Hello, I checked into this topic and a similar question along with several replies were posted a few years ago. So, I decided to post a new one just to make sure the situation is still the same.
Here is my situation. I have two nationalities (El Salvador and USA) and have been living in Taiwan for almost 4 years under a student visa with passport A. My studies are almost finished but I would like to stay teaching English so, I will need passport B. I would like to avoid flying all the way back to the US. I would prefer doing the switch inside Taiwan or maybe another country here in Asia. Any suggestions/experiences? Gladly appreciated.
Thanks.
If it’s a renewal of an old passport, just get them to update the passport number.
You’ll need to keep the old one because immigration will want to see the passport you entered on when you leave.
If however the passports are from different countries, you neglected to say, then obviously you can’t do it in Taiwan, the passport you entered on is the one they will use. You can’t change nationality and identity while you’re here.
Friend of mine did that, four years later they realized she has two passports and she was deported. The official reason was that no person who is honest has two passports so she must be up to no good.
She fought it tooth and nail as she has lived here for over 10 years but in the end she was still deported.
Really? It was no problem with our kid just a month ago. Leave Taiwan on the ROC passport, enter Britland on the UK passport. Leave Britland on the UK passport, enter Taiwan on the ROC one. Obviously, the ROC passport had a record of exit but none of entry to anyplace else. Same with the Brit passport.
Someone got deported simply for having two passports? Sounds like a lot less than the whole story to me – there’s no law here against having two passports unless you’re an elected Taiwanese official.
You can exit and come in on a different passport. I think you just have to remember the sequence. It’s done all the time by Taiwanese with dual citizenship.
Thanks for the info. I agree with most of what has been posted here. I was told by someone that I need to return to the US to do the switch because if I leave Taiwan with passport A (I have two nationalities) and enter HKK, I would need to use passport A. I thought I could do that switch to passport B in HKK. Any opinions on that?
I dont think Taiwan cares. Leave Taiwan with the same passport you entered Taiwan with. Enter HK with whichever passport you want to enter HK with (what ever more convenient for HK entry) and then return to Taiwan using the other passport you want to use. Carry both passports with you so that you can show where you came from if immigration asks. You also have your boarding pass. Tell the immigration officer you want to enter with the country with the passport you want to enter with. Its not a biggie that you have more then one passport.
Just that you must enter and leave Taiwan with the same passport. Also whatever passport you enter with you are subject to the laws pertaining to that passport.
Say you entered with an American passport , you may not be able to work in Taiwan without getting all the necessary paper work being an American citizen. If you then work using your Taiwan ID card (if you have that) then you may have violated the rules regarding work for an American citizen and thus you would get deported. Which only means that then you can return with your Taiwan passport but not with your US passport.
I think thats the only concern. That your activities on the island need to be related to the rights as a citizen of the nation whos passport you used to enter the island with. If you cant work on Taiwan as a citizen of that nations passport, then you cant work even if you are also a Taiwan citizen.
Thanks so much for ur replies. I will go to the immigration office next week but I agree with u all. I do think that a switch at HK or another place should be no problem. Stupid Taiwan immigration, maybe I should just get married here
FWIW I have two passports from two different countries… I regularly leave TWN on passport A then land in HKG and enter using passport B, then come back to Taiwan and re-enter on passport A, unstamped and untouched since I left TWN… In the past I have on occasion done the same trip and re-entered TWN with passport B as well… As far as TWN (or almost anywhere else) cares or more accurately, can legally require, as long as you leave with the same passport you entered on (in TWN the one with the yellow arrival card stapled in it), your entry and exit are legal and within the scope of your visa and you can produce both valid passports for inspection on request, it’s all fair and above board… Dual citizenship is legal and you can chop and change as much as you like between leaving one country and entering another… I do the same thing when traveling TWN-US TWN-EU etc. etc.
Only time I’ve ever had trouble was leaving China once at a small border post when some mouth breather at customs realised I had a mile long China visit record with two different passports, for a second he thought he’d secured himself a life of CCP sponsored luxury having captured a spy, but an hour spent explaining the concept of dual citizenship to his organ grinder and a lot of close examination of the passports and I was on my way…
Thanks for the info. I agree with most of what has been posted here. I was told by someone that I need to return to the US to do the switch because if I leave Taiwan with passport A (I have two nationalities) and enter HKK, I would need to use passport A. I thought I could do that switch to passport B in HKK. Any opinions on that?[/quote]
leave TW on A
enter HK on A
leave HK on A
enter TW on B
I remember an acquaintance in the same situation as the OP. He came to Taiwan with a scholarship, on A country’s passport. Afterwards, he switched to US passport for his work visa for the rest of the duration of his stay.
Eh?.. Neither of my passports is Taiwanese if that’s what you mean…[/quote]
No what I think he means is that Taiwanese people can and regularly do hold two passports with dual citizenship, whereas they force us foreign devils to renounce our homeland citizenship and surrender our original passport to get a Taiwanese passport.
Friend of mine was recently married and he said it was a nightmare.
Said it’s not all plain sailing now.
Just some of the things that happened:
He had immigration (or whoever they were) checking in on him, they had to provide photos (proof that they’ve been together for a while type of thing), and he had to stay indoors for 3 weeks waiting for the official to call him (could be at any time) to make sure he wasn’t working illegally.
If he wasn’t home when the call was made the official would shout at him and accuse him of working.
Said he was tempted to just leave Taiwan it was so much hassle.
OP you may want to check out the visa regulationss concerning HK and TW with regards to you El Salvador passport.
I would get a stamp in HK on it before using it to come here.
Eh?.. Neither of my passports is Taiwanese if that’s what you mean…