Straits Exchange Foundation
July 2021 

1. Take a number
Please take a number from the touch-screen machine. Our staff will call numbers in the order they were issued, and the lights will indicate which counter to approach for service. 

2. Complete the application form
Document authentication application forms are available at the service counter. Please complete the form according to the sample, one form for each document to be authenticated. 

3. Required documentation
a. If applying yourself, please submit the original document to be authenticated, and a photocopy of a valid form of identification (such as a national ID card, driver's license, passport, or similar document including a photo; if you are a Mainland national, please submit your entry document issued by the National Immigration Agency). In addition, please present the original of that ID for inspection. 
b. If you are applying on behalf of another person, please present your own form of identification, as well as an authorization letter signed or stamped by the person and a copy of his or her form of identification. 
c. If the applicant is a corporate entity, proof of the entity's legal status (such as a company registration) as well as identification for the person responsible for the entity must be provided (note that the authorization letter must bear the entity's name, the name of the person responsible, and the entity's large and small stamps). 

4. Submit fee payment
When called by our staff, bring the payment form and pay the fee. The fee is NT$300 for each notarized document to be authenticated, and NT$150 for each additional certificate of authentication requested.

5. Verification and receipt
a. When applying, if the copy of the notarization has already been received from the Mainland side, and the copy matches the original and otherwise meets the requirements for issuance, the SEF will provide "instant service," which means in principle the authentication will be issued within one hour. Please retain the receipt of fee payment. If the copy has not yet been received from the Mainland side, we will accept the application first, and process the authentication after the copy is received. (Note that the SEF's Central and Southern Service Offices only provide instant services; in other words, the copy from the Mainland side must already have been received prior to submission to those offices.)
b. In order to ensure the rights of everyone to access our services, the "instant service" is limited to five applications per person (or company) per day. Additional applications may be submitted, but they will be processed later, and the documents may be sent by registered letter or collected in person upon notification by telephone.  

6. Further verification of questionable cases
When a notarization has any of the following conditions, the SEF may request further verification from the Mainland side, in accordance with the "Agreement on Use and Verification of Certificates of Authentication Across the Taiwan Straits": 
a. The notarization exceeds the jurisdiction of the issuing agency.
b. The same document has been notarized by multiple agencies.
c. The contents of the notarization, the household registration information, or other files and records do not match.
d. There are internal inconsistencies in the contents of the notarization.
e. Words or stamps on the document are unclear or have been erased or altered.
f. Other types of evidence are present. 
g. Assistance is required for other reasons. 

When the SEF requests further verification from the Mainland side, whether upon request of the applicant or on its own authority, in accordance with the "Agreement on Use and Verification of Certificates of Authentication Across the Taiwan Straits" a processing and delivery fee of NT$600 will be charged. If on-site investigations or express courier services are required, additional fees will be charged accordingly.

7. Service Locations
a.Joint Services Center(Address：No. 536, Beian Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City 10465 <MRT Daxhi Station, Exit 3>)

(a)General Service Hours：9:00 AM to 5:00 PM；"Instant Service" Hours：9:00 AM to 4:30 PM(Except weekends and holidays)

(b)Telephone No.(02) 2533-5995(Except weekends and holidays)

b.Central Service Office(Address：No. 95, Gancheng St., Nantun District, Taichung City 408013)

(a)General Service Hours：8:30 AM to 5:00 PM；"Instant Service" Hours：8:30 AM to 4:30 PM(Except weekends and holidays)

(b)Telephone No.(04) 2254-8108(Except weekends and holidays)

c.Southern Service Office(Address：No 6, Zhengnan St., Lingya Dist., Kaohsiung City 802304)

(a)General Service Hours：8:30 AM to 5:00 PM；"Instant Service" Hours：8:30 AM to 4:30 PM(Except weekends and holidays)

(b)Telephone No.(07) 213-5245(Except weekends and holidays)