Overview
Taiwan requires most foreign nationals who apply for naturalisation to show basic proficiency in the national language and basic knowledge of the rights and obligations of citizens of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The Nationality Act sets this requirement, and the Ministry of the Interior decides how it is recognised, tested, exempted and charged. This page is thin because the number of questions, pass marks and fees were not found on the pages that could be read.
Who needs it
Article 3 of the Nationality Act lets a foreign national or stateless person apply for naturalisation if they:
have a domicile in Taiwan and have lived there lawfully for more than 183 days each year for at least five consecutive years;
have legal capacity under Taiwanese law and their home country's law;
have no bad conduct or criminal record, shown by a police clearance certificate;
have enough property or professional skills to support themselves;
have basic national language proficiency and basic knowledge of citizens' rights and obligations.
Article 4 shortens the residence period to three years in some cases, such as marriage to a Taiwanese national, having a Taiwanese parent or being born in Taiwan. The language and knowledge condition remains among the conditions, apart from exemptions the Ministry of the Interior sets.
Exam format
The Taipei household registration offices publish a question bank, updated in November 2025, in two versions: oral and written. The written version is multiple choice, mostly with three answers per question and some with four. The oral bank has 237 questions and the written bank 256, all in Chinese. The banks are dated year 114 of the Republic of China calendar, which is 2025.
The bank is grouped into these topics:
government organisation, the national flag and political participation;
visas and passports, residence, and naturalisation;
household registration, education and military service;
social welfare, domestic violence prevention, land administration and employment;
environmental protection, disaster prevention and daily life.
Example questions cover the five branches of government, how often the president is elected and which agency manages immigration.
How to take it
The question bank page is published by the Taipei City household registration offices. The pages read did not set out booking steps, so contact the household registration office in your area for dates, pass marks and any exemption you may qualify for.
Preparation tips
Study the published question bank for your format, oral or written.
Learn the government structure, which opens both banks.
Is there a fixed number of questions?
The pages read for this page did not state it. The published banks hold 237 (oral) and 256 (written) questions.
Are there exemptions?
The Nationality Act leaves recognition, testing and exemption standards to the Ministry of the Interior. Check with your household registration office.