounce your citizenship (otherwise everyone would get citizenship from countries like Costa Rica and renounce their ROC citizenship).
The only way you can renounce your ROC citizenship without having been in the army is if you are born in a foreign country and have no HHR in Taiwan, OR if you are born outside of Taiwan, AND have a HHR, AND left Taiwan before you are 15 years old.
If you want to know whether or not you have HHR, look in your passport. If it has an ID number you have HHR.
Since the OP is born in Taiwan, unfortunately he CANNOT renounce his ROC citizenship unless he served in the army. After that he MAY be able to renounce…
Dual Nationality and Compulsory Military Service: Taiwan has compulsory military service for Taiwan national males between the ages of 18 and 36. This includes dual U.S./Taiwan citizens who enter Taiwan on their U.S. passports. If you have family ties to Taiwan, contact the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington or one of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) offices in the United States regarding potential nationality obligations before entering Taiwan . The United States Government cannot protect dual nationals from compulsory military service.
To the OP: DO NOT ENTER TAIWAN if you don’t want to join the army. You WILL be denied exit regardless of the passport you are using to enter Taiwan, and until you finish your army service you will not be allowed to leave.
Is the army the only branch of the military that takes conscripts, or ? I somehow have a vague recollection that my wife’s friend did his service in the navy, but perhaps I am mistaken.
I said army because 90% of the time that’s what it is.
How it really happens is you will report to the conscription bureau as soon as you enter Taiwan during conscription age (anytime after 15). You have to do this because the passport control will deny you exit when you try to fly back out. The conscription bureau is usually in the same office as the HHR office (they will direct you to that office when you get your ID). The conscription bureau will take in your information, conduct a background check, and notify you of your health check. The health check is free and they will do a complete physical including a chest X ray and a lab test. Once your health check is complete you will be notified of the date of your lottery. The lottery determines which branch you will serve in as there are different health categories (usually based on BMI) that decides if you will serve army, navy, air force, or marine corp. Only the healthiest person will be picked for marine corp and God help you if you did get the short straw. ROC Marine Corp is no less demanding than the USMC. Once you get your lottery result, then the bureau will let you know when you get your draft notice. It tells you where and when to report to (in my case I was ordered to report to Taipei Main Station, North 1 exit). YOU MUST REPORT AS ORDERED OR YOU WILL BE ARRESTED AND GO TO PRISON BECAUSE THIS IS CONSIDERED AWOL.
I have been in the army before. In my case it took me 6 months from entering Taiwan until enlistment. You will start out as “E1” or basically lower than a private. Once you finish boot camp (1 month) you become Private. 6 months from enlistment you automatically promote to PFC, and a year after you become Corporal. All conscript will be discharged as PFC as you won’t spend enough time in the army to become a Corporal. You can be a Sargent or Lieutenant depending on what programs you enlist into…
There is also a chance that you will be picked for military police. If that happens… be ready. Think “Full Metal Jacket”. Imagine wearing bullet proof vest in Taiwan heat, no AC (almost no barracks have it). We actually modified ours when we stand for guard details by taking out the kevlar. I know it’s not safe but honestly who would be stupid enough to shoot a pistol (it will be a pistol because those vests won’t stop 5.56mm, so if you got shot with a 5.56 you’re screwed either way) at someone armed with an assault rifle? Besides almost nobody has guns in Taiwan and if they did they certainly wouldn’t be shooting at someone armed with an assault rifle.
When you finish your service you must go back to your HHR office and “return home”. Failing to do so is also a criminal offense.
This is one of those weird things in taiwan, why everyone wants to do their military service the easiest way. I did my time in the marines, as did my brothers as well. Where I come from most people would try to get in to the toughest branch, but here it seems to be the exact reverse. wtf.
Because fact is nobody wants to join the military because it is almost like prison. In the US those who enlist are people who for one reason or another wants to be in the military so they go to the hardest unit there is. Where you’re from nobody’s forced to join the military and they only accept the best anyways.
Back in the day people wanted to serve in the easiest way possible too. All those WWII shooters and films are all about elite units that people volunteer to join (and only take the best as well).
So, wrong. We got conscription and everyone has to go, unless you choose to do whats called “civil service”, but thats only for treehuggers and hippies.
You can’t just do civil service unless you have legal excuses to do so, typically health reasons.
Military conscription is written into ROC constitution so while lawmakers actually want to get rid of it (it costs big money and ROC military does not have that much to work with) they can’t. Which is why we have this deal where you serve for about a year since it’s the best compromise to fulfill constitutional laws but also save people money. Remember Taiwan is such a democracy that they would LOVE to do what the people want (which is an end to conscription) but their hands are tied. I’m sure constitutional amendments are possible but I am not sure what the standards are…
I not sure whether i can apply overseas compatriot identity certificate now? Or is there any requirement? 100% confirm that i dont have overseas compatriot identity certificate.