global happy traveller

Guess that has changed. Application website now says:

"Applicants (U.S. Citizens ONLY) should have valid GE membership and satisfy the following criteria"

Source: https://egate.immigration.gov.tw/ge-...dItem=section1

longtimeflyin

You're playing with fire. This is against the law. Not only is it illegal, see:

https://www.ait.org.tw/u-s-citizen-s...ervice-taiwan/

Virginia Emery

Playing with fire - yes, illegal - no

I've done the same and wasn't held in my 20's, it's one of those things that the Taiwan government reserves the right to draft you when you're old and out of shape, but rarely if ever do

longtimeflyin

As mentioned before, my sons fall into this category, and as per TECO (Taiwanese Embassy), it is illegal to enter Taiwan with a non Taiwanese passport if you are under 36/male and have a Taiwanese passport (e.g. born in Taiwan) have dual+ citizenship who still has not served out conscription.

Also see:

https://www.reddit.com/r/taiwan/comm...ort_and_avoid/

"There are a lot of conflicting information, so I called up the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto. The lady on the phone told me that I must enter with my Taiwanese passport, and make sure I get permission to exit when I'm Taipei."

Virginia Emery

Well my Canadian passport clearly states that I'm MIT, so it wouldn't be a surprise to them that I also hold a Taiwan passport. It would be folly to enter the country without using your Canadian passport - you wouldn't have Canadian consular services for any issues

Recently I've asked the same Toronto "Consulate" (in person) about getting Taiwan citizenship for my Canadian born wife and son - the wife can't get citizenship but can have residency as long as we're still married. The boy can have Taiwan citizenship, but they wouldn't confirm if he would be held for military services - the attitude I got from them was Taiwan wouldn't want to draft your kid anyways so you shouldn't worry

On a different note for Beijing 2022 China has been heavily recruiting teenage GTHL hockey players with any kind of association with "China" - the gotcha was you have to "receive" Chinese citizenship, and the issue of having to serve came up.... But hey, you'll get to be an Olympian and a Private in the Red Army !!!

[Edit: To clarify, in order for my son to receive Taiwan citizenship he must apply in person @ Taiwan, which means they can pretty much hold him as soon as they hand him a Taiwan passport without an exit visa]

longtimeflyin

Please stop spreading mis-truth. I have confirmed with TECO and the Canadian embassy that your comment is not true. As long as you hold a Canadian passport, they will be there to help should you require their services.

Virginia Emery

TECO would be the wrong people to ask this question

As for the other part, example if you didn't enter Taiwan using a Canadian Passport hence accessing the 90-days tourist visa, your EXIT visa is now part of your Taiwanese passport and those can be revoked.

As a Canadian tourist it makes sense to use your Canadian passport. If you're working or studying in Taiwan then it may be a different story

longtimeflyin

I don't think you understand how it works. The Canadian Embassy explicitly told my son(s) to enter Taiwan using their Taiwanese passports and not the Canadian one, under any circumstances until they turn at least >37 (or whatever age military conscription stops at) whether for work, study or leisure.

There is a law, from the NIA in Taiwan that specifically says that all dual passport holders must enter Taiwan using their Taiwanese passport until they are exempt from military service. That said, I'm not about to spend eons digging that up and at this point I will say that if you want to disprove me, by all means, great, but I'll leave this subject where it is as after having reviewed the law, I have advised my sons accordingly. How you choose to conduct your affairs is, of course, up to you. Google has plenty of threads covering this very subject already.

Worth a read:
Dual Citizenship, which passport? Taiwan+US

username

I know a few people who are dual citizens who don't enter Taiwan with TW ROC passport. There is plenty of downside since you don't exist and can't do many things (such as working). Until now, you also can't use eGate, not to mention the stay limit.

Unlike the US, it does NOT seem there are rules that you MUST use your TW ROC passport. However, entering Taiwan using a foreign passport does not exempt one from military duty. If they figure out who you are, you might still be refused exit. So, it is better to get classified as an "Overseas Citizen" and follow the pretty lenient rules.

For those classified as "Overseas Citizen", you can enter/exit fine as long as you don't stay more than certain number of days continuously AND cumulatively AND you apply for exit permit (which can be done online at https://niioa.immigration.gov.tw/NIA...plyForm.action).

The current exception might be that if you never have had been in the household registration system in Taiwan. The problem is Taiwanese laws get interpreted by different government employees differently so it is better to be safe.

longtimeflyin

Thanks for the additional info. I was told that the info quoted above isn't true. My sons have never set foot in Taiwan until they became adults (born and raised in Canada), but since they both have Taiwanese passports, I have done a lot of research into this. I have asked the embassy about said household registration exemption as you indicated, and they said it was a moot point and didn't exempt them from mandatory military service. They could have very well been wrong but just thought I'd share what was told to me.

username

Here is an article that shows the dysfunction on this front: https://www.singtaousa.com/la/453-%E...4%B9%E8%AE%8A/

I think if one has never been household-registered in Taiwan, there is no ID card and the people who draft go by that. So, the system won't allow them to do it

Still, better safe than sorry - even though they supposedly have gone to a volunteer system as of 1/1/2018 and only require a 4 month to 12 month training.

longtimeflyin

Thank you. That said, the Taiwanese government is incompetent? Surely you must be mistaken.

I believe a winky face is in order

hey123

A few more data points:

On my last trip, I registered at T2 prior to departing TPE. At the exit immigration e-gate, neither I nor the officer could get my 6-year old US passport to scan correctly, having attempted four times on two different machines. She mentioned that US passports with numbers starting with "4," like mine, often had problems with the e-gates. I was directed to the normal immigration queue.

Two days ago, I tried using the entry immigration e-gates at T1, but again, the machine could not scan my passport, so I went to the (not so) Speedy Immigration Counter.

Just this morning, I gave it one more shot when leaving from Terminal 1. After having read the advice from others regarding the alignment with the red light, I looked for it (a little bit hidden under the black plastic hood lining the edges of the glass scanning surface) and placed my open passport, face down, so that the left edge was aligned with the left red light, probably leaving half a centimeter of the scanning surface's glass exposed. After a few seconds, it worked!

Thanks to everyone who posted with this trick.

Majuki

Hello, hey123, and welcome to FlyerTalk! I'm glad the trick worked for you as well. There's something about the alignment with the machine readable barcode on US passports and the e-Gate readers that works best when offset.

tya

For people who have concerns about military service and drafting in Taiwan, I really suggest you NOT to only rely on information from any TECO.
Regulations change frequently in recent years so the situation is very fluid, and many TECO staffs were early immigrants who left Taiwan maybe 10-20 years ago. Their intuitive understanding may be very different from the actual rules nowadays.

I really advice anyone with these concerns to spend a little money getting a phone card or Skype account (which are not expensive anyway) to call back to the Department of Military Service (兵役科) of your city/county (or simply of Taipei City if you no longer have household registered in any), and cross check with NIA.

If one is born abroad (not in Taiwan), the best thing to do may really be getting the "Overseas Chinese" status with your Taiwan passport. My understanding is that, Overseas Chinese TWP, is more limited (fewer visa-free destinations and more restrictions even when travelling to Taiwan), but would certainly exempt you from military service obligations. Yet definitely check with NIA on that though.