Republic of China passport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Republic of China Passport Cover.
Republic of China Passport Cover.

The Republic of China passport (traditional Chinese: 中華民國護照) is the national passport issued to citizens of the Flag of the Republic of China Republic of China. Citizens residing in the Free Area of the Republic of China (namely Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu) and Overseas Chinese are eligible to receive the ROC passport. Besides ROC citizens, residents or citizens of Chinese descent from the mainland Flag of the People's Republic of China People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong, and Macau may also apply for a ROC passport, provided they have permanent residence status in a third country (outside either the People's Republic of China or the of Republic of China), regardless of whether they have lived or even set foot in the Republic of China. However, this does not mean those ROC passport holders (who obtained the passport through their third country PR status) are full citizens of the Republic of China, as, according to the new nationality law of ROC (amended on 27 Jan 2006), there is no implication of citizenship on the holders of the permanent residence status in a third country. Not all ROC passport holders have the right of abode in areas under ROC control.[citation needed]

Contents


[edit] Eligibility for holding ROC passport

Although the possession of the ROC passport is indicative of ROC citizenship (under the principle of jus sanguinis, besides ROC citizens, theoretically almost all Chinese are "citizens" of the Republic of China regardless of their countries of residence - see here for an explanation on its rationale), it does not exempt the holder from immigration restrictions in Taiwan and does not automatically grant the right of abode. Those holding a ROC passport without household registration in the Free Area of the Republic of China are still issued landing visas upon arrival in Taiwan and are subject to deportation. It is the Republic of China National Identification Card, which is only issued to ROC citizens with household registration in Taiwan, that is used to exercise citizenship such as through voting. Passports of overseas Chinese (as opposed to passports of Chinese citizens with household registration in Taiwan) are issued only in ROC embassies, consulates, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices and not in Taiwan itself and contain a special stamp indicating overseas Chinese status (which also exempts the male holder of conscription). Passports of citizens with household registration will also include the holder's national identification number. Similarly, not all British passport holders have the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Style

Regular passports are green in color with gold lettering. Previously, the ROC passport only had the words "Republic of China" and "Passport" in Chinese and English on its cover. However in September 2003 then President Chen Shui-bian, who pursued de-jure independence, decided to add the word "Taiwan" on ROC passport cover with the stated reason that "immigration officials may confuse citizens of the democratic Republic of China (ROC) with citizens of the communist People's Republic of China (PRC)". This practice is enacted to date, but some countries canceled ROC passport holders' visa-free or visa-on-arrival as a result.

The interior is in traditional Chinese and English. Until the mid-1990s, the passport also contained an entry for provincial citizenship, stating the Chinese province and county of one's ancestral home, but this field was eliminated amid the Taiwan localization movement. However, the legacy of the ROC's official claims on mainland China remains in the birthplace entry where the Chinese province and county of birth is listed, as opposed to listing the name of the country only for places outside the official borders of the Republic of China.

[edit] Limitation in usage

Even though the Republic of China maintains relations with only 24 countries, the ROC passport is still accepted as a valid travel document in virtually all the countries of the world, although in practice some countries(e.g. Malaysia, Nepal and Vietnam) opt not to directly stamp on ROC passport. Instead, these countries issue visa on a separate sheet which is stapled to the ROC passport, and only stamp entry and exit stamps on the visa so as to compromise People's Republic of China.

However the ROC passport is not accepted in the People's Republic of China and ROC citizens visiting the mainland People's Republic of China use the PRC-issued "Taiwan Compatriot Pass" to enter. (ROC passports are asked for as travel documentation by PRC immigration officials but never get any entry or exit stamps of the PRC.)

ROC citizens who enter or leave Hong Kong do get their ROC passports scanned by the Hong Kong immigration officers. However, the exit and entry stamps are placed on a separate sheet of paper that is stapled to the passport.[citation needed]

During both Portuguese and Chinese administration, Macau authority regards ROC passports as valid travel document, although Macau immigration officers do not place entry and exit stamps on ROC passports. Instead they place an entry and exit stamp onto the Arrival/Departure card, which shall eventually be recalled upon visitor's departure from the territory.[citation needed] Macau authority unilaterally grants ROC passport holders 30-day visa-free access to Macau.

[edit] Visa-free Access

Visa-free travel for ROC citizens:       Republic of China      Visa-free access or visa on arrival      Visa-free access or visa on arrival for holders of diplomatic passports only       Australia Electronic Travel Authority      Do not accept ROC passport (other travel documents required)      Do not accept ROC passport (admission refused)      Pre-arrival visa required
Visa-free travel for ROC citizens:
     Flag of the Republic of China Republic of China      Visa-free access or visa on arrival      Visa-free access or visa on arrival for holders of diplomatic passports only      Flag of Australia Australia Electronic Travel Authority      Do not accept ROC passport (other travel documents required)      Do not accept ROC passport (admission refused)      Pre-arrival visa required

[edit] Africa

[edit] Americas

[edit] Asia

[edit] Europe

[edit] Oceania


[edit] For diplomatic/official passport

Country Diplomatic Official
Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh [102] 30 days 30 days
Flag of Bolivia Bolivia [103] No visa Visa required
Flag of Cambodia Cambodia [104] 3 months Visa required
Flag of Cape Verde Cape Verde [105] No visa Visa required
Flag of Chile Chile [106] 90 days 90 days
Flag of the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic [107] 90 days 90 days
Flag of Ecuador Ecuador [108] No visa No visa
Flag of Egypt Egypt [109] Unlimted stay visa issued upon arrival for US$15 30-day visa isseud upon arrival for US$15
Flag of Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea [110] No visa No visa
Flag of Ghana Ghana [111] 60 days Visa required
Flag of Jordan Jordan [112] No visa Visa issued upon arrival for JOD 10
Flag of Lebanon Lebanon [113] Visa issued upon arrival Visa required
Flag of Mali Mali [114] One month Visa required
Flag of Mauritania Mauritania [115] No visa Visa required
Flag of Paraguay Paraguay [116] 90 days 90 days
Flag of Peru Peru [117] 15 days 15 days
Flag of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone [118] Visa issued upon arrival Visa required
Flag of Uganda Uganda [119] 3-month visa issued upon arrival for free of charge 3-month visa issued upon arrival for free of charge
Flag of Zambia Zambia [120] Visa issued upon arrival for free of charge Visa issued upon arrival for free of charge
Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe [121] No visa Visa required
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Countries that do not accept Republic of China passport

[edit] Traveling to Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau for ROC citizens

  • Flag of Hong Kong Hong Kong Visa free access for 7 days if holding Taiwan Compatriot Pass with valid entry/exit endorsement for the mainland
  • Flag of Macau Macau Visa free access for 30 days, but the ROC passport is not stamped in general.
  • Flag of the People's Republic of China Mainland China 3-month visa issued upon arrival (available at airports in Chengdu, Dalian, Fuzhou, Haikou, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan, Xiamen) [124]
    • If holding Taiwan Compatriot Pass : ROC passport (must be vaild for at least 3 months), return ticket and 2-photo required, fee is 100 RMB
    • If not holding Taiwan Compatriot Pass : ROC passport (must be vaild for at least 3 months), ROC ID card, return ticket and 2-photo required, fee is 150 RMB

The ROC passport is not officially accepted by mainland, HK and Macau authorities. These authorities never stamp ROC passports, but still require them to be shown with the Taiwan Compatriot Permit.

(Exception: The Macau authority stamps on ROC passports only when the Taiwanese travellers exit Macau (through airport checkpoint) for a foreign country, i.e. not the mainland, Hong Kong or Taiwan. Such action may seem violating "one China Principle", however it has been said that Macau authority does so in order to comply with international rules and regulations and does a favour to Taiwanese travelers in case such travelers are questioned by a foreign immigration officer about their origin of boarding city.)

[edit] Visit to the USA

The US B1/B2 visa refusal rate of ROC passport was 3.1% in 2006. [125]. However, the rate increased to 4.6% in 2007 [126]. Both figures are higher than the 3% requirement for the Visa Waiver Program.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Languages