Legal matters regarding citizenship in Taiwan are prescribed by the Nationality Act. The law prescribes the manner in which a foreigner can acquire citizenship in this country, which is a process that is similar with the ones available in almost all jurisdictions across the world – either the person is related to a citizen of Taiwan, either the person starts the naturalization process.
A foreigner can obtain citizenship in the case he or she was born on the national territory of Taiwan, but here specific conditions will apply. With regards to naturalization, please mind that the rules are rather strict and complicated, but the local authorities have worked on a new legal framework in the past few years, which have reduced to a certain degree the procedures for acquiring citizenship in Taiwan.
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What is the law on nationality in Taiwan?
As said above, the main rule of law regulating citizenship in this country is the Nationality Act. For foreigners who are not related to Taiwanese citizens or who were not born in this country, the single legal pathway to citizenship is naturalization, a process through which a foreigner who has no connection to a country starts the process of becoming a local citizen.
Being a citizen of Taiwan will first imply having a permanent residence card issued here, as well as complying with a set of other complex requirements. However, it is important to know that the rules for citizenship in Taiwan have been simplified for individuals who are considered to be an asset to the local economy and society. This can be the case of those who will open a company in Taiwan or those who hold the Plum Blossom permit.
In the list below, we invite you to read few aspects on the manner in which a person can acquire citizenship; our team of consultants in company registration in Taiwan can help you register a business, but they can also provide the legal assistance you need if you want to relocate here and apply for specific visas and residence permits, and even for citizenship:
- Article 2 of the Nationality Act specifies the ways in which a foreigner is entitled to acquire citizenship in Taiwan;
- the Act was amended on 9 February, 2020, and the law states that its regulations will also apply to persons who were under the age of 20 years old at the moment of the amendment, as long as they were born from Taiwanese nationals (it also includes the children who, at the time of their birth, had a Taiwanese parent who passed away);
- Article 3 stipulates that a foreigner, including a stateless person, can apply for citizenship if the person has resided at least 183 days in Taiwan in each year for the last 5 consecutive years;
- Article 4 stipulates that the above mentioned rules can be reduced to only 3 years in the case in which the foreigner/stateless person married a Taiwanese national;
- it is necessary to know that even though a foreigner will acquire citizenship in Taiwan, he or she will not be able to obtain specific governmental functions, such as president, legislator, premier, minister and other public functions, as per the rules of Article 10.
What are the new rules concerning Taiwanese citizenship?
Our team of consultants in company formation in Taiwan can present the legal framework that has been recently applied in this country. You can read a short presentation regarding this subject in the following section as well. It is important to know that the laws on citizenship for foreigners imposed foreigners to renounce their previous citizenship in the case they started the naturalization process in this country.
However, under the amended laws, a certain category of foreigners, meaning those who are considered high-level professionals working and living here, have the right to maintain their basic citizenship while applying for citizenship in Taiwan.
The law was modified in March 2017 and it represents a way through which the local authorities want to attract international talent on the local market. Please mind that the rule is applied to persons who have made significant contributions or who can demonstrate talent in fields such as technology, science, economy, education, culture and other few fields.
If you want to set up a company in Taiwan, you can request more details from our specialists, to find out how the new legal framework can be applied to your particular situation. Our consultants in company formation in Taiwan can present the types of visas and permits that can allow foreigners the right to apply for citizenship under the simplified regulations. However, please be mindful that other categories of foreigners will need to follow the standard citizenship procedure.