Verification of Birth Certificate

Item	Description
Consular Jurisdiction	Our office provides document authentication services for documents issued in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. We are unable to process documents issued outside of our jurisdiction. Please contact the appropriate Taiwan overseas mission for verification. If you are unsure which office has jurisdiction, please refer to the Jurisdiction Inquiry Page.
Application Methods	- By Mail: Please choose a reliable courier service and send via registered mail. Address: 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 2006, Houston, Texas 77046 (please indicate "Document Authentication Section"). - In-Person: Please refer to our office hours. - Through a Representative: The applicant must complete a Power of Attorney, have it notarized, and sign in person. The representative must present the notarized document, Valid ID, and all required paperwork when applying on behalf of the applicant.
Required Documents	Completed Document Authentication Application Form Original and copy of the applicant’s U.S. passport (original will be returned; mail-in applicants must include a notarized copy. If the applicant is a minor without a U.S. passport, this may be waived) Original and copy of the valid ROC (Taiwan) passport or other ID of both parents (mail-in applicants may submit only the copy of the passport information page). If either parent is not an ROC national, their ID must be notarized. If there is no Chinese name on the ID (e.g., U.S. passport), only the English name may be listed in the Chinese translation. If a Chinese name is required for Taiwan household registration, the foreign spouse must complete and authenticate the Declaration for Adopting a Chinese Name. Original English birth certificate.Important: The names, birthdates, and birthplaces listed on the birth certificate must match the ID documents. If the applicant is an ROC national, the information must match the ROC passport. In case of discrepancies, provide documents such as naturalization certificates or legal name change certificates. If errors are found, please have them corrected by the issuing authority before applying. Chinese Translation Verification: Applicants may: 1. Take the English document authenticated by our office to Taiwan for translation and notarization by a notary public (no need for further authentication by our office); or 2. Have the document translated in the U.S., then notarized within our consular district (the notary must certify the translation as true and correct), and submit the notarized translation to our office for authentication.
Fees	USD $15 per document. Payment accepted via cash, money order, or cashier’s check. Personal checks are not accepted. Please make sure the check is payable to "TECO in Houston." The original birth certificate must be authenticated before its copy can be verified. We do not verify copies alone.
Pick-Up Options	In-Person or by Representative: Please bring the receipt. Documents not collected within 3 months will not be stored by our office. Mail-in Applicants: In-person pick-up is recommended. You may pick up documents during counter hours after receiving a notification. Return Mailing in the U.S.: If you cannot pick up documents in person, you may authorize our office to mail them to a U.S. address. We do not mail documents to Taiwan. Our office only assists with mailing by dropping documents into a postal box. We are not responsible for damage, delays, or loss during mailing and will not reissue lost documents. Before mailing documents to us, please: 1. Prepare a return envelope with proper postage 2. For USPS, use Priority Mail Express® Flat Rate Envelope ($33). Clearly write the recipient's name and address using a Priority Mail Express® Label 3. If you are requesting our office to purchase postage stamps, payment must be made by a separate check If the applicant is in Taiwan and has no one in the U.S. to collect the documents, please prepare an international return mail envelope (e.g., USPS Priority Mail Express International, $76) and include the recipient’s full name and address in both English and Chinese. If using other courier services (UPS, FedEx, DHL): Do not include our office information on the shipping label. The sender’s address must be that of the applicant or a family member. If the return envelope does not meet our or USPS requirements, you will be asked to provide corrections or pick up the documents in person.
Pre-submission Checklist	□ All required documents □ Authentication fee: $15 per document □ Return envelope with sufficient postage (not needed if picking up in person)