# Taiwan Naturalisation Requirements Ordinary naturalisation requires a qualifying five-year residence history, character and support evidence, and language/civics proof. Nationality permission, loss-of-original-nationality evidence, settlement and household registration are distinct stages. Scope: Selected ordinary adult foreign or stateless naturalisation requirements under Article 3 of Taiwan's Nationality Act. Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong and Macao status routes, descent and exceptional grants are outside this baseline. Jurisdiction: Taiwan: Republic of China nationality. Sources reviewed 2026-09-22; review due 2026-12-21. General information, not legal advice or a finding of eligibility. Requirements depend on the route, applicant and filing date. Verify the official instructions before applying. ## Five consecutive years with at least 183 days each An ordinary applicant currently domiciled in the territory needs five consecutive years of lawful residence, with at least 183 days in each year. The operative Chinese text includes the 183rd day; it is not a requirement for more than 183 days or a single aggregate across five years. Evidence: conditional. [Taiwan Ministry of Justice, Laws and Regulations Database: Nationality Act: operative Chinese text](https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030001). Source location: Nationality Act Article 3(1), opening words and subparagraph 1, operative Chinese text. ## Legal capacity, conduct and stable support also apply The ordinary route requires capacity under both the applicant's national law and Taiwan's law, good conduct without the disqualifying criminal record, and sufficient property, professional skills or other stable means of support. Residence alone does not establish eligibility. Evidence: conditional. [Taiwan Ministry of Justice, Laws and Regulations Database: Nationality Act: operative Chinese text](https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030001). Source location: Nationality Act Article 3(1)(2)-(4), with Article 3(2) authorising detailed conduct standards. ## Alternative evidence, not a universal CEFR threshold MOI accepts specified alternatives for basic language and civic knowledge: at least one year at a domestic school, qualifying government courses or the naturalisation test. The ordinary route generally uses at least 200 course hours or a test score of at least 70 out of 100; age and special-route reductions are separate. The test may be oral or written. Evidence: conditional. [Taiwan Ministry of Justice, Laws and Regulations Database: Nationality Act: operative Chinese text](https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030001); [Taiwan Ministry of the Interior, Household Registration: Nationality FAQ Q2: language and civics evidence](https://www.ris.gov.tw/documents/html/8/7/2/144_Q02.html). Source location: Nationality Act Article 3(1)(5),(3); MOI nationality FAQ Q2, evidence alternatives and ordinary-route thresholds. ## Loss of original nationality is usually proved after permission Article 9 generally requires proof of loss of the original nationality within one year of naturalisation permission, or from reaching the age at which the original country's law permits that loss. Verified legal or administrative barriers may justify an extension. Specified high-level professionals, special contributors and qualifying inability not attributable to the applicant have exceptions; retention is not automatic for ordinary applicants. Evidence: conditional. [Taiwan Ministry of Justice, Laws and Regulations Database: Nationality Act: operative Chinese text](https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030001). Source location: Nationality Act Article 9(1)-(4), including the cross-references to Articles 5(1)(3) and 6. ## Family and specially approved routes have different rules The Act separately provides reduced or modified requirements for listed family connections and certain specially qualified applicants. Article 5's high-level-professional route requires the prescribed recommendation and review; its shorter residence option is not the ordinary rule for everyone with a job, investment or residence permit. Evidence: conditional. [Taiwan Ministry of Justice, Laws and Regulations Database: Nationality Act: operative Chinese text](https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030001). Source location: Nationality Act Articles 4-6, particularly Article 5(1)(3) and (2). ## Naturalisation is not immediate household registration Nationality applications are decided by the Ministry of the Interior. Newly naturalised people must separately satisfy the applicable immigration residence and settlement requirements; NIA then directs completion of household registration following the settlement certificate. Article 9's restriction while renunciation evidence is outstanding concerns settlement, not a blanket prohibition on holding a residence permission. Evidence: conditional. [Taiwan Ministry of Justice, Laws and Regulations Database: Nationality Act: operative Chinese text](https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030001); [Taiwan National Immigration Agency: Guidelines 0305: residence and settlement](https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/5478/141465/141808/141950/). Source location: Nationality Act Articles 8-9, operative Chinese distinction between residence and settlement; NIA Guidelines 0305 sections II(II), VI(III) and VII(I). ## Scope and limitations - The Chinese Act is used for the inclusive 183-day threshold and the distinction between residence and settlement. Its English translation contains wording that can mislead on those two points. - Naturalisation permission is not presented as an immediate grant of all rights associated with household registration or a passport containing a national ID number. Later immigration and registration conditions require separate checks. - This ordinary-route summary does not establish the applicant's final conduct assessment, recognition of residence periods or entitlement to a renunciation exception. No invented CEFR level is assigned. ## Explore this passport - [Passport rank and travel access](https://multipassrank.com/passport/taiwan-chinese-taipei) - [Tax residence & income](https://multipassrank.com/passport/taiwan-chinese-taipei/taxes) - [Country-profile JSON, including sources and scoped requirements](https://multipassrank.com/api/v1/country-profiles/TW) - [Multiple-citizenship policy guide](https://multipassrank.com/dual-citizenship-countries) [Canonical page](https://multipassrank.com/passport/taiwan-chinese-taipei/citizenship)