To get a citizen digital certificate (自然人憑證), go in person with your original national ID card to any household registration office (戶政事務所) in Taiwan. The IC card costs NT$250 and the certificate is valid for 5 years. Applying only for the "mobile citizen digital certificate" (行動自然人憑證, tied to your phone) costs NT$30 at the counter; applying for the IC card and the mobile certificate together costs NT$250 in total. Applicants must be citizens aged 18 or over who have household registration in Taiwan and are not under a guardianship declaration. You are not limited to the place where your household is registered, so you can apply in any city or county.
Note: Entering the wrong PIN 3 times in a row locks the card, and you must unlock it with the "user code" (用戶代碼) that you set yourself when applying. The user code is not recorded in the system, so keep your application form safe. The certificate is a digital signature governed by the electronic signatures law (電子簽章法) and is presumed to have the same effect as your personally signing or stamping, so do not let anyone else use it. Fees and procedures follow the latest announcement of the certificate management center (憑證管理中心) of the Ministry of the Interior.
IC card vs. mobile certificate: the differences at a glance
| Item | Citizen digital certificate IC card | Mobile citizen digital certificate (applied for alone at the counter) |
|---|
| Eligibility | Citizens aged 18 or over who have household registration and are not under a guardianship declaration | Same as left |
| Where to apply | Any household registration office nationwide; you must go in person | Any household registration office nationwide; you must go in person; open at all offices nationwide from December 2, 2024 |
| What to bring | Original national ID card, email address | Original national ID card, email address, phone or tablet (install the app first and set up fingerprint or face recognition) |
| Fee | IC card fee NT$250 | Device-binding processing fee NT$30; NT$250 in total if applied for together with the IC card |
| Validity | 5 years | Issued for 1 year each time; regenerate it free in the app before it expires; up to 8 years of use |
| How to use | Computer plus smart-card reader, with the HiCOS card management tool installed | Phone app plus biometrics, no card to insert; Android 12 or later, iOS 17 or later |
The fees and validity come from the FAQ on the Ministry of the Interior's mobile certificate website and from the "citizen digital certificate application form" (自然人憑證申請表; 23rd edition, made January 2026) on the Taipei City Government website. The mobile certificate website also reminds applicants to bring just their ID card to the counter and not to substitute a driver's license or other documents.
Applying at the counter
- Bring your original ID card to any household registration office and say whether you want the citizen digital certificate, the mobile certificate, or both.
- Fill in the application form: email address, mobile phone number, and a "user code" that you choose yourself, 6 to 10 characters (letters, digits and special symbols can be mixed; upper and lower case are treated as different).
- Pay. IC card NT$250; mobile certificate only NT$30.
- Collect the IC card. The default card password is 8 digits: the last 4 digits of your ID number plus your birth month and day. The application form suggests changing it online yourself.
- If you are getting the mobile certificate, the staff member prints a binding QR code. Scan it with "Scan registration activation code QR Code" in the mobile certificate app, and take back your ID and the receipt copy once binding is confirmed.
The application form states that the mobile phone number and email address you enter are the channels the certificate management center uses to notify you. To change them later, edit the contact email or mobile phone number online on the certificate management center website.
When it expires: extension, replacement and re-applying
An IC card certificate is valid for 5 years and can be extended once, by 3 years, for a maximum total of 8 years of use. The following is compiled from 2026 explanations by the Zhongli District household registration office in Taoyuan, the Taoyuan City Government Civil Affairs Department and the Taichung City Government (the text on the certificate management center's own website could not be read directly):
- When to apply: from 60 days before the certificate expires until 3 years after the expiry date. The certificate must be in valid status; a suspended one must be reinstated first.
- How long the extension is: no matter which day you apply, it is 3 years counted from the original expiry date, and each certificate can be extended only once. The "valid until" date printed on the front of the card is 5 years after issue; after an extension the actual validity is 3 years longer.
- Fee: extending online or at the counter is free.
- How to apply: online, on the "certificate extension" (憑證展期) page of the certificate management center website; or in person with your ID and the old IC card at any household registration office, regardless of where you are registered. If you authorize someone else, the agent must bring both parties' original ID cards, seals, the old IC card and the authorization form (代辦事項委託書).
After 8 years (including the extension period) the certificate becomes invalid automatically. To keep using it you have two options: bring your original ID card and the NT$250 card fee to any household registration office and apply again; or, if you apply from 60 days before the 8-year expiry to 1 year after it, and the certificate was still valid before it expired, apply for an online card renewal (線上續卡) on the certificate management center website, for the NT$250 IC card fee plus a NT$28 postage and registered-mail handling fee, NT$278 in total. Actual procedures follow the certificate management center's announcements or its customer service line 0800-080-117.
In the following cases you must apply again; an extension is not available:
- IC card lost or damaged: the application form says "please pay again and re-apply".
- Name or ID number changed, or household registration restored: bring the new original ID card and NT$250 and re-apply in person at a household registration office.
- Mobile certificate not regenerated after its 1-year validity has passed: the original key is invalid, and you must re-apply and pay.
Mobile certificate: regenerating, changing phones, loss
The mobile certificate is issued for 1 year at a time. At 60, 30, 15 and 7 days before expiry, and during the last 6 to 1 days, opening the app shows a "regenerate" (重新產製) window. After identity verification the validity is extended by 1 year at no charge, up to a maximum of 8 years of use.
- Mobile certificate bound with an IC card: each yearly regeneration checks that you hold a valid IC card. Once the IC card's validity has ended, you can no longer use it to regenerate or apply for a mobile certificate. The validity of the IC card and of the mobile certificate are independent, and cancelling the mobile certificate does not affect the IC card.
- Changing phones: in the app choose "Settings" → "Device and certificate changes" → "Bind new device", scan the code with the new phone, and confirm that the account on the old device has been cancelled.
- Phone lost or app deleted: for a mobile certificate applied for on its own, you must go in person to any household registration office and re-apply, paying the fee again. Cancel the old certificate before re-applying.
- Already have an IC card: you do not need to go to an office. Download the app, enter your ID number and PIN, and register by tapping the card to the phone's NFC. NFC tapping works only with dual-interface IC cards whose card number begins with TP07; other valid IC cards can be bound with the web-page QR code method using a computer and card reader.
Card readers, HiCOS and locked cards
To use the IC card on a computer you need an internet-connected computer and a smart-card reader, with the HiCOS card management tool and the reader driver installed. On October 8, 2026 the mobile certificate website announced that Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信) has released HiCOS card management component version 3.2.9 and recommends updating.
When the PIN has been entered wrongly 3 times and the card is locked, the "user code" unlocks it immediately and lets you reset the PIN; suspending and reinstating the certificate also need the user code. If you forget the user code, you can handle it at any household registration office by going in person with your citizen digital certificate and original ID card, or by downloading the authorization form, or online through "forgot / change user code" (忘記／修改用戶代碼) on the certificate management center website. The phone app also has an "IC card unlock" (IC 卡鎖卡解碼) function that unlocks the card by NFC tap.
The certificate is commonly used for government online services such as tax filing, checking National Health Insurance (NHI) records and applying for household registration transcripts. Applying for electronic land registration transcripts with a prepaid points card also requires either a citizen digital certificate or a business certificate (工商憑證); see how to apply for land and building transcripts. A move-out registration for leaving the country for 2 years or more can also be applied for online with it, but a move-in within Taiwan still requires going to the counter; see what to bring to move your household registration.
Details people often ask about before applying
- Is the email address written into the certificate? The IC card application form states that the email is by default not written into the certificate, and either way it does not affect use. If you need secure email signing and verification, add the email to the certificate yourself online ("add email inside the certificate", 新增憑證內電子郵件信箱). The mobile certificate does not write the email address or phone number into the certificate; they are stored only in the certificate management center database for emergency notices.
- Can I skip fingerprint or face recognition on my phone? No. The mobile certificate website says the service supports only biometric verification on mobile devices and does not offer a pattern lock, password or PIN as the primary login method. Biometric data stays on your own phone, and the system receives only whether verification succeeded.
- Name or ID number change: the mobile certificate is handled the same way as the IC card; it is revoked outright (逕行廢止) and you must re-apply.
- Payment method: whether you can pay with EasyCard or mobile payment, ask the household registration office you plan to visit first.
- System maintenance: the mobile certificate website announces the periods when Chunghwa Telecom data center maintenance suspends the citizen digital certificate service; avoid them close to tax filing or application deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
Can a family member apply for the citizen digital certificate for me?
No, not for a new application. Both the application form and the mobile certificate website state that you must apply in person with your original ID card. For matters such as changing the user code, the application form states that you can download the authorization form and have someone else handle it at the household registration office.
My household is registered in another county or city. Can I apply in Taipei?
Yes. The IC card application form says to apply "at household registration offices nationwide", and the mobile certificate FAQ says to apply "in person at any household registration office (not limited to the place of household registration; can be handled across cities and counties)".
I already have an IC card. Do I still have to pay for a mobile certificate?
The official fee explanations apply to the counter: NT$30 for the mobile certificate only, NT$250 for both together. People who already have an IC card can bind it themselves with the app's NFC tap or the web-page QR code, and the website's application instructions do not list a fee; whether any fee is charged follows the certificate management center's announcements.
What happens if the mobile certificate is not regenerated at expiry?
The original key expires and becomes invalid, and you must re-apply at a household registration office and pay. From 60 days before expiry the app reminds you when opened, and if you follow the instructions you can extend it by 1 year for free.
Last updated: 2026-10-31
This article was compiled by SOSfix editors from public information and is for general reference only. For individual cases, contact the Ministry of the Interior certificate management center (customer service 0800-080-117) or a household registration office.
Sources
- Ministry of the Interior: mobile citizen digital certificate system FAQ (行動自然人憑證系統 常見問題; in Chinese; page undated, checked 2026-10-31): counter fees of NT$250 for the IC card, NT$30 for the mobile certificate and NT$250 for both together; eligibility; not limited to the place of household registration; mobile certificate validity of 1 year with a maximum of 8 years, same as the IC card; expiry reminder days and free regeneration; open at all household registration offices from December 2, 2024; changing devices and re-applying after loss; IC card and mobile certificate validity are independent; biometric verification only; email and phone not written into the certificate; revoked outright after a name change.
- Ministry of the Interior: mobile citizen digital certificate system application guide (行動自然人憑證系統 申辦教學; in Chinese; page undated, checked 2026-10-31): counter procedure and not bringing a driver's license; NFC tap limited to TP07 cards; web-page QR code binding; Android 12 / iOS 17 or later; app card unlock; entry points for certificate extension and online renewal.
- Ministry of the Interior: mobile citizen digital certificate system home page, latest news (首頁最新消息; in Chinese; announcement of 2026-10-08, checked 2026-10-31): HiCOS card management component version 3.2.9, the data center maintenance suspension notice for September 15, 2026, and the customer service line 0800-080-117.
- Taipei City Government website: citizen digital certificate application form (自然人憑證申請表; in Chinese; 23rd edition, made January 2026, checked 2026-10-31): applying in person with ID, IC card fee NT$250, validity of 5 years, paying again after loss or damage, re-applying after a name change, card reader and HiCOS required, aged 18 or over and not under a guardianship declaration, card locked after 3 wrong PIN entries, user code of 6 to 10 characters, 8-digit default password, user code changes can be authorized, digital signature presumed to be the person's own signature, email not written into the certificate by default.
- Zhongli District household registration office, Taoyuan City: citizen digital certificate (自然人憑證; in Chinese; dated 2026-06-15, site updated 2026-10-30, checked 2026-10-31): a 5-year certificate that is still valid can be extended by 3 years, 8 years in total; application period from 60 days before expiry to 3 years after expiry; each certificate can be extended only once, counting 3 years from the expiry date; no fee for extension online or at the counter; the "valid until" date on the card face is 5 years after issue.
- Taoyuan City Government Civil Affairs Department: "My citizen digital certificate expired in 2026; do I need to apply again?" (自然人憑證已於115年到期，需要重新辦理嗎?; in Chinese; version of 2026-09-01, checked 2026-10-31): certificates that reach 5 years in 2026 can be extended by 3 years (once only); documents needed at the counter or for an agent; re-applying after 8 years costs NT$250, or online renewal from 60 days before to 1 year after expiry costs NT$278 in total.
- Taichung City Government petition platform FAQ: asking about extending the IC card (詢問自然人IC卡展期？; in Chinese; updated 2026-08-28, checked 2026-10-31): a 3-year extension counted from the expiry date; online or at the counter from 60 days before expiry to 3 years after, regardless of place of household registration; no fee whether online or at the counter; 8 years at most.
Related reading: Lost NHI Card in Taiwan: Online Reissue, Fees & Medical Care · Lost Taiwan ID Card: Reporting, NT$200 Reissue & Rules · Taiwan Passport Application & Renewal: Fees & Processing
