Restrictions on the opening of branches for foreign nonprofit organizations in Taiwan have been loosened as part of the government’s commitment to expanding the country’s profile in the international arena, according to the Ministry of the Interior March 17.
In a statement, the MOI announced that the Directions for Foreign Civil Institutions and Organizations to Apply to Set up and Register Offices in the ROC (Taiwan) have been revised for the first time to provide a more welcoming environment for foreign NPOs seeking to establish offices in Taiwan, including those from Hong Kong and Macau.
The revised regulations allow foreign NPOs to open secretariats and multiple offices in Taiwan, the ministry said, adding that the amendments were made to allow more flexibility for NPOs to determine the level and scope of their operations.
Such offices are no longer required to register with the local police, which is in keeping with the spirit of the right to freedom of association and the U.N.’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the ministry said.
To attract more foreign NPOs to establish local chapters, other requirements have been eased, including a six-month grace period for foreign nationals in charge of an office to work while waiting to obtain the required alien resident certificate, the ministry added.
Taiwan is proving a popular choice with foreign NPOs looking to establish a presence in Asia. Organizations that have recently opened offices in the country include the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute from the U.S., German think tank the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Values Center for Security Policy from the Czech Republic. (DL-E)
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