Skip to content

All posts

Naturalization in Taiwan

By Elliott Jones

Last updated 

Application forms and people follow a dotted path towards the outline of Taiwan.

Naturalization in Taiwan is the legal process by which a foreign national or stateless person acquires nationality of the Republic of China (ROC). The Nationality Act recognizes naturalization as a basis for ROC nationality alongside nationality acquired by descent and in certain circumstances by birth.[1] Naturalization is administered by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and is governed primarily by the Nationality Act and its Enforcement Rules.[1][2] Under the ordinary route, an applicant must generally have been legally resident in Taiwan for at least 183 days in each of five consecutive years and must satisfy requirements relating to legal capacity, conduct, financial self-sufficiency, basic language ability, and knowledge of the rights and obligations of ROC nationals.[1] Reduced or exempted requirements apply to several categories of applicants, including spouses and certain former spouses of ROC nationals, persons with specified family connections to Taiwan, qualifying high-level professionals, and persons who have made special contributions to the ROC.[1][3][4]

Naturalization and household registration are separate legal processes. A person acquires ROC nationality when the MOI approves naturalization, but a newly naturalized person who has not established household registration is a national without household registration (NWOHR).[1][5] Such nationals must complete separate residence and settlement procedures under the Immigration Act before establishing household registration and becoming eligible for a National Identification Card.[6][5]

Except where an exemption applies, a foreign national who naturalizes must provide evidence of loss of their previous nationality within one year after naturalization.[1] The present sequence, in which loss of the previous nationality generally occurs after ROC nationality has been granted, was introduced by amendments enacted in 2016 following cases in which applicants who had first renounced their original nationality were left stateless after failing to obtain ROC nationality.[3][7] Taiwan’s naturalization regime has undergone repeated reform since the comprehensive revision of the Nationality Act in 2000, including major amendments in 2016 and 2024 that relaxed requirements for some foreign spouses, high-level professionals, stateless children and other applicants.[8][3][4] Naturalization policy, particularly the treatment of immigrant spouses, renunciation of previous nationality and access to dual nationality, has also been the subject of academic research and public debate.[9][7][10]

Requirements

The general naturalization requirements are established in Article 3 of the Nationality Act, under which a foreign national or stateless person may apply for naturalization if the following requirements are met:[1][2]

  • Has domicile in Taiwan
  • Has had at least 183 days of legal residence in Taiwan in each year for at least five consecutive years
  • Has legal capacity under both ROC law and the law of their country of nationality
  • Has no bad conduct and no criminal-case record appearing on the police criminal record certificate
  • Has sufficient property or professional skills to be self-supporting or otherwise has a secure livelihood
  • Has basic language ability and basic knowledge of the rights and obligations of ROC nationals

Exceptions

The Nationality Act provides alternative naturalization routes for applicants with specified family ties to the ROC, particular birth or residence connections, high-level professional qualifications, special contributions, and accompanying minor children. Unless a provision expressly removes a requirement, applicants under Articles 4 and 5 remain subject to the applicable conditions in Article 3.[11]

Spouses and specified family connections (Article 4(1))

A foreign national or stateless person who has had legal residence in Taiwan for at least 183 days in each year for three consecutive years may apply for naturalization under Article 4(1). Except where stated otherwise, the applicant must still meet the Article 3 requirements concerning legal capacity, conduct, financial self-sufficiency, and language and civic knowledge.[11]

A person married to an ROC national is exempt from the property or self-support requirement, but must meet the other applicable Article 3 requirements.[11]

The same three-year residence route is also available to a person who:

  • Divorced an ROC national because of domestic violence and has not remarried;
  • Is the unremarried surviving spouse of an ROC national and remains in contact with the deceased spouse’s family members, unless the marriage had lasted at least two years before the spouse’s death;
  • Supports, exercises rights and obligations on behalf of, and personally meets and interacts with their ROC-national child who is legally incompetent or has limited legal competence;
  • Has a parent who is or was an ROC national;
  • Was adopted by an ROC national;
  • Was born in Taiwan; or
  • Is the guardian or assistant of an ROC national.[11][12]

Unmarried minors (Article 4(2))

An unmarried minor who has legally resided in Taiwan for fewer than three years may apply for naturalization if a parent or adoptive parent is an ROC national, or if the minor is under the guardianship of a social-welfare authority or institution. Such applicants need not meet the ordinary requirements concerning legal capacity, financial self-sufficiency, or language and civic-knowledge proficiency; the statutory conduct requirement is not removed.[11][12]

Birth and long-residence routes (Article 5(1)(1)–(2))

Article 5 also permits naturalization, without the ordinary five-year/183-days-per-year requirement, for an applicant who was born in Taiwan and whose father or mother was also born in Taiwan. The applicant must nevertheless meet the Article 3 requirements concerning legal capacity, conduct, financial self-sufficiency, and language and civic knowledge.[11]

An applicant who has legally resided in Taiwan for at least ten consecutive years may likewise apply under Article 5. This route has no annual 183-day residence threshold, but the other Article 3 requirements continue to apply.[11][12]

High-level professionals (Article 5(1)(3))

A high-level professional recommended by the competent central authority, found to have contributed to the interests of the ROC, and approved through the statutory review process may apply for naturalization after either at least 183 days of legal residence in each year for two consecutive years or at least five consecutive years of legal residence. The applicant must still meet the Article 3 requirements other than its ordinary five-year residence requirement.[11][13]

High-level professionals naturalized under this provision are also exempt from the usual requirement to submit proof of loss of their original nationality.[11]

Special contributions to the ROC (Article 6)

A foreign national or stateless person who has made special contributions to the ROC may apply for naturalization without meeting the requirements in Article 3. Permission is granted by the Ministry of the Interior following approval by the Executive Yuan, and successful applicants are exempt from the nationality-permit certificate fee.[11]

Persons naturalized under Article 6 are exempt from the requirement to submit proof of loss of their original nationality.[11]

Accompanying minor children (Article 7)

An unmarried child under 18 of a person applying for naturalization may apply for naturalization concurrently with that parent. The Enforcement Rules exempt such accompanying minors from submitting evidence of financial self-sufficiency or of language and civic-knowledge proficiency.[11][12]

Language and civic-knowledge assessment

The regulations provide less demanding ways to demonstrate the language and civic-knowledge requirement for applicants under Article 4(1) and Article 5. Applicants may meet the requirement through study at a domestic school, approved government educational programmes, or the naturalization test. The required programme hours and test pass marks are lower for Article 4 and Article 5 applicants than for ordinary Article 3 applicants, with further reductions for applicants aged 65 or over.[14]

Process

A foreign national who is granted naturalization acquires ROC nationality on the date that the MOI grants permission. Establishing household registration is a subsequent process governed principally by the Immigration Act and Household Registration Act; until that process is completed, a newly naturalized person is a national without household registration (NWOHR).[1][6][5]

Application and review

An application for naturalization is made personally by the applicant or their legal representative and is filed at the household registration office (HHRO) responsible for the applicant’s place of residence. The application is examined by the HHRO and forwarded through the relevant municipal, county or city government to the MOI, which has final authority to approve naturalization. If an application or its supporting documents are deficient but the matter can be corrected, the applicant must be given a period in which to make the correction; the application is rejected if the required correction is not made within that period.[2]

As part of the review, the household registration authorities verify information concerning the applicant’s period of residence, dates of entry and departure, domestic criminal record and, where relevant, household-registration information concerning a spouse, parent, adoptive parent, guardian or other person on whom the application is based. The municipal, county or city government conducts a further examination before forwarding the application to the MOI for a decision. Documents issued outside Taiwan are subject to authentication requirements, and documents written in a foreign language must generally be accompanied by an authenticated or notarized Chinese translation.[2]

If the MOI approves the application, it issues a Certificate of Naturalization.[2] The central government’s service portal lists a standard processing period of 30 days for nationality-change applications.[15]

Loss of previous nationality

Except where an exemption applies, a foreign national who naturalizes must submit evidence that they have lost their previous nationality within one year after the MOI grants naturalization. Where the law of the applicant’s previous country permits renunciation only after a particular age is reached, the one-year period runs from the date on which the person reaches that age. Until that evidence is submitted, the MOI must not approve the person’s settlement in Taiwan.[1][2]

This requirement operates after naturalization: an applicant therefore becomes an ROC national before completing the loss of their previous nationality. The current sequence dates from reforms enacted in 2016. Under the previous system, loss of the applicant’s former nationality generally had to be completed before final naturalization; the MOI said there had been cases in which applicants were subsequently unsuccessful in obtaining ROC nationality and were left stateless. The 2016 amendments instead allowed applicants to provide evidence of loss of their former nationality within one year after naturalization.[3] The renunciation requirement and its relationship with statelessness among migrant spouses has also been examined in academic research.[7]

The requirement does not apply to persons naturalized as qualifying high-level professionals under Article 5 of the Nationality Act, persons naturalized for making special contributions to the ROC under Article 6, or persons who are unable to obtain evidence of loss of nationality for reasons that are not attributable to them.[1]

Extensions are permitted where the applicant is unable to complete the loss-of-nationality procedure because of legal or administrative restrictions imposed by their country of nationality.[1] An applicant seeking such an extension must generally apply at least 30 days before the original deadline and provide evidence that they have applied to the authorities of their country of nationality for loss of nationality.[16]

If a person who is required to provide evidence of loss of nationality fails to do so within the prescribed or extended period, the MOI must revoke the permission for naturalization.[1]

Residence, settlement and household registration

Acquisition of ROC nationality does not by itself establish household registration. A newly naturalized NWOHR may apply to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) for permission to reside in Taiwan under the Immigration Act.[1][5]

For an ordinary naturalized national, the NIA may issue a Taiwan Area Resident Certificate (TARC) (臺灣地區居留證) following approval of the residence application. NIA guidance requires naturalized applicants to provide documents including the naturalization approval certificate, their Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and evidence of their place of residence. Different documentary requirements apply to persons naturalized as high-level professionals, persons who have made special contributions and certain stateless persons.[17]

A Taiwan Area Resident Certificate (TARC).

Residence as an NWOHR is legally distinct from settlement (定居), the immigration status that precedes establishment of household registration.[5] An ordinary naturalized national residing in Taiwan under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 3 of the Immigration Act may generally apply for settlement after meeting one of the following residence periods:[5]

  • Resided in Taiwan continuously for one year and been present for at least 335 days during that year
  • Resided in Taiwan for two consecutive years and been present for at least 270 days in each year
  • Resided in Taiwan for five consecutive years and been present for at least 183 days in each year

The person must continue to satisfy the basis on which residence was granted when applying for settlement. Persons permitted to reside on the basis of having made special contributions to Taiwan or being high-level professionals are exempt from the minimum period of residence otherwise required before applying for settlement.[5]

Applications for settlement are submitted to the NIA. Once an application has been approved, the NIA issues a Taiwan Area Permanent Residence Certificate (TAPRC) (臺灣地區定居證),[18] not to be confused with an Alien Permanent Residence Certificate (APRC). A person granted settlement is required to complete initial household registration at the HHRO for their intended place of registration within 30 days; the NIA may terminate the settlement permission if the registration is not completed within that period. For persons of the applicable age, initial household registration also permits issuance of a National Identification Card.[19]

The overall procedure for an ordinary applicant can therefore involve three distinct changes of legal status: from a foreign national to an ROC national through naturalization; from a newly naturalized NWOHR to a resident NWOHR under the Immigration Act; and, following permission for settlement and initial household registration, to an ROC national with household registration.[1][6][5]

Revocation of naturalization

In addition to the revocation required when an applicant fails to provide evidence of loss of their previous nationality under Article 9, Article 19 of the Nationality Act permits the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to revoke a grant of naturalization if it discovers that the grant did not conform to the Act.[20][21] MOI guidance identifies, among the conditions that may be relevant to such a finding, legal residence, legal capacity, conduct and criminal-record requirements, financial self-sufficiency, and compliance with the requirement concerning loss of previous nationality.[22]

Except for revocation under Article 9, the MOI may exercise this power only within two years after learning of the non-compliance, and may not revoke naturalization more than five years after it took effect.[20][21] The time limits do not apply where a final court judgment finds that the person obtained ROC nationality through a collusive sham marriage or adoption.[20][21] The MOI has stated that this exception requires a court judgment and is not triggered solely by a report or allegation of a sham marriage.[23]

Before revoking naturalization under Article 19, the MOI must convene a review panel and give the person concerned an opportunity to state their views. This requirement does not apply where the person is found already to possess ROC nationality under Article 2 of the Act, or where a final court judgment has found that naturalization was obtained through a collusive sham marriage or adoption.[20][21] The review panel has 11 to 13 members, including representatives of relevant authorities, impartial members of the public, and scholars or experts. Its directions allow the person concerned to attend, submit written views, and, where necessary, be assisted by a representative or interpreter or call witnesses.[24]

In 2018, the MOI stated that a person whose naturalization permission had been revoked could remain in Taiwan while seeking restoration of their original nationality, and could apply to naturalize again if they later met the statutory requirements.[23]

Reported cases

In 2013, the Ministry of the Interior revoked the naturalization permission of a Vietnamese woman after finding that, before her 2009 naturalization, she had engaged in an extramarital relationship and had a child with another man. The ministry relied on the then-applicable requirement that applicants be of “upright conduct” (品行端正). In December 2013, the Taipei High Administrative Court dismissed her challenge to the revocation.[25][26]

Electoral rights

Naturalization alone does not immediately make a newly naturalized NWOHR eligible to vote. Under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, electoral residence is determined by household-registration data, and electoral rolls are compiled from household-registration records. A naturalized national must therefore establish household registration and satisfy the other statutory voting requirements before becoming eligible to vote.[27]

Eligibility for public office

Naturalized nationals are subject to restrictions on holding certain public offices. Article 10 of the Nationality Act provides that a naturalized foreign national or stateless person may not hold a specified range of senior or elected offices, including president or vice president, legislator, premier or vice premier, senior positions in the five Yuans, deputy minister, ambassador, general officer in the armed forces and elected local-government office.[28] These restrictions generally cease ten years after the date of naturalization, unless another law provides otherwise.[29]

The ten-year period is also reflected in electoral legislation. The Public Officials Election and Recall Act provides that a person whose ROC nationality was acquired through naturalization at least ten years before an election may register as a candidate for public office, provided that the person otherwise satisfies the applicable candidacy requirements.[30] A separate and stricter rule applies to the presidency and vice presidency. Article 20 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act provides that persons whose ROC nationality was acquired through naturalization may not register as candidates for president or vice president; unlike the general restriction in Article 10 of the Nationality Act, this provision contains no ten-year exception.[31]

Policy and academic debate

Taiwan’s naturalization system has been the subject of academic debate concerning the integration of immigrants, the treatment of foreign spouses, access to dual nationality, gender and class differences, and the relationship between nationality policy and Taiwan’s political status.

In a 2011 overview of Taiwan’s immigration policy, Hong-zen Wang identified patriarchal jus sanguinis, population quality and national security as its three central ideologies. Wang argued that these premises produced differentiated treatment of marriage migrants, skilled workers and lower-skilled migrant workers.[32]

A substantial part of the literature has focused on marriage migrants. Hong-zen Wang and Danièle Bélanger argued in 2008 that government policies, academic discourse and the activities of non-governmental organizations could reinforce portrayals of immigrant spouses as a population requiring “Taiwanization”. They characterized the resulting position of immigrant spouses as a system of “differential citizenship”, involving differences in both legal and social citizenship.[33] In a socio-legal study, Shu-chin Grace Kuo examined changes to the legal regulation of foreign spouses and analyzed those regulations in relation to citizenship, gender, patriarchy, social stability and national security. Her analysis considered naturalization as part of the broader legal regulation of marriage migrants and family relationships.[9]

Other scholarship has examined immigrant advocacy and competing conceptions of citizenship. Hsiao-Chuan Hsia examined the immigrant movement in Taiwan through the concepts of multicultural and multiple citizenship, arguing for a more inclusive conception of citizenship for immigrants.[34] Choo Chin Low subsequently examined campaigns to liberalize dual citizenship in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. Low noted that immigrant advocates in Taiwan had sought to extend access to dual citizenship to persons who were not ROC nationals by birth, while characterizing the Taiwanese government as reluctant to liberalize the existing citizenship regime.[10]

Erin Aeran Chung’s comparative study of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan examined the role of civil society in immigrant incorporation, including variations in immigration and citizenship policy among the three democracies.[35]

Differences in the treatment of categories of potential citizens have also been examined comparatively. In a 2021 study of naturalization regimes in East and Southeast Asia, Low compared Taiwan with China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. Low argued that naturalization regimes in the region had increasingly constructed a hierarchy of migrant “desirability” based on class, with skilled professionals occupying a comparatively privileged position and marriage migrants and lower-skilled migrants receiving less weight despite their social or economic contributions.[36]

The requirement for many naturalized persons to relinquish their previous nationality has generated a separate area of academic discussion. Isabelle Cheng examined the requirement in the context of the naturalization of migrant spouses and Taiwan’s contested international status. Cheng argued that the requirement to renounce a previous nationality, or in the case of migrants from mainland China to cancel their previous household registration, did not necessarily prevent statelessness and could require an applicant’s state of origin to recognize or reject Taiwan’s exercise of sovereignty.[7] Susan Kneebone subsequently examined nationality, marriage migration and statelessness in Taiwan and South Korea. Kneebone argued that nationality laws and policies in the two jurisdictions could both include and exclude marriage migrants according to factors including gender, nationality, race, class, culture and ethnicity, and analyzed these distinctions in relation to gendered statelessness.[37]

Separate scholarship has addressed the citizenship position of spouses from mainland China, who are subject to a distinct cross-strait legal framework. Sara L. Friedman examined post-naturalization restrictions affecting mainland Chinese spouses, including restrictions on civil-service employment and family reunification, in relation to their incorporation into Taiwanese society.[38] Isabelle Cheng likewise examined the regulation and integration of Chinese marriage migration, including the use of household registration to connect settlement with integration into Taiwan’s political community.[39]

Debate over access to dual nationality has also continued outside academic literature. In 2024, an online petition proposed allowing foreign nationals who had held permanent residence in Taiwan for more than five years to naturalize without relinquishing their previous nationality. The petition passed the government’s 5,000-signature threshold in October.[40] The MOI rejected the proposal the following month after it had received 5,746 signatures, citing the principle of a “single-nationality system” and concerns relating to limited resources, public finances, social welfare, national loyalty and national security. The ministry also pointed to the existing exemptions from the renunciation requirement for qualifying high-level professionals and persons who had made special contributions to the ROC.[41]

Statistics

The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) records naturalizations by the calendar year in which they are approved, rather than by the number of applications or subsequent household registrations.[42] The number of approved naturalizations increased from 3,252 in 2016 to 5,366 in 2017, before declining overall to 1,875 in 2025. Women accounted for more than four-fifths of approvals in every year shown.[43]

Annual total and sex

Naturalizations approved, 2016–2025[43]

Year Total Men Women Women (%) Recorded as spouse of an ROC national
20163,2522023,05093.82,951
20175,3664434,92391.74,668
20183,5523293,22390.73,024
20193,4383413,09790.12,960
20203,8183483,47090.93,404
20214,0793963,68390.33,671
20223,5894203,16988.33,109
20233,3364352,90187.02,904
20242,5754112,16484.02,077
20251,8753251,55082.71,487

Percentages are calculated from the MOI’s sex-disaggregated totals. The category for spouses of ROC nationals excludes separately recorded spouse- and family-related categories, including eligible surviving spouses and persons divorced because of domestic violence.

Reason for naturalization

In 2025, naturalization as the spouse of an ROC national was the largest single category, accounting for 1,487 of the 1,875 approvals. The MOI separately recorded 47 high-level professionals and five persons naturalized for special contributions to the ROC.[43] Naturalizations approved in 2025, by recorded reason and sex[43]

Recorded reason Total Men Women
Spouse of an ROC national 1,487 149 1,338
Minor whose parent or adoptive parent is an ROC national 111 55 56
Voluntary naturalization 93 51 42
Person supporting or exercising rights and obligations for an ROC-national minor child 49 2 47
High-level professional 47 37 10
Ten years of legal residence 35 18 17
Surviving spouse of an ROC national 27 1 26
Accompanying child 17 6 11
Special contributions to the ROC 5 4 1
Spouse of an ROC national divorced because of domestic violence 2 0 2
Adopted by an ROC national 1 1 0
Born in Taiwan 1 1 0
Rows with no approvals in 2025 are omitted.

Original nationality

Vietnamese nationals were the largest group of persons naturalized in 2025, with 1,100 approvals, followed by Philippine nationals (253) and Indonesian nationals (170).[44] Naturalizations approved in 2025, by original nationality and sex[44]

Original nationality Total Men Women
Vietnam 1,100 93 1,007
Philippines 253 29 224
Indonesia 170 23 147
Other countries 144 106 38
Myanmar 77 25 52
Japan 34 12 22
Malaysia 32 12 20
Thailand 32 7 25
United States 12 8 4
Germany 9 6 3
South Korea 5 1 4
Cambodia 4 0 4
Stateless or nationality unspecified 2 2 0
Singapore 1 1 0
Categories with no approvals in 2025 are omitted.

Age

Naturalizations approved in 2025, by age group and sex[45]

Age group Total Men Women
0–4 11 4 7
5–9 12 6 6
10–14 45 20 25
15–19 61 32 29
20–24 30 4 26
25–29 258 4 254
30–34 372 26 346
35–39 385 75 310
40–44 332 62 270
45–49 154 28 126
50–54 100 19 81
55–59 50 19 31
60–64 27 7 20
65 and over 38 19 19

County or city

Naturalizations approved in 2025, by county or city and sex[46]

County or city Total Men Women
New Taipei City 363 81 282
Taoyuan City 273 39 234
Taichung City 219 30 189
Kaohsiung City 162 23 139
Taipei City 128 46 82
Tainan City 125 22 103
Changhua County 107 9 98
Yunlin County 74 9 65
Hsinchu County 71 9 62
Miaoli County 67 13 54
Pingtung County 52 5 47
Chiayi County 46 4 42
Hsinchu City 46 14 32
Nantou County 42 7 35
Yilan County 29 5 24
Keelung City 27 4 23
Hualien County 16 1 15
Chiayi City 10 1 9
Taitung County 8 2 6
Penghu County 6 1 5
Kinmen County 2 0 2
Lienchiang County 2 0 2

History

The legal basis of naturalization in Taiwan derives from the Republic of China’s Nationality Act, first promulgated by the Nationalist Government on 5 February 1929.[47] Taiwan was then under Japanese rule, and the ROC nationality system was not applied there until the change of administration following the Second World War. The ROC authorities regarded Taiwanese who had held Japanese nationality as having automatically recovered ROC nationality from 25 October 1945.

A January 1946 Executive Yuan directive described those affected as Taiwanese who had lost their former Chinese nationality as a consequence of Taiwan’s cession to Japan and their descendants; overseas Taiwanese were permitted to register for restoration of nationality through ROC diplomatic missions.[48] ROC authorities characterized the postwar change as a restoration of nationality rather than naturalization.

The 1929 Act remained the foundation of nationality law after the ROC government relocated to Taiwan in 1949, but was comprehensively revised in February 2000, when the existing legislation was replaced by a 23-article version.[47] The revision established much of the structure of the modern system, distinguishing acquisition of nationality through descent from acquisition through naturalization and recognizing nationality transmitted through either an ROC-national father or mother.[1] Contemporary reporting highlighted the replacement of the previous paternal-only rule for transmission of nationality and linked the reform to problems involving stateless children born to Taiwanese mothers and foreign fathers.[49] In a comparative study of citizenship reform in Taiwan and Germany, Low Choo Chin characterized the Taiwanese reforms as facilitating the acquisition of nationality by foreigners while retaining the state’s reliance on jus sanguinis and its existing position on dual nationality.[8]

A major reform promulgated on 21 December 2016 amended, among other provisions, the rules governing ordinary and family-based naturalization, loss of previous nationality and revocation of naturalization.[47] The reform changed the sequence for loss of previous nationality so that applicants generally became ROC nationals before being required to provide evidence that they had relinquished their former nationality. It also broadened naturalization provisions for certain former spouses of ROC nationals and allowed foreigners who had made special contributions to Taiwan and qualifying “high-level professionals” (高級專業人才) to naturalize without surrendering their original nationality.[3][50]

By May 2019, the MOI reported that 502 people had obtained ROC nationality under relaxed post-2016 provisions, while a further 57 people who had made special contributions and 76 qualifying professionals had naturalized under the special routes allowing retention of their original nationality.[51]

Further amendments were promulgated in 2021 and 2024.[52] The 2024 reform expanded protection for stateless children by allowing certain unmarried stateless minors under the guardianship of social-welfare authorities or institutions to apply for naturalization, adjusted provisions to reflect the reduction of Taiwan’s age of majority to 18, and further relaxed the residence requirement for high-level professionals, allowing qualifying applicants to satisfy it through either two consecutive years with at least 183 days’ legal residence in each year or at least five consecutive years of legal residence without the 183-day-per-year requirement.[53][1][4]

Relevant legislation

References

  1. 國籍法 (Nationality Act). Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-16.
  2. 國籍法施行細則 (Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act). Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-16.
  3. Hung-ta Chen. Jake Chung. Changes to naturalization for foreign spouses outlined. Taipei Times. 2016-12-14. accessed 2026-08-15.
  4. Amendments easing naturalization rules clear legislative floor. Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency. 2024-05-07. accessed 2026-08-15.
  5. Immigration Act - Article Content - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan). law.moj.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  6. Household Registration Act - Article Content - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan). law.moj.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  7. Isabelle Cheng. Reality or pretense? Renouncing nationality and organized hypocrisy of the sovereignty of Taiwan. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal. vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 436–458. 2017. doi:10.1177/0117196817746429.
  8. Choo Chin Low. Taiwanese and German Citizenship Reforms: Integration of Immigrants without Challenging the Status Quo, 1990–2000. European Journal of East Asian Studies. vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 269–294. 2013. doi:10.1163/15700615-13120206.
  9. Shu-chin Grace Kuo. A Socio-Legal Analysis of the Regulations on Foreign Spouses in Taiwan. National Taiwan University Law Review. vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 495–520. 2011. accessed 2026-08-15.
  10. Choo Chin Low. Debates over liberalising dual citizenship: Prospects and limits in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies. vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1–33. 2015. accessed 2026-08-15.
  11. 國籍法 (Nationality Act). Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-16.
  12. 國籍法施行細則 (Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act). Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-16.
  13. 歸化國籍之高級專業人才認定標準 (Standards for Defining High-Level Professionals for Naturalization). Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-16.
  14. Standards for Identification of Basic Language Abilities and General Knowledge of the Rights and Duties of Naturalized R.O.C. Citizens. Ministry of the Interior Laws and Regulations Retrieving System. accessed 2026-08-16.
  15. 國籍變更申請書（歸化、喪失、回復國籍及中華民國國籍證明）. 我的E政府. 2021-11-03. accessed 2026-08-15. archived copy.
  16. Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act - Article Content - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan). law.moj.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  17. 移民署中文網-臺灣地區無戶籍國民申請在臺灣地區居留或延期居留及變更居留原因送件須知. www.immigration.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  18. 移民署中文網-臺灣地區無戶籍國民連續居留或居留滿一定期間申請在臺灣地區定居送件須知. www.immigration.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  19. 常見問答. 內政部全球資訊網-中文網. accessed 2026-08-15.
  20. 國籍法 (Nationality Act). Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-17.
  21. Nationality Act. Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior. PDF. accessed 2026-08-17.
  22. 國籍變更申請案件提憑證件一覽表 (List of documents for applications to change nationality). Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior. PDF. accessed 2026-08-17.
  23. 國籍法對於假結婚或假收養撤銷歸化 符合國際立法通例 (Revocation of naturalization for sham marriages or adoptions accords with international legislative practice). Ministry of the Interior. 2018-10-03. accessed 2026-08-17.
  24. Establishment of and Review Directions for the Review Panel on Revoking Nationality Applications. Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior. PDF. 2018-08-20. accessed 2026-08-17.
  25. 內政部認定「品性不端」 撤銷國籍 (MOI finds “improper conduct” and revokes nationality). Public Television Service News. 2013-12-10. accessed 2026-08-17.
  26. 外遇生女遭撤銷國籍 越女敗訴 (Vietnamese woman loses case after nationality revocation over extramarital child). Central News Agency. 2013-12-23. accessed 2026-08-17.
  27. Public Officials Election and Recall Act. Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-15.
  28. Nationality Act - Article Content - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan). law.moj.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  29. Nationality Act - Article Content - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan). law.moj.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  30. Public Officials Election and Recall Act. Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-15.
  31. Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act. Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-15.
  32. Hong-zen Wang. Immigration Trends and Policy Changes in Taiwan. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal. vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 169–194. 2011. doi:10.1177/011719681102000203.
  33. Hong-zen Wang. Danièle Bélanger. Taiwanizing female immigrant spouses and materializing differential citizenship. Citizenship Studies. vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 91–106. 2008. doi:10.1080/13621020701794224.
  34. Hsiao-Chuan Hsia. Foreign Brides, Multiple Citizenship and the Immigrant Movement in Taiwan. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal. vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 17–46. 2009. doi:10.1177/011719680901800102.
  35. Erin Aeran Chung. Immigrant Incorporation in East Asian Democracies. Cambridge University Press. 2020. doi:10.1017/9781107337077.
  36. Choo Chin Low. The historical development of the nature of ‘desirability’ in naturalisation regimes in East and Southeast Asia. Citizenship Studies. vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 491–513. 2021. doi:10.1080/13621025.2021.1926096.
  37. Susan Kneebone. Statelessness in Asia. Chapter: Gender, Nationality and Statelessness: Marriage Migration to East Asia. Cambridge University Press. edited by Michelle Foster. pp. 178–202. 2025. accessed 2026-08-15. doi:10.1017/9781009399555.011.
  38. Sara L. Friedman. Marital Immigration and Graduated Citizenship: Post-Naturalization Restrictions on Mainland Chinese Spouses in Taiwan. Pacific Affairs. vol. 83, no. 1, pp. 73–93. 2010. doi:10.5509/201083173.
  39. Isabelle Cheng. Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Taiwan. Chapter: Cross-strait marriages and immigration policies. Routledge. pp. 446–462. 2016. doi:10.4324/9781315769523-30.
  40. zh:「歸化台籍不棄原籍」連署達門檻 內政部：2個月內回應訴求. 公視新聞網 PNN. 2024-10-21. accessed 2026-08-15.
  41. Staff writer, with CNA. Interior ministry rejects petition to allow dual citizenship for foreign residents. Taipei Times. 2024-11-28. accessed 2026-08-15.
  42. 國籍之取得 (Acquisition of nationality). National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan). accessed 2026-08-17.
  43. 歸化及喪失國籍人數按原因及性別分 (Naturalizations and losses of nationality by reason and sex). Government Open Data Platform. Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior. accessed 2026-08-17.
  44. 歸化國籍人數按原屬國籍及性別分 (Naturalizations by former nationality and sex). Government Open Data Platform. Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior. accessed 2026-08-17.
  45. 歸化及喪失國籍人數按5歲年齡及性別分 (Naturalizations and losses of nationality by five-year age group and sex). Government Open Data Platform. Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior. accessed 2026-08-17.
  46. 各縣市歸化國籍人數按性別分 (Naturalizations by county or city and sex). Government Open Data Platform. Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior. accessed 2026-08-17.
  47. Nationality Act - Legislative History - Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China (Taiwan). law.moj.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  48. Source document
  49. Stephanie Low. New nationality rules welcomed. Taipei Times. 2000-01-19. accessed 2026-08-15.
  50. 擁抱國際 內政部：歸化規定已大幅放寬. 內政部全球資訊網-中文網. 2022-02-14. accessed 2026-08-15.
  51. Hsin-po Huang. Amended rules allow 635 naturalizations in two years. Taipei Times. 2019-05-05. accessed 2026-08-15.
  52. 國籍法 沿革-全國法規資料庫. law.moj.gov.tw. accessed 2026-08-15.
  53. 「國籍法」修正案三讀通過 林右昌：保障兒童取得國籍權利 加強延攬優秀外國人才. 內政部全球資訊網-中文網. 2024-05-07. accessed 2026-08-15.

Comments

All postsBack to top