Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) Taiwan nationals are now allowed to use the romanized spelling of their names in Hoklo, Hakka and indigenous languages in Republic of China (ROC) passports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.
Speaking at a MOFA conference, the head of MOFA's Bureau of Consular Affairs Antonio Chen said it is now possible to have romanized names transliterated from one of Taiwan's "national languages," which include Hoklo, Hakka, and indigenous languages.
The change comes in the wake of an amendment to Article 14 of the Enforcement Rules of the Passport Act, which was passed on Aug. 9, Chen said.
Previously, only Mandarin Chinese names could be romanized.
According to MOFA, the amendment was part of the government's draft national language development act, which aims to ensure language diversity and equal development of all languages and cultures.
Under the draft bill, the term "national languages" refers to spoken or sign languages used by different language groups residing in Taiwan, including Hoklo, Hakka and indigenous languages.
