In April, Taiwan's government informed over 12,000 Chinese citizens in Taiwan and their children that they'd need to prove they'd given up their household registration in China, or risk losing their legal status in Taiwan. The deadline has now passed, and it's unclear what will happen to the over 2,000 people who have yet to comply.
00:00In April, Taiwan's government informed over 12,000 Chinese citizens living in
00:04Taiwan and their children that they'd have to prove they've renounced their
00:07household registration in China. That deadline for them to do so has now
00:11passed and those who failed to comply could face losing their legal status in
00:16Taiwan. These people who are married to Taiwanese citizens had until June 30th
00:20to submit the required documents. The latest numbers from last week show over
00:265,500 people have successfully submitted the proof. Another 2,500 either signed an
00:32affidavit or received extensions. More than 1,800 people are confirmed to be living
00:37abroad and will not need to submit the documents until they return. But the
00:40government has not been able to reach the rest, over 2,000 people. Officials say
00:45they may not be aware of the deadline, possibly because they live in remote
00:48areas or do not have access to a phone. Efforts are still being made to contact
00:53them. Over the past few months, the government's announcement has sent many
00:56scrambling, causing panic and confusion, especially among those who
01:15We will be able to find it out.
01:17Over the past few months, the government's announcement has sent many scrambling, causing panic and confusion, especially among those who have reportedly lived in Taiwan for decades without issue.
01:27The government has stood by its decision, but also made moves to help, setting up in-person briefings and hotlines for Chinese citizens.
01:35They've also offered extensions and exceptions for Chinese spouses who have had legitimate difficulties in getting the required documents.
01:42They also clarified that this requirement is not new and has been in place since 2004, but many cases have fallen through the cracks.
01:49To be able to settle in Taiwan and get a Taiwanese national ID card, which affords them all the rights of a citizen,
01:55Chinese nationals are always required to give up their household registration in China and register instead in Taiwan.
02:01Household registration, a system used in both Taiwan and China, links a person's legal rights to a physical address, but is not the same as citizenship.
02:10Under Taiwan's laws, Chinese people are considered neither foreigners nor citizens, so they can obtain a Taiwanese ID by switching their household registration.
02:18This is unlike other foreigners, most of whom must give up their original citizenship.
02:22One day past the deadline, officials have not yet released the final numbers for how many Chinese spouses submitted their documents on time.
02:29And it's also not clear what they will do about people who failed to comply and what the future holds for them.
02:35Patrick Chen and Keynes Caranta for Taiwan Plus.
