u/no_19000

I found a lot of valuable information in this subreddit, but details regarding the 定居證副本 (Permanent Residency Certificate Copy) for minors, especially for processes outside of the US, are very scarce. I would like to share our family's recent experience applying for this through TECO Vancouver in April/May 2026.

Background

• The Child: A Canadian-born minor (< 12 years old) residing in British Columbia (BC), Canada.
• The Parents: A Mainland China - Taiwan couple.
• Parent 1 (ROC Citizen): A NWHR who has entered Taiwan within the past 2 years (台灣地區有戶籍國民).
• Parent 2 (Mainland China Citizen): A Mainland China citizen holding a valid ROC Dependent Residence Permit (依親居留證). This is a variant of the Alien Resident Certificate (外僑居留證), but specifically for Mainland Chinese citizens.
• Marriage Status: The marriage certificate was issued in BC. However, the marriage registration has already been finalized in Taiwan and is reflected in the Household Registration Certificate (戶口名簿). This cross-strait reunification process (團聚證) is highly complex and less relevant to a general English speaking audience, so I won't be diving into those specific details here.

Note on the benefits of Parent 2 having an 依親居留證: a ROC National ID number has been assigned, and the Chinese name is inherently confirmed, eliminating the need to sign a Chinese Name Declaration (中文姓名聲明書).

Step 0: ROC NWOHR Passport (Optional) | 無戶籍國民護照

Minors under the age of 18 can use a Canadian passport for residency purposes. Therefore, obtaining a ROC NWOHR passport can be skipped for this specific process.

Step 1: Document Authentication | 文件驗證 (TECO Vancouver)

I highly recommend booking an appointment for document authentication online. All scheduled appointments are processed in the morning, which is much less stressful. TECO Vancouver only distributes walk-in numbers at noon. Two document authentications count as one reservation slot. The fee is $20 CAD per document. For the list of documents that we did, both parents and the child must be physically present.

We had the following documents authenticated:

1. Child's BC Birth Certificate + Authorized Chinese Translation (出生證明 + 中譯本): I ordered an extra official copy of the birth certificate from the BC Vital Statistics Agency just for this. However, TECO Vancouver only attached a photocopy to the authenticated document, so using your original copy could be fine. The Chinese translation can be done directly by filling out the template form provided on the TECO Vancouver application webpage. This step locks in the child's official Chinese name.
2. Child's Immunization Record (疫苗接種紀錄): This must be an official printout obtained directly from your local health authority, with the agency's letterhead/title and an official stamp. The standard Child's Health Passport (the blue booklet) is NOT accepted.
3. Parents' BC Marriage Certificate + Authorized Chinese Translation (結婚證書 + 中譯本): We had previously done this for the Mainland China partner's 團聚證/依親居留證 application. An official copy from BC Vital Statistics is required here because the certificate is physically stapled into the authenticated document. The Chinese translation can also be completed using TECO Vancouver’s template. Since the Mainland partner natively holds a Chinese name, no 中文姓名聲明書 was required.
4. (Optional) Settlement Consent Form (定居同意書): Because only one parent (the NWHR parent) will be taking the child to Taiwan to finalize residency, we had to authenticate this form. Both parents must sign it in front of a TECO staff member.
5. (Optional) HHRO Authorization Form (戶政事務所同意書): During our initial inquiries, TECO Vancouver staff advised us that because only one parent would be present in Taiwan, the local Household Registration Office (戶政事務所) might demand additional authorization. We proactively contacted our specific HHRO in Taiwan, obtained their HHRO specific 同意書 template, and chose to authenticate it just to leave zero room for error.

The document authentication took exactly 9 business days. You can pick them up in person using your receipt, or you can provide a pre-paid Canada Post Xpresspost envelope at the time of application for TECO to mail them back to you.

Step 2: Permanent Residency Certificate Copy | 定居證副本 (TECO Vancouver)

An appointment is required for the 定居證副本. At least one parent must be present (carrying the authenticated 定居同意書 if the other parent isn't there). The child technically does not need to attend, but since we didn't have childcare, we brought our child along.

The appointment for the 定居證副本 must be made via email, NOT through the standard TECO Vancouver online booking system. In your email request, you must provide the Chinese names of the child and parents, the child's date of birth, and the parents' contact information.

We brought the following items to our appointment:

1. Application Form (中華民國台灣地區入境居留定居申請書): Filled out and signed by the parents, with the child listed as the primary applicant.
2. 1 ROC Passport-Sized Photo (兩寸照片): Write the child's Chinese name and DOB on the back.
3. Child's Canadian Passport + Color Copy of the Bio page (外國護照正本＋影本)
4. Both Parents' ROC/PRC Passports + Copies (父母雙方護照正本＋影本): A PRC passport was accepted for the Mainland parent.
5. Both Parents' Canadian Status Documents + Copies: (Canadian Passport, PR Card, or Work/Study Permits; 父母雙方加拿大護照/居留證件 正本＋影本).
6. Authenticated Child's Birth Certificate + Chinese Translation + 1 Copy
7. Authenticated Child's Immunization Record + 1 Copy
8. Authenticated Parents' BC Marriage Certificate + Chinese Translation + 1 Copy
9. (Authenticated) Settlement Consent Form (定居同意書): (Authentication is optional; See Step 1).
10. Household Registration Certificate Copy (戶口名簿影本) and HHR Transcript Issued Within 3 Months (近3個月內戶籍謄本): You can pull and print the 戶籍謄本 online using a Citizen Digital Certificate (自然人憑證).
11. Front/Back Copy of Parent 1's ROC National ID (載有配偶姓名的身分證影本): We have the Mainland spouse's name legally updated on the back.

Note: Items 10 and 11 might be slightly redundant to have simultaneously, but we brought both to be sure, and TECO Vancouver accepted all of them.

During the process, the TECO staff also took a photo of our family for internal application processing purposes and assured us it would be deleted once the 定居證副本 was approved.

The Cost is $41 CAD. The staff quoted a 4 to 6-week turnaround time.

Tracking the Application

Once the physical paperwork arrived at the National Immigration Agency (NIA / 移民署) in Taiwan, I called the NIA service hotline and successfully requested our application number for the 定居證副本.

With that number and the child's DOB, you can track the status on the NIA’s 臨櫃申請案件查詢 (Case Query Form) webpage. Our timeline looked like this:

• 2 weeks: Status showed "Reviewing" (審核中)
• 1 day: Status changed to "Printing Permit" (製證中)
• 1 day: Status changed to "Copy Issued" (副本已核發)
• 2 weeks: Shipping time for the physical certificate to travel from Taipei back to TECO Vancouver.

Total time was right around the 4–5 weeks, so their 4–6 week estimate is accurate.

We have not travelled to Taiwan yet to complete the final 3-day document exchange and official household registration, but there are already plenty of excellent data points on Reddit for that final leg of the journey.

Hopefully, this breakdown is helpful to anyone navigating the 定居證副本 process for young kids, or anyone dealing with TECO Vancouver (who provided an amazing level of customer service).