Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston

2. Applicant's VALID passport or photo ID card

• If applied by mail or by an agent, a photocopy of the passport or ID notarized by a notary public can be accepted.
• If it's a R.O.C.(Taiwan) passport, its photocopy can be accepted without notarization.
• If the applicant uses his/her Chinese name on the application, the applicant shall submit a valid passport or photo identification document bearing his/her Chinese name issued by the ROC(Taiwan) or a foreign government.

3. The document intends to be authenticated:

• If the applicant is holding a valid ROC (Taiwan) passport or ID, the document can be signed in person by the applicant in front of the consular officer of TECOLA.
• If the applicant is holding a foreign passport, the document should be notarized by a notary public and be authenticated by the Secretary of State of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Oklahoma.
• If applied by mail or by an agent,  the document should be notarized by a notary public and be authenticated by the Secretary of State of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Oklahoma. (no matter whether the applicant is holding a ROC (Taiwan) passport or a foreign passport)

4. If applied by an agent, (1) a notarized Letter of Authorization prepared by the applicant and (2) the agent's photo ID are required.

5. Each copy costs USD $15 and may be paid by cash, money order, or cashier’s check. Personal checks are not accepted. Please make the payment payable to "TECO in Houston."

Through an Authorized Representative: To ensure the applicant’s intent and the validity of the authorization, the applicant must complete a power of attorney form, have it notarized, and sign it in person before a notary public. The authorized representative must bring the notarized power of attorney, identification, and relevant documents to our office for processing.

• For in-person applications, processing takes 5 business days. If additional time is needed due to special circumstances, the applicant will be notified of the revised pickup date.
• For applications by mail, processing takes approximately 1 month (including mailing time). If special circumstances require an extension, the applicant will be notified of the adjusted pickup time.

Document Pickup Methods

1. In-person or via authorized representative:
   Please bring your receipt when picking up the documents. The office will not be responsible for storing unclaimed documents beyond three months from the designated pickup date.
2. For mail applicants, in-person pickup is highly recommended. Once you receive the pickup notification, you may collect your documents during our service hours.
3. If a mail applicant is unable to pick up the documents in person, TECO may mail the documents back to a U.S. address upon request.
4. Please note that TECO only assists with mailing as a courtesy and primarily uses standard mailbox drop-off. We are not responsible for any damage, delay, or loss of documents during delivery, and no reissuance will be made for lost documents.
5. Before mailing your application to our office, please prepare a return envelope and carefully select a reliable mailing service.
   For example, using USPS:
   • USPS Priority Mail Express® Flat Rate Envelope costs approximately $33.
   • Ensure the recipient's name and address are printed on a Priority Mail Express® Label.
   • If you wish TECO to purchase postage using a check, please issue a separate check from the authentication fee.

For applicants residing in Taiwan with no representatives in the U.S.:
You must prepare an international return mailing option before sending your documents to our office.

• For example, using USPS Priority Mail Express International to Taiwan:
  • Postage is approximately $76.
  • The return label must include the recipient’s full name and address in both English and Chinese.
• If paying postage via check and requesting TECO to purchase stamps, please issue a separate check from the authentication fee.

※ If you use a prepaid return envelope from another courier service (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL), do not include TECO's name, address, or contact information when purchasing or generating the label. You may use your own or a family member's address as the sender.

If the return envelope does not meet the requirements of TECO or the U.S. Postal Service, the applicant will be asked to make corrections or collect the documents in person instead.