Sometime in 2024, the United States Department of State (“DOS”) quietly updated its requirements for birth certificates in the DOS Reciprocity Schedule for Taiwan. Birth Certificates seem no longer required or accepted for Taiwan nationals. The only acceptable document for proof of birth is now an Individual Household Registration Transcript.
The Individual Household Registration Transcript is part of Taiwan’s greater Household Registration System to which all Taiwan nationals must have registered with the Taiwan government. The Transcript provides a record of a household’s members and their relationship to each other, including details like birth, marriage, and death.
Moreover, DOS National Visa Center is not accepting bilingual Chinese and English versions which are now widely available. The National Visa Center is requiring an original Chinese version and an original English version issued by the Household Registration Office, although we have been successful submitting a translation of the original Chinese version.
The DOS Reciprocity Schedule for Taiwan for Birth Certificates now reads:
Birth Certificates
- Available
- Fees: NT$115 to apply for both Chinese and English versions.
- Document Name: Individual Household Registration Transcript (“Ge Ren Hu Ji Teng Ben” in Chinese)
- Issuing Authority: Office of Household Registration
- Special Seal(s) / Color / Format: Must be printed in both Chinese and English versions, with full remarks included (no remarks omitted). The original copy will include a red stamp on the back of the page with the name of the issuing office.
- Issuing Authority Personnel Title: Office of Household Registration
- Registration Criteria: Births of Taiwan nationals must be registered with the local Office of Household Registration. Before February 9, 2000, only Taiwan national fathers could transmit Taiwan citizenship to their children. Children of foreign fathers were not granted Taiwan citizenship and were registered with the consular authorities of their father’s country of citizenship. Following the amendment of the Nationality Law in 2000, either parent can transmit Taiwan citizenship to their children. Children born in Taiwan to foreign parents are not granted citizenship by the Taiwan authorities and are usually registered with their own consular authorities.
- Procedure for Obtaining: Contact the local Office of Household Registration
- Certified Copies Available: Certified copies are not available; applicants can apply for new original copies instead.
- Alternate Documents: None
- Exceptions: None.
- Comments: None.
If you have any questions about visas or immigration from Taiwan, contact us at info@enterlinepartners.com.
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Copyright 2025. This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This article may be changed with or without notice. The opinions expressed in this article are those of Enterline & Partners only.
