In a bid to offer better service, the household registration office in Taipei City’s Xinyi District (信義) recently designed English-language birth certificate forms, thereby eliminating translation fees for applicants.
A birth certificate is necessary for people who apply for overseas study, work or emigration, and applicants are required to apply for Chinese-language birth certificates and spend about NT$500 to NT$750 to have them translated into English.
The office became the first household registration office in Taipei to offer English-version birth certificate forms free of charge thanks to office section chief Tsai Mei-huei (蔡美慧), who spent about a week designing the form after frequent requests by residents to help with the English translation.
Tsai said she had handled English household registration forms at the office and found that many residents complained about the difficulties of filling out English forms or applying for English documents.
“For a lot of people, English is beyond their comprehension and they are afraid of using the language. I think by offering Chinese-English birth certificate forms, we help save a lot of time and trouble for the people,” she said.
Large hospitals, such as National Taiwan University Hospital, also offer English-language birth certificates, but they cost between NT$200 and NT$500, Tsai said.
Starting last month, the office has been providing English-language as well as bilingual forms for applicants to choose. Both types of forms are free for download at the office’s Web site at www.xyhr.taipei.gov.tw.
Applicants can also call the office at (02) 2723-3977 ext. 101 for assistance.
Tsai said 26 Taipei residents downloaded the newly designed forms last month.
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