Mandarin for Taiwan government offices and paperwork
ARC applications, immigration and household registration offices, forms and photocopies, queue tickets and counter numbers — the Mandarin for Taiwanese bureaucracy, with pinyin.
Every Taiwanese government office runs the same way: take a numbered ticket at the door (chōu hàomǎpái), sit down, and watch the board until your number is called to a counter. Immigration matters — residence permits and re-entry — happen at the yímínshǔ service centre for your city; anything touching household registration, address changes and family records happens at the hùzhèng shìwùsuǒ.
The phrase that saves the most time is wǒ bú huì tián — I don't know how to fill this in. Staff are used to it and will often complete the form with you. Bring more than you think you need: originals and yǐngběn (photocopies) of everything, passport photos, and your chop. The two sentences you'll hear at the end are hái quē yí fèn wénjiàn (a document is missing) and shénme shíhòu kěyǐ ná — when you can collect it.
25 phrases for paperwork & government offices
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| ARC (resident certificate). | jūliúzhèng | 居留證 |
| Passport. | hùzhào | 護照 |
| I'm here to apply for my ARC. | wǒ yào bàn jūliúzhèng. | 我要辦居留證。 |
| Immigration agency. | yímínshǔ | 移民署 |
| Household registration office. | hùzhèng shìwùsuǒ | 戶政事務所 |
| Take a queue ticket. | chōu hàomǎpái | 抽號碼牌 |
| Form (to fill in). | biǎogé | 表格 |
| I don't know how to fill this in. | wǒ bú huì tián. | 我不會填。 |
| Could you take a look at this for me? | kěyǐ bāng wǒ kàn yíxià ma? | 可以幫我看一下嗎？ |
| Photocopy of a document. | yǐngběn | 影本 |
| The original document. | zhèngběn | 正本 |
| Passport photo. | dàtóuzhào | 大頭照 |
| Signature. | qiānmíng | 簽名 |
| Stamp it with your chop. | gàizhāng | 蓋章 |
| It's expired. | guòqí le | 過期了 |
| Extend it / renew it. | yánqí | 延期 |
| How long is the wait? | yào děng duōjiǔ? | 要等多久？ |
| When can I collect it? | shénme shíhòu kěyǐ ná? | 什麼時候可以拿？ |
| Work permit. | gōngzuòzhèng | 工作證 |
| File your taxes. | bàoshuì | 報稅 |
| Tax office. | guóshuìjú | 國稅局 |
| Post office. | yóujú | 郵局 |
What you'll hear back
The other half of the conversation — what the vendor, clerk or nurse says to you. Understanding these is usually harder than speaking.
| What they say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Please go to counter three. | qǐng dào sān hào guìtái. | 請到三號櫃檯。 |
| One document is still missing. | hái quē yí fèn wénjiàn. | 還缺一份文件。 |
| Please wait for your number to be called. | qǐng děng jiàohào. | 請等叫號。 |
Questions people ask
Where do I go for my ARC?
The National Immigration Agency service centre for your city or county. Requirements and processing times change, so check the current list on the agency's own site before travelling to the office.
Do I need photocopies?
Bring both originals and copies of everything relevant — passport, ARC, contracts, certificates. If you're caught short, the nearest convenience store has a kiosk that photocopies.
Will anyone speak English?
Major service centres in the big cities usually have someone who can help in English; smaller district offices often don't. Having the request written down in Chinese, plus wǒ bú huì tián, covers most of the gap.
What's a 號碼牌?
The queue ticket you take on arrival. Nothing happens until your number appears on the board — xiànzài jiào dào jǐ hào asks which number they're on now.