I started reading @Poagao’s book (Barbarian at the Gate) today (not sure if he is still active on this forum) and was amazed by how easy it was for him to naturalize.
Having previously only lived in Taiwan shortly by doing visa runs, and having spent the last year in mainland China, he somehow was able to just give up his US citizenship in Hong Kong and apply for Taiwan citizenship after getting on the good side of a Taiwanese consular official. Was it really that easy? Did he really get citizenship without any residency requirements? The book has been really gripping so far, but how he got citizenship was sort of brushed over and has left me with lots of questions.
You missed the part where he was legally adopted by a Taiwanese family. By legally becoming his auntie and uncle’s son, he was added to their family registry then got his passport and ID card.
Would love to see him in a Forumosa interview/AMA.
Haha. Maybe. Poagao’s procedure was done a long time ago. But it’s possible that this loophole still exists. And it’s not clear whether he actually had to give up his US citizenship for this to work. He just gave it up and had to sort it out from there, shoot first and ask questions later style.
Maybe this is mentioned later on in the book and I haven’t got that far yet. How was he legally adopted by a Taiwanese family after the age of 18? Or is that a thing here?
It’s not gone into detail. Apparently yes, it’s a thing here. It’s just mentioned that his close friend’s mother had suggested they adopt him. He was not in Taiwan long enough to have qualified for naturalization by residency when the Taiwanese functionary in Hong Kong took him in. And he did not leave Hong Kong until he had his Taiwanese travel document in hand.
Just speculating, but it must be so uncommon that adults are legally adopted that there has been no reason to remove this procedure and it is still on the books. It could still possibly be done today. Perhaps @Marco could mention to his lawyer that his friend’s parents suggested adopting him and is this actually possible today.
You know what would be very interesting and admittedly a little hilarious? A couple, both naturalized citizens, adopting an adult foreigner. And they are in a same-sex marriage. Would give the using a naturalized citizen a guarantor for a credit card a run for its money.
Let’s not abuse the loophole too much, or it will get closed. And I don’t think an adoption where the adoptee is the same age or older than one of the adopters will go through.
Edit: Seems there should be a minimum 20 year age gap between adopter and adoptee.
According to the laws of Taiwan, to adopt non-relative children, the following regulations shall be complied：
Single person is allowed to adopt children. The adopter shall be at least twenty years older than the person to be adopted.
When the husband and the wife are to adopt a child, they shall do so jointly. When the husband and wife co-adopt and either of the husband or wife is twenty years older than the person to be adopted and the other sixteen years or older than the person to be adopted, the person can be adopted.
Non-relative adoption shall be matched by legal adoption matching services agency, cannot be privately and designated for adoption, and the domestic adoption priority principle shall be implemented.
@springonion, @Fuzzy_Barbecue, @meishijia Would you consider adopting an adult foreigner to help them get citizenship?
There’s no way this could actually work, surely?
