Thu, Sep 03, 2026 page8

• When a passport becomes a prison

  • By Nicole Roberts
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  Taiwan is home to thousands of foreign residents who build careers, families and lives here. However, what happens when one of those residents loses the ability to prove his identity — not because he has broken Taiwan’s laws, but because his own government refuses to renew his passport?

  That is the situation my husband, Matteo (not his real name), a Nicaraguan national, has found himself in.

  After about three years of attempts to renew his passport, our future in Taiwan remains uncertain.

  It all comes back to Taiwan’s giant geopolitical issue: the multitude of countries cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Following Nicaragua’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2021 and recognize the PRC, Matteo’s circumstances changed dramatically. The Nicaraguan embassy in Taipei closed, leaving him to pursue passport renewal through Nicaragua’s diplomatic representatives in Japan and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite repeated efforts, his application remains indefinitely “on hold,” without a clear explanation or timeline.

  This is particularly concerning given growing reports of the Nicaraguan government denying passports, restricting citizens’ abilities to return or leave the country, and stripping people of their nationality.

  Matteo’s story is not unique; thousands of other Nicas abroad find themselves de facto stateless due to Nicaragua’s deliberate tools of transnational oppression. We have genuine fears that returning Matteo to Nicaragua could put him at risk of retaliation and potentially leave him unable to ever leave. Those concerns have also made us extremely cautious about speaking publicly, as we fear retaliation against his family members still in Nicaragua.

  The consequences here in Taiwan have been profound. His legal stay has been maintained through one-month extensions from the National Immigration Agency (NIA), leaving us uncertain about what would happen from one month to the next. Without a valid passport and current alien resident certificate, Matteo has lost access to his bank account and the National Health Insurance system. He cannot renew his driver’s license, maintain his mobile phone service, pursue further education or work normally.

  We have not passively waited for a solution. We have contacted Taiwanese authorities, human rights organizations, international human rights groups, as well as local and international lawyers. None of those options have resolved our situation. In January, Matteo was interviewed by the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, who informed him that his circumstances constitute de facto statelessness — a situation in which a person cannot obtain protection or documentation from his country of nationality.

  In February, Matteo applied for Spanish citizenship through the Carta de Naturaleza process as a possible long-term solution. However, we have learned that Spain is inundated with applications by thousands of other people who find themselves in the same situation, and Matteo’s application would expire after one year, thus leaving us in limbo while we wait for another country to determine whether he can obtain a new nationality.

  In June, we traveled to Taipei for a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the NIA and the National Human Rights Commission. We presented documentation regarding Matteo’s situation, international human-rights information and our concerns about the potential consequences of returning him to Nicaragua. However, since that meeting we have received no substantive response to our inquiries and no apparent progress toward a resolution.

  We are grateful that Taiwan continues to grant Matteo temporary extensions, but they are not a sustainable solution. Life as a stateless person in a country with no asylum laws or protections has taken its toll on us mentally, physically and financially. I have been hospitalized due to stress-induced illness, and Matteo battles newfound anxiety and depression, never knowing if he would see his family again or if we would be able to move forward with our lives.

  Our case also raises a broader question about Taiwan’s place in the international community. Taiwan has long faced diplomatic isolation and pressure from Beijing. However, when diplomatic relations disappear, the consequences can extend beyond governments and treaties to ordinary people who suddenly find themselves caught between political realities.

  For our family, this is not an abstract geopolitical issue. It is our life. For Taiwan, it is an opportunity to demonstrate that when extraordinary circumstances fall outside ordinary immigration procedures, compassion, human rights and practical solutions can coexist with the rule of law.

  How Taiwan responds could matter not only to us, but to others who might one day find themselves in the same position.

  Nicole Roberts, a pseudonym, is a permanent resident of Taiwan, and a certified teacher from the US with more than 16 years of experience in international education.
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