Becoming Taiwanese (Part Two): Applying for Residency

taiwan expats

Dec 16

Hello everyone! This is part two 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 part 1 for an explanation of how to first complete the checklist of getting your Taiwanese passport.

After passing the hurdle of receiving my Taiwanese passport, I thought I could really conquer everything. Little did I know… this is where things started to get really complicated. I had been fingerprinted, sent an application to the FBI for a background check, and requested a mailed copy of the background check results to my home in Los Angeles. This, in hindsight, could have been done electronically or even completed in Taiwan, however the results needed to be translated into Mandarin and authenticated at TECRO in Washington D.C. before submission. There is a time limit on these documents, so I really wanted to make sure I submitted everything correctly the first time around so I didn’t have to do it all over again. As for the health check, it can be easily done in an hour or two - I went to Mackay Hospital (12th floor I believe) and completed it quickly (quick blood draw and you’re good).

The most difficult part of the process was actually regarding household registration. Due to my father immigrating back in 1960 to the USA, he had no active household registration and also no known relatives in Taiwan. For most people going through this process, this step most likely will not be a problem. For me - the household registration office asked if I had any friends or acquaintances that would allow me to add my father (and later, me) to their official household. This step may induce additional taxes or fees, and legally, my father and I would be part of their household registry, so unfortunately most people were not willing to help me out. As an alternative, you could own a house on your own or provide certificates to prove that you pay property tax, just to ensure that that you or a family member actually lives here in Taiwan.

Long story short, my boss at the time offered to help me out and it was truly a blessing. He drove me to his house, provided his official authorization chop, ID card, household registration papers and I was officially a member of my boss’s household registry (haha). My dad received his ID card, health insurance card, and I received my TARC - Taiwan Area Resident Certificate. It looks almost identical to an ARC (Alien Resident Certificate or 居留證) but under purpose of residence it states that I’m a NWOHR - a Taiwanese national without household registration. This status will stay until the duration of stay is completed. You will be required to sign up for National Health Insurance after six months on your TARC - or if you start working, your employer will be required to provide NHI immediately. You will also be eligible for a work permit here in Taiwan without any sponsorship, which is really helpful as most overseas citizens require sponsorship by a company in order to stay for more than 90 days and to work legally.

ROC_Taiwan_Area_Resident_Certificate_sample_20081001.png

Step 2: Apply for Residency

WHERE: National Immigration Office

WHAT: TARC Taiwan Area Resident Certificate, National Health Insurance 健保卡, Work Permit

Required documents:

Application form
Home country passport
Taiwan passport
FBI Background check (TECO authenticated and translated) - expires within 6 months of issue
Health check (can do in Taiwan) - expires within 3 months of issue
Entry permit (in Taiwan passport)
Fee
Birth certificate (TECO authenticated and translated)
Marriage certificate (TECO authenticated and translated): also need TECO authenticated foreign spouse’s name declaration
Copy of Taiwanese parent’s household registration if available (will be issued by the specific local household registry office where your family is registered) - needs to have your parent’s marriage registered

Forms You’ll Need

Submit a Request for an Identity History Summary from the U.S. FBI (aka background check)

https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks

Please check out part three for more information on completing the last part of the process, the duration of stay requirements. Hope this process helps you out! 加油!