Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-17
By: Jocylin FC, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously condemned the action of decorating passports with

Government plans to make stickers on passports illegal. Taiwan News
Photo credit: Taiwan Passport Sticker Facebook

“the Republic of Taiwan” stickers. They said that it is illegal to put stickers on the passport but there are no laws to support this claim. However, the Ministry has recently added a drafted rule where “alteration of any kinds on the passport cover is forbidden”.

As Taiwanese identity rises, a new kind of national identity has formed. In face of China’s oppression on the international stage, more and more Taiwanese proclaim their nation’s sovereignty and take actions to express their national identity. The designer of the sticker Lao Dan said his intention to create the “Republic of Taiwan” sticker series is because he wants to advocate Taiwan identity abroad. “I did not want to change the passport appearance. The sticker is just for decoration and you can tell very easily it is a sticker. The sticker helps foreigners know we are Taiwanese; we come from Taiwan, not the People’s Republic of China. We are proud of our country. The sticker points out an irony in the ideology posed by the government of the Republic of China. Even our President Ma Ying-jeou did not dare to mention the Republic of China,” said Lao Dan. More than 250,000 people are currently using the sticker on their passports. They experienced zero difficulties when going through customs in more than 80 countries.     [FULL  STORY]