Taiwan - Change Your Name (Deed Poll)

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Procedure

• Obtain all necessary documents in applying for the change of name.
• Submit your application along with all other requirements.
• Once the new name or surname is accepted, you may proceed in registering your new name.

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Required Documents

• Certificate of Criminal Record
• Request Addressed to the Minister of Justice
• Application addressed to the Registrar
• Identity Card (original and photocopy)

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of the Interior
Tel: 1996 Hotline of Interior Affairs (+886-2-8195-8151)
Address: No.5, Xuzhou Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10055, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Civil Affairs Department
No.1, E. Sec., Xianghe 1st Rd., Taibao City, Chiayi County 612, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel: 886-5-362-0123
Contact Information of Household Registration Offices

Eligibility

A person who meets one of the following requirements may apply for an alteration of his surname and first name.

• The existing name which was a direct translation from another language is too long or incorrectly translated.
• To live as a monk/nun returns to secular life
• It is necessary for a person to alteration his name in order to do his job as a government official

A person who meets one of the following requirements may apply for an alteration of his surname:

• Parentage recognized by his natural parent
• Adopted by or if an adoptive relationship is terminated
• An aborigine surname becomes misleading after his aboriginal name is altered into a traditional Chinese surname.
• A person has his surname altered according to the other law or other regulations.

After a couple gets married, either the wife or the husband may apply for attaching his/her spouse s surname or resuming his/her original surname. In case such person applies for resuming his/her original surname, in each marital relationship, only one of such resumption will be allowed.

A person who meets one of the following requirements may apply for an alteration of his first name.

• A person works in an entity or organization or goes to a school and there is another person in such entity or school who has the same surname and first name.
• A persons full name is the same with his relative who is closer than a third class kinship.
• A person lives in a municipality, county or city for more than 6 months and there is another person who lives in such municipality, county or city and has the same surname and first name.
• A person takes a qualification-screening of civil servants and he is notified by the authority of the civil service that there is another person who has the same full name.
• A persons surname and first name are the same with those of a person who is wanted by the police.
• A persons first name contains a vulgar or an unrefined meaning or there is a special reason.

In case a person applies for an alteration of his first name according to in subparagraph 6 of the preceding paragraph, such alterations may be granted for two times; but if, the second time of such first name alteration that the minor applies for shall be applied for after the person reaches the full age.

Fees

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

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Processing Time

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Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

In case an alteration of surname, attaching surname, restoration to original surname, an alteration of first name or real/legal name, or a correction of real/legal name is applied for according to Article 6 to Article 9, the applicant should be the concerted party himself/herself or his/her legal representative. In case an alteration of surname is applied for due to adoption or the termination of adoption, the applicant who is allowed to apply for such Adoption or Adoption Termination Registration may be the applicant for such surname alteration.

Required Information

• Your name as listed on birth certificate or immigration or citizenship documents.
• The full name you are applying to change to (if you are changing your name).
• Date and place of birth
• Marital status and details
• Places of residence for last three months
• Address for Correspondence

Need for the Document

Any citizen of the Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the ROC) should have one real/legal name and such real/legal name should be the one entered in his/her household registration.

Name change generally refers to the legal act by a person of adopting a name different from their name at birth, marriage or adoption. The procedures and ease of a name change vary between jurisdictions.

Information which might help

A person who meets one of the following requirements shall not apply for an alteration of surname, first name or full name.

• A person is wanted by the police or is held in detention
• A person has received a sentence of community service or of corrective institution
• A person has received a sentence of imprisonment without the possibility of probation or a sentence that may not be converted into a fine; however, if such crime is committed due to negligence, the aforesaid will not apply.

The period that a person shall not apply for the alteration of surname, first name or full name referred to in Subparagraph 2 and 3 of the preceding Paragraph will last from the date that such sentence is given till 3 years after the sentence is served.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

You may want to change your name because:

• You have just gotten married
• You have divorced
• You just want a change
• In case of adoption

External Links

Taiwan Government

Judiciary

Civil Affairs Department

Ministry of the Interior, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Ministry of Justice

Name Act

Department of Civil Affairs, Taipei City Government

Others

For the persons who apply for surname alteration, attaching surname, restoration to their original surname, alteration of first name, or an alteration or correction of real/legal name, unless otherwise stipulated by other laws or regulations, such alterations or corrections will become effective from the date such alterations or corrections are entered in the household registration.