Situated in the central part of Taiwan, Taichung is the second-largest city in the country. As of 2017, it has a population of more than 2.85 million people, including foreign nationals such as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Also read: Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei
Filipinos in Taichung can avail of passport services, notarial services, assistance to nationals, and other programs at the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) extension office in the city. Notably, this office is dubbed “Ang Tahanan ng OFWs sa Central Taiwan” (The Home of OFWs in Central Taiwan).
MECO Taichung Extension Office
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) is the representative office of the Philippines in Taiwan. It operates a main office in the capital, Taipei, along with extension offices in Taichung and Kaohsiung, respectively.
Interestingly, MECO has officially handled people-to-people relations between the Philippines in Taiwan since 1993. Prior to this, MECO was known as the Asian Exchange Center, Inc., which — in turn — was called Far East Trade Promotion Center, a non-stock, non-profit organization that had served as the link between the two countries starting 1975.
MECO has a counterpart office in the Philippines: the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), which is located in Makati City, Metro Manila.
MECO Taichung Services
The MECO Taichung Extension Office provides various services to the Filipino community in Taichung. These include passport services, visa services, assistance to nationals, notarial services, and more.
Passport Services
MECO offers passport-related services including new passport issuance, passport renewals, replacement of lost/damaged passports, etc. Those who are applying for these services need to book an appointment first at https://www.passport.gov.ph/ before going to the office.
Visa Services
Furthermore, the office provides visa services to foreign nationals who require visas before going to the Philippines for travel, business, or other purposes. In coordination with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), MECO facilitates the issuance of single-entry individual visas, single-entry group visas, multiple-entry visas, transit visas, seafarers’ visas, crew list visas, and more.
Assistance to Nationals
Similar to Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) around the world, MECO has an Assistance to Nationals (ATN) section that offers different types of assistance to OFWs. These include medical assistance, legal assistance, repatriation, etc. The office also helps facilitate travel documents, police clearance applications, overseas voting, video conference court hearings, and other concerns.
Notarial Services
For documents issued in Taiwan to be submitted to government authorities, private firms, or offices in the Philippines — MECO provides notarization and authentication services. Examples of such documents are affidavits and Special Powers of Attorney (SPAs).
In addition, the office helps with the verification of Philippine driver’s licenses in Taiwan, and also the translation of Taiwanese driver’s licenses into English. Reports of birth, reports of marriage, reports of death, renunciation/reacquisition of Philippine citizenship are also managed by the MECO office.
Video: Search for 2025 Bagong Bayani Awards is On
The Filipino community in Taiwan is encouraged to make nominations to the 2025 Bagong Bayani Awards, which recognizes outstanding OFWs around the world. Watch this video to learn more about this prestigious event, as shared by the MECO MWO Taichung Facebook page:
Contact Information: MECO Taichung
If you are a Filipino based in Taichung and you need to apply for passport services, notarial services, or other concerns — you can get in touch with the MECO Taichung Extension Office through the following contact details:
Address: 20F, No. 220, Longbang Building (Building B), Section 2, Taiwan Blvd, West District, Taichung City 403, Taiwan
Telephone: (886) 04-2322 8835 to 36
Website: https://www.meco.org.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mecomwotaichung/
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