Taiwan does have mandatory military service for men. Every male citizen of the Republic of China is required to serve, and since January 2024 the obligation has been one full year of active duty for men born on or after January 1, 2005. Men born before that date remain under the older four-month training regime.
Who Has to Serve
Under Taiwan’s Act of Military Service System, all male ROC citizens owe military service. The obligation window opens on January 1 of the year after a man turns 18 and closes on December 31 of the year he turns 36.1Laws and Regulations Retrieving System of Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. Act of Military Service System Women are not conscripted, though they may volunteer.
A foreign passport does not get you out of it. Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that male citizens holding dual nationality still owe service.2Ministry of the Interior. Should Male Individuals With Dual Citizenship Render Military Service Overseas Taiwanese who once held household registration in Taiwan remain subject to the draft as well, even if that registration has since been moved abroad.3Overseas Community Affairs Council. Application Instructions
How Long You Serve
The length depends on your birth year. Men born on or after January 1, 2005, serve one full year on active duty. Men born before that date fall under the older four-month training obligation, though the curriculum for that shorter track was revamped when the policy changed in 2024. The one-year program was designed to move conscripts past the basics and into meaningful combat-readiness training; the four-month version functions more as a compressed reserve orientation.
What the Year Looks Like
The one-year program opens with eight weeks of basic training in roughly four phases. The first week covers physical fitness and military values. Several weeks then focus on weapons handling and marksmanship. Advanced combined-arms training follows, including night operations. A final evaluation week ends in a multi-day field exercise, and recruits who fail the final assessment repeat an additional week before continuing.
After basic training, conscripts receive a military specialty or a general unit assignment. Postings usually go to garrison units on Taiwan’s main island or its outer islands based on where the conscript’s household is registered. Anyone who wants more demanding duty can volunteer for a frontline combat unit, but that step is optional.
Pay
Conscripts on the one-year track receive monthly compensation. In 2025, Taiwan’s legislature passed measures requiring conscript pay to be set at no less than the national minimum wage, with additional allowances for those assigned to combat units. Earlier cohorts under the one-year program received roughly NT$20,320 per month (around US$660). The minimum-wage floor was intended to reduce the financial hit young men take by serving rather than starting a civilian job.
Exemptions and Deferments
Not every eligible man serves. The Act of Military Service System provides an outright exemption for anyone whose physical or mental condition, or a serious illness, makes service impossible.1Laws and Regulations Retrieving System of Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. Act of Military Service System The Ministry of the Interior’s Conscription Agency runs the medical screenings and classifies men who fail to meet the health standards as exempt.4Ministry of the Interior. Conscription Agency
Deferment is available for men currently enrolled in an accredited high school, college, or graduate program. You can postpone service until you finish or withdraw, at which point you become immediately eligible.4Ministry of the Interior. Conscription Agency Men who have been indicted for a crime carrying a minimum prison sentence, or who are currently incarcerated, are also deferred until the legal matter is resolved.
Substitute Service
Taiwan runs a substitute service program that lets conscripts fulfill their obligation by working in government agencies and public-sector roles instead of a military unit. Assignments cover social welfare, law enforcement, firefighting, medical care, and educational support in remote areas.5Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan). Substitute Military Service Key to Transition to All-Volunteer System
The program also accommodates conscientious objectors. Men whose religious beliefs conflict with military combat can apply for substitute service and be assigned to hospitals, nursing homes, or other civilian facilities. Placements are matched to skills and qualifications, so someone with a medical background may end up in a clinic, while someone with teaching experience could be posted to a rural school.5Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan). Substitute Military Service Key to Transition to All-Volunteer System
Travel and Passport Limits Before You Serve
This part catches many overseas Taiwanese by surprise. Men of conscription age who hold or have held ROC household registration face real restrictions on leaving Taiwan once they enter.
An “overseas compatriot conscription male” who returns to Taiwan must apply for exit approval from the National Immigration Agency before departing again. The application requires a valid ROC passport, proof of overseas residence (such as a foreign passport or residence card), a valid Overseas Compatriot Identity Certificate for Military Service, and proof that you were physically present at your overseas residence within four months before entering Taiwan.6Overseas Community Affairs Council. Section II Exit Application Review Without that approval, you can be blocked from leaving.
Passport validity is affected too. Men of draft age studying abroad who can show proof of enrollment may renew their ROC passport with a three-year validity period. Those not enrolled can only obtain a one-year passport, and that one-year issuance is limited to a single time unless an overseas embassy grants an exception for unavoidable circumstances.7Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). Regulations on Restrictions for Males Who Have Not Fulfilled Compulsory Military Service Applying for Passport and Overseas Compatriot Identity Endorsement The practical result is that men who avoid service and aren’t in school find it increasingly hard to keep valid travel documents.
Penalties for Evasion
Taiwan treats draft evasion as a criminal offense. Under the Punishment Act for Violation to Military Service System, a man of military age who dodges recruitment through dishonest reporting, self-harm, or unauthorized departure from the country faces up to five years in prison.8Laws and Regulations Retrieving System of Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. Punishment Act for Violation to Military Service System The same maximum applies to refusing a recruitment order, failing to report to a military camp within five days, or arranging for someone else to take your place.
Leaving the country without authorization while subject to a draft call, or leaving with permission but refusing to return when the approved period expires, also carries a sentence of up to five years.8Laws and Regulations Retrieving System of Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. Punishment Act for Violation to Military Service System Escaping after being formally recruited but before arriving at camp carries the same penalty.