Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco

• Applicants must apply in person. For minors, if the parents' marriage is still valid, the applicant may be accompanied by one parent (either father or mother) acting as the legal guardian. (Note: The accompanying parent must bring an original Household Registration Transcript issued in Taiwan within the last 3 months containing marriage registration notes, plus one photocopy, to prove the validity of the marriage. If a Household Registration Transcript showing marriage registration cannot be provided, both parents must sign in Field 11 of the passport application form.)
• By Appointment: Please make a reservation via the Online Appointment System.
  • Time Slots: Monday through Thursday (business days), 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM.
  • Quota: Limited to 25 slots.
  • Check-in: Applicants with confirmed appointments must report to the 1st-floor counter during their scheduled time to take a number ticket. You must take your ticket no later than 12:30 PM (Ticket numbers start with 1XXX).
• Walk-In Application (On-site Queuing):
  • Time Slots: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM.
  • Quota: Limited to 15 number tickets per day (Ticket numbers start with 3XXX).
  • Rule: Service is first-come, first-served. Issuance of walk-in tickets will cease once all numbers have been distributed or at 10:30 AM (when the appointment-only period begins), whichever comes first.

• Cash, money orders, and cashier’s checks only, payable to TECO. Credit cards and personal checks are not accepted.
• Regular e-passport (10-year validity): USD 45
• E-passport for children under 14 (5-year validity): USD 31
• non-biometric passport (1-year validity): USD 10
• Authentication fee for related documents: USD 15 per document

• E-passport : 8 weeks
• Non-biometric passport: 5 to 10 business days

• Mail-in Return:

Applicants are encouraged to include a self-addressed USPS return envelope with their application. Please use a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope with $12 in physical stamps attached. Ensure your name and address are filled in and that you retain the tracking number. Note: Do not use QR code stamps or digital barcode labels, as they expire quickly. FedEx and UPS are not accepted.

• In-Person Pick Up

Starting March 1, 2026, please visit the office on Fridays between 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM, either on the pick-up date listed on your receipt or after receiving a notification via phone or email. Upon arrival, obtain a queue number on the 1st floor (2XXX series; no daily limit) and wait in the 2nd-floor waiting room. No appointment is required. If Friday falls on a holiday, please visit our office the following Friday.

• Submit one completed application form, filling out Sections 1 to 10, including the phone number and email in Section 9. Sign in Section 11 on the back. In Section 12, on the line after “I hereby acknowledge receipt of _______,” please fill in the passport holder’s (applicant’s) Chinese name clearly.
• If the applicant is a minor under 18, the father, mother, or legal guardian must check the appropriate box and sign in the lower part of Section 11 under the statement:
  “I hereby declare that the applicant is a minor, and the application for this passport is duly consented to by □ father □ mother □ legal guardian.”
• If the applicant is under 7 years old, the signature field for the applicant in Section 11 must be signed by a parent, writing the child’s name followed by (signed by father) or (signed by mother).

• Submit two passport photos (photo specification for passport applications only).·  Please refer to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs guidelines for e-passport photo specifications. Taiwan’s e-passport photo standards follow the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) requirements. The photo specification is 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm. The head (top of hair to bottom of chin) should measure 3.2–3.6 cm, or you may follow the U.S. passport photo standard with a maximum head length of 1⅜ inches.·  Photos must be recent (taken within the past 6 months), with a white background, and should not be identical to photos used in any other identification documents.
• If the submitted photos do not meet the required specifications, our office will notify the applicant after receiving the return notice from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, and the applicant will need to retake and resubmit the photos. Processing time will be extended accordingly.
• If it is difficult to match Taiwan’s photo specifications when taking photos in the United States, please follow these important guidelines:
  1. Do not wear glasses when taking the photo.
  2. Local U.S. photo vendors typically only use the U.S. passport photo format (2 in x 2 in), which differs from Taiwan’s passport photo requirements.
  Please tell the photographer you need a U.S. passport-style photo, and emphasize that the head length (top of hair to bottom of chin) must follow the U.S. passport maximum head size of 1⅜ inches, so it can meet Taiwan’s passport standards.
  3. Make sure that your mouth is closed without showing teeth, and that your eyebrows, eyes, and ears are not covered by hair or other objects. Facial features must be clear and fully visible for identification.

• Both parents’ Taiwan passports: submit one original and one copy each. The originals will be returned after verification.
• If either parent is not a Taiwan national: submit one original and one copy of their foreign passport. The original will be returned after verification.
• If either parent is a Mainland China resident: they must submit a declaration stating that the applicant has not obtained a PRC passport and is not registered in Mainland China.

• Submit the applicant’s birth certificate. If the birth certificate was not issued by a state government within this office’s jurisdiction, it must first be verified by the appropriate Taiwan overseas mission that has authority over the issuing location. For birth certificates issued by the jurisdictions under this office (Northern California, Utah, and Nevada), it is recommended to apply for verification with this office at the same time to facilitate future applications for returning to Taiwan for residence registration, avoiding the need to redo verification later.
• Ensure that the birth certificate matches the passports of the applicant and both parents in the following details: Full English names, Dates of birth, Places of birth
• If any discrepancies exist, submit supporting documents such as name change records, naturalization certificates, marriage certificates, old passports, driver’s licenses, or Social Security cards to establish that all parties are the same individuals.

• If the parents are married in Taiwan:
  Please provide the marriage certificate issued by the household registration office or a household registration transcript issued within the past three months showing the marriage registration, with one original and one copy each. Originals will be returned after verification.
• If the parents were married abroad and have not registered their marriage in Taiwan: If the marriage certificate was not issued by a state government within this office’s jurisdiction, it must first be verified by the appropriate Taiwan overseas mission. For marriage certificates issued in this office’s jurisdiction (Northern California, Utah, and Nevada), it is recommended to apply for verification with this office at the same time to facilitate the applicant’s future residence registration in Taiwan, avoiding the need to redo verification later.
• Ensure that the marriage certificate matches the passports of the couple in the following details: Full English names, Dates of birth, Places of birth.
  If there are discrepancies, submit supporting documents such as name change records, naturalization certificates, old passports, driver’s licenses, or Social Security cards to verify that the individuals are the same.
• Legitimacy: If the applicant was born more than 181 days after the parents’ marriage, the applicant is considered a legitimate child.
• If the applicant is born out of wedlock:
  1. Father is a foreign national, mother is a Taiwan national: The applicant can acquire Taiwan nationality through the mother (only for those born after February 10, 1980, according to the Nationality Act). Please provide a single status certificate issued by the U.S. government for the mother during the conception period, verified as required (documents not issued in this jurisdiction must be verified by the appropriate Taiwan mission). If the mother has household registration in Taiwan, provide a household registration transcript issued within the last three months (including all remarks), with one original and one copy. The original will be returned after verification.
  2. Father is a Taiwan national, mother is a foreign national: The father must first complete acknowledgment of paternity registration.

§  If the father has household registration in Taiwan, submit the child’s birth certificate, the mother’s single status certificate, and other required documents to the household registration office in Taiwan.

§  Only after completing the acknowledgment of paternity can the child acquire ROC nationality and apply for a passport.

• If the parents’ marriage is still valid: Please provide a household registration transcript issued within the last three months to prove the marriage is ongoing. Only one parent needs to sign Section 11 of the passport application form. If proof of continued marriage cannot be provided, both parents must sign Section 11.
• Parents must sign the “Agreement on Child’s Surname.” If one parent is a foreign national and the child is to take the foreign parent’s surname, that foreign parent must also sign a “Declaration of Chinese Name” to confirm their Chinese name.
• If the minor applicant’s parents are divorced: The accompanying parent must provide proof of custody, such as a divorce decree, other court documents, or a household registration transcript issued within the last three months showing the custody information in the remarks section.

• Must have a return or departure ticket.
• If the intended stay in Taiwan exceeds 3 months, please also complete the ROC Taiwan Area Entry and Exit Application Form and attach one passport photo.
• If holding a non-biometric passport, apply for a Temporary Entry Permit at the Immigration Office counter before entry.

• Please refer to the  “Guidelines for Nationals Without Registered Permanent Residence in the Taiwan Area Applying for Registered Permanent Residence in the Taiwan Area” issued by the National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior.
• Please refer to the back of “P1_First-time_Passport check list” for instructions on the documents required for settlement and household registration.