U.S. documents for Taiwan

Taiwan is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention — Not eligible to join the Convention; documents are authenticated by TECRO/TECO offices instead of an embassy. No US Dept of State step for state-issued documents.. An apostille will not be accepted. U.S. documents must be authenticated and then legalized: state authentication certificate (for state documents), U.S. Department of State authentication, and legalization at Taiwan's embassy or consulate in the United States.

The route, step by step

1. State authentication (state documents)

   Request an authentication certificate from the state competent authority, naming Taiwan as the destination.

2. U.S. Department of State authentication

   Submit the state-certified or federal document to the Office of Authentications with Form DS-4194 and $20 per document.

3. Legalization at the Taiwan embassy or consulate

   TECRO Washington DC (DE, MD, DC, VA, WV) or the TECO for your state (e.g., Miami TECO for Florida). State/court documents: state apostille then TECRO/TECO; business documents: notary, state apostille, then TECRO/TECO; federal documents: US Dept of State then TECRO/TECO. $15 per document ($22.50 expedited), 7 business days (3 expedited).

4. Translation

   Traditional Chinese translation, if required, must be notarized in the consular jurisdiction and apostilled/authenticated by the Secretary of State before submission (TECRO).

Using U.S. documents in Taiwan

Taiwan cannot join the Convention, so apostilles do not apply. U.S. documents are authenticated by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington, D.C. or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) with jurisdiction over the issuing state — many document types are accepted with the state’s certification alone, without the U.S. Department of State step. Typical documents: degrees and transcripts for work permits and university admission (Taiwan’s Ministry of Education requires TECO authentication of foreign degrees), FBI background checks for resident visas and the Gold Card, marriage and birth certificates for household registration and dependent visas, single-status affidavits for marriage, POAs for property and inheritance, and corporate documents for company registration. Chinese translations are made in Taiwan and notarized there, or prepared and authenticated with the original at TECO.

Why U.S. documents are sent to Taiwan

• Gold Card / work permit
• marriage registration
• household registration / citizenship for children
• school enrollment
• inheritance and property

Taiwan-specific points

• Taiwan accepts a US state apostille as the pre-step but still requires its own TECRO/TECO authentication stamp for validity in Taiwan.
• TECRO/TECO do not accept documents originating outside the US.
• Diplomas can alternatively be authenticated in Taiwan at the Bureau of Consular Affairs without fee.