Becoming Taiwanese (Part Three): Applying for Citizenship

taiwan expats

Dec 16

Hello everyone! This is part three in my process of becoming a dual citizen with Taiwan & USA passports. Please see the below checklist for the documents needed for this part of the process and please see part 1 (Taiwan passport without household registry) and part 2 (TARC - Taiwan Area Resident Certificate) for the first two parts of this series.

Step 3: Apply for Citizenship

Where: National Immigration Agency, Household Registry Office

What: Taiwanese ID Card! 身分證

After receiving my passport, TARC, NHI, and work permit - it was time to complete the duration of stay requirement - the last part of the process.

I had a few options - stay for 365 consecutive days without leaving Taiwan or stay for two consecutive years for 270 days per year. I chose the latter due to the birth of my nephew and also due to my aging grandmother who was inching closer to a century. That meant that I was able to leave for up to 95 days per year or approximately three months, which most likely wouldn’t be a possibility due to working full-time in Taiwan anyways. I left for Christmas vacation in December 2019 and told my family and friends that I would be back to visit next Christmas - little did I know… where 2020 was headed. I spent my Chinese New Year holiday in Japan when the news hit that there was a new virus spreading quickly throughout Asia. I thought it was unusual that Chinese tourists were snapping up loads of face masks from pharmacies in Japan, so I took the hint and grabbed a few packs myself to be on the safe side. I re-entered Taiwan at the end of Chinese New Year break on January 30, 2020 and thus began the unexpected switch to a 365 day consecutive stay in Taiwan. (After a few calls to NIA, I confirmed that a 365 day stay is still possible within any point in time before your TARC expires)

Duration of stay requirements:

365 consecutive days OR
270 days per year for two consecutive years OR
180 days per year for five consecutive years

This section will be updated once I complete the 365 day duration of stay requirements, which will happen at the end of January 2021. To be continued shortly! :) 加油!

Update 6/28/21:

It’s been a hot minute, and for that I apologize. Life headed in unexpected directions very quickly - life update later. Let’s rewind a little bit.

On February 1, 2021, I completed my 365 day stay in Taiwan without leaving and stopped by the National Immigration Agency with all paperwork in hand.

(below list compiled with the assistance of Amy S. who also completed her citizenship the same time as I did! whoot whoot)

Completed 定居申請書 - blank ones can be picked up at NIA
説明書 - some form the NIA officer gave me that seems to clarify your marital status; if not married, check “本人現並無婚姻狀況”
ROCRC
Health check (at the hospital, tell them the checkup is to apply for 身份證 because it seems they need to choose a specific form for it)
1. remember to bring two passport photos, ROCRC, and U.S. passport
Taiwan passport
戶籍謄本 - some sort of document from the household registration office where your Taiwanese parent is registered. It’s a one-page print out that contains the household registration address, and family info about the parent you’re applying through. It has a stamp on the back. This document has an expiration date.
- From Amy S: I believe this document meets the requirements of section 3 (應備文件), item 5 of the requirements handout. But there seem to be multiple documents that can fulfill this requirement--originally the NIA officer asked for the Taiwanese parent’s 身份證--I only had a copy, and my mom is in the U.S., so she said the 戶籍謄本 will be OK. I’m not 100% sure but I think you could also provide a 戶口名簿, which is an old book that will be owned by the head of your household registration (in my case, my grandmother). This seems to be mentioned in item 10 of the handout. I think the 戶籍謄本 is the easiest document to get if the Taiwanese parent is not with you.
600NT

*Just in case, make a copy of everything and bring at least two passport photos.

After you turn everything in, wait about a week and then you can pick up a 定居證 (I went on Feb 1 and received my 定居證 on Feb 9). Then you can use that to apply for a Taiwan ID at your household registration office.

I was able to join the household of a close friend (LOVE YOU LUCE!) in New Taipei City, which meant we took a trek to the local household registration office as soon as I possibly could. The crazy thing was that it became a race against time as I wanted to head back to the USA for my grandma’s 100th birthday on March 1st, and I needed all documents in hand and finalized before I could leave Taiwan. On top of that, it was Chinese New Year, which meant that all government offices were closed for almost a week in the middle of February (2/12-2/16). Somehow by the grace of God, I was able to head to the household reg office with the form that the NIA provided to me, and my father and I were added to my friend’s household registration and I was given my new Taiwan ID right then and there.

I then headed over to get my brand new Taiwan passport 護照 (expedited shipping) and then to the healthcare office to apply for my healthcare card with my new ID number. I was able to pick my passport up a few days later (you can actually expedite overnight as well for a higher fee) and the healthcare card 健保卡 approximately a week later. Everything was set and done ONE week before leaving Taiwan to return home - which ended up being for good. More to come later. Thank you for reading and feel free to drop me a comment about your citizenship process! See you soon.