One year from approval. Taiwan's Nationality Act requires a foreigner whose naturalization has been approved to submit a certificate of loss of original nationality by then. If the certificate is not filed in time, the approval is revoked (Article 9).
An American engineer has spent three years at a chip design company in Hsinchu and is thinking about Taiwan nationality, on one condition: keeping US citizenship (an invented example). The Act makes three exceptions. One is naturalization as a "high-level professional" (高級專業人才) recommended by a central government authority. Whether the applicant's original nationality then survives is decided by the law of that country, not by Taiwan.
Five years, three years, or two
All three routes in the table below start with domicile in Taiwan. Domicile means living in Taiwan with the intention of staying long term while holding a valid Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) (Enforcement Rules, Article 4).
Five general requirements come from Article 3 of the Act: legal residence of at least 183 days in each year for five or more consecutive years; capacity to act under both Taiwan law and the law of the applicant's own country; no bad conduct and no criminal record; enough property or professional skill to be self-supporting; and basic language ability together with basic knowledge of a national's rights and duties.
Residence periods differ by route. The table follows the provisions in force on October 6, 2026.
| Route | Residence | Pass mark, naturalization test | Certificate of loss of original nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (Article 3) | 183 days or more a year, 5 or more consecutive years | 70 | Due within 1 year of approval |
| Spouse of a Taiwan national and others (Article 4, paragraph 1) | 183 days or more a year, 3 or more consecutive years | 60 | Due within 1 year of approval |
| High-level professional (Article 5, paragraph 1, item 3) | 183 days or more a year for 2 or more consecutive years, or 5 or more continuous years of legal residence in the past | 60 | Not required |
Spouses of Taiwan nationals do not have to meet the property-or-skills requirement (Article 4, paragraph 1, item 1). Years are counted backward from the application and must be unbroken (Enforcement Rules, Article 6). Article 5 of the Enforcement Rules leaves residence granted for study in Taiwan, among other categories, out of the count.
On the general route, applicants can meet the property-or-skills requirement in several ways. Two are average monthly income in Taiwan over the past year above twice the basic wage announced by the Ministry of Labor, and property in Taiwan valued at more than NT$5 million (Enforcement Rules as amended November 19, 2024, Article 7). An APRC holder may omit this proof (Enforcement Rules, Article 9, paragraph 3). The APRC requirements are in When Can You Apply for Permanent Residence (APRC) in Taiwan?.
Language and civics: a test, classes, or a year of school
Basic language ability and civic knowledge are shown by any one of three documents: proof of at least one year at a school in Taiwan, proof of a set number of hours in government-run courses, or a pass on the naturalization test (language standards, Article 3). The class hours are 200 on the general route, 72 for spouses of nationals and 100 under Article 5.
The test has twenty questions worth five points each. The oral version can be taken in Mandarin, Taiwanese (閩南語), Hakka or an indigenous language, and the written version is in Mandarin (language standards, Article 6). Applicants aged 65 or older pass with 50 points (language standards, Article 7).
Filing is in person, at the household registration office for the applicant's domicile (Enforcement Rules, Article 2).
Approval first, then one year to prove loss
A naturalized person acquires Taiwan nationality on the date of approval (Nationality Act, Article 8), and the one-year period for the certificate of loss runs from that date. There is one ground for an extension: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must verify that the law or administrative procedure of the original country prevents the applicant from meeting the deadline (Article 9, paragraph 2). The request is due at least 30 days before the deadline. It must include documents showing that the applicant has already applied to the original country for loss of nationality (Enforcement Rules, Article 11).
Until the certificate is filed, settlement (定居) cannot be granted (Nationality Act, Article 9, paragraph 3). Under Article 3 of the Immigration Act, settlement means residing in Taiwan and establishing household registration, and a person who has acquired nationality but has no household registration yet is a national without household registration.
Residence comes first. A naturalized person applies for it to the National Immigration Agency (Immigration Act, Article 9). Settlement can be requested after residing 335 days or more in one year, or 270 days or more in each of two consecutive years, or 183 days or more in each of five consecutive years. Household registration must follow within 30 days after settlement is granted (Immigration Act, Article 10). Approval alone does not create household registration.
Three cases where no certificate of loss is required
Article 9, paragraph 4 of the Nationality Act exempts three groups: people who apply as high-level professionals under Article 5, paragraph 1, item 3; people who apply on the basis of special contributions to Taiwan under Article 6, paragraph 1, a route that needs Executive Yuan approval; and people who cannot obtain a certificate of loss for reasons not attributable to them.
A high-level professional must be recommended by the central competent authority for the field and must benefit Taiwan's interests. The case must then pass a joint review that the Ministry of the Interior holds with impartial members of the public and the agencies concerned. The residence period is shorter. Domicile, capacity, conduct, self-support and language requirements still apply.
Who qualifies is set out in Article 2 of the Standards for Defining High-Level Professionals for Naturalization. It covers six fields: technology, the economy, education and academic research, culture and the arts, sports, and other fields. In the economic field, the list includes people in professional posts at companies in industries such as semiconductors, integrated circuits and optoelectronics whose outstanding ability or cross-border experience Taiwan needs. Professors and researchers employed by Taiwan institutions qualify if they have outstanding ability or performance. The article was amended on July 14, 2026. The additions include quantum technology, nuclear energy, securities and futures, natural carbon sinks, and carbon capture and storage.
Applicants must attach a statement of reasons for recommendation issued by the central competent authority within the previous six months. For a person who already holds permanent residence granted as a high-level professional, the Ministry may itself ask the authority to agree to the recommendation and may review the case on paper (Article 3 of the same Standards).
If the engineer in Hsinchu spent at least 183 days in Taiwan in each of those three years, the two-year residence requirement is already met. What remains is the recommendation, the Ministry's review and the language requirement. Does an Employment Gold Card take the place of the recommendation or the review? Neither the Nationality Act nor those Standards says so. For the Gold Card, see The Taiwan Employment Gold Card, Filed by the Applicant.
Unmarried children under 18 may apply to naturalize together with a parent (Nationality Act, Article 7). Article 9, paragraph 4 words the exemption for a person who applies under Article 5, paragraph 1, item 3, so ask the household registration office before filing whether accompanying children are also excused.
Your original nationality is decided by your home country's law
Taiwan's exemption waives the certificate that would otherwise be filed with Taiwan. It does not bind the applicant's home country. Japan's Nationality Act, for example, provides in Article 11 that a Japanese national who acquires a foreign nationality by their own choice loses Japanese nationality.
This column does not state US law. A US citizen should read the State Department's dual nationality guidance and consult a US adviser before filing in Taiwan. Citizens of other countries should check with their own government in the same way.
After naturalization: offices you cannot hold, and revocation
Some public offices stay closed for ten years from the date of naturalization. A naturalized person may not serve as president or vice president, as a legislator, as head or deputy head of the Executive, Judicial, Examination or Control Yuan, as a general officer, or as an elected local official, among other posts (Nationality Act, Article 10). Anyone who acquires Taiwan nationality while keeping a foreign one also falls under Article 20, which restricts public office for nationals with a foreign nationality (Enforcement Rules, Article 19, paragraph 2).
Within two years of learning that a naturalization did not conform to the Act, the Ministry of the Interior may revoke it, but not more than five years after the naturalization. That time limit does not apply where a final court judgment finds that nationality was obtained through a sham marriage or adoption (Nationality Act, Article 19). Spouse-based residence before naturalization is the subject of Residence in Taiwan as the Foreign Spouse of a Taiwanese National.
If you are weighing naturalization against permanent residence, or are not sure your years in Taiwan count, you can email Hovering International Law Firm at wei@hoveringlaw.com.tw with your nationality, your residence status and dates, and the number of days you spent in Taiwan each year. The Ministry of the Interior decides each application on its documents.
Official sources
- Nationality Act (國籍法, amended May 24, 2024), Art. 3, Art. 4, Art. 5, Art. 6, Art. 7, Art. 8, Art. 9, Art. 10, Art. 19, Art. 20
- Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act (國籍法施行細則, amended November 19, 2024), Art. 2, Art. 4, Art. 5, Art. 6, Art. 7, Art. 9, Art. 11, Art. 19
- Standards for Defining High-Level Professionals for Naturalization (歸化國籍之高級專業人才認定標準, amended July 14, 2026), Art. 2, Art. 3, with the amendment history and the pre-amendment text
- Standards for Identification of Basic Language Abilities and General Knowledge of the Rights and Duties of Naturalized R.O.C. Citizens (amended June 3, 2017), Art. 3, Art. 6, Art. 7
- Immigration Act (入出國及移民法, amended June 28, 2023), Art. 3, Art. 9, Art. 10
- Official English translation of the Nationality Act, used to check wording: law.moj.gov.tw/ENG
- Japan, Nationality Act, Article 11 (e-Gov)
- US Department of State, Dual Nationality (linked for readers; this column does not summarize it)
Checked: October 6, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to give up my current nationality to become a Taiwan national?
- In most cases Taiwan requires proof that you have lost it. Under Article 9 of the Nationality Act, a certificate of loss of original nationality is due within one year of approval, and the approval is revoked if it is not filed. The certificate is not required from high-level professionals, people naturalized for special contributions, or people who cannot obtain it for reasons not attributable to them.
- Can a US citizen naturalize in Taiwan as a high-level professional and keep US citizenship?
- Taiwan does not require a certificate of loss on that route. Whether US citizenship is affected is a question of US law, which this column does not state. Read the State Department's dual nationality guidance and consult a US adviser before applying.
- I am married to a Taiwanese national. When can I apply for naturalization?
- Under Article 4 of the Nationality Act, once you have domicile in Taiwan and have legally resided there for at least 183 days in each of three or more consecutive years. A spouse does not need to meet the property-or-skills requirement but must still meet the capacity, conduct and language requirements.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice on any individual matter.
