Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Los Angeles

Be forewarned: After you "scan the QR, and register online, you still need to go to the receptionist to check-in with your confirmation#. Then the receptionist will put your name into the queue/waiting list. Otherwise, your name won't appear on the TV monitors. First of all, I do not speak nor read Mandarin. Please don't shame me. I came to the US in the 60's and tried my best to assimilate into American culture. We spoke English and Taiwanese at home. I love this beautiful facility, but for non-Mandarin readers, be careful of the check-in procedure... Be forewarned: After you "scan the QR, and register online, you still need to go to the receptionist to check-in with your confirmation#. Then the receptionist will put your name into the queue/waiting list. Otherwise, your name won't appear on the TV monitors. Mary, the supervisor was super helpful and kind (5-stars.) It was like dealing with my kind Auntie. "Auntie" assigned someone to help me. He was also super kind and helpful (5-stars.) He said that I was a rare case (2%) where children, long ago, arrived from Taiwan using their parent/mother's passport. Since my mother and father both passed, and since I didn't have their passports, my case was harder to verify and process. Fortunately my uncle in Taiwan was able to get my childhood residence address in Tainan from the 60's. They matched my parents name and address and along with my birth certificate was able to send my paperwork to Taiwan for verification and confirmation (2-3 weeks.) Benedict prepared to bring all paperwork (birth certificates etc.) This was my 3rd attempt to get my official Taiwan docs. I like the new location. Free street parking 2 hrs.

The new office is so nice and so much easier to park! Staff was friendly and helpful as usual :)

I had an excellent experience at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles. The staff were professional, efficient, and extremely helpful throughout the process. They answered all my questions patiently and provided clear guidance on the required documents and procedures. The office was well-organized, and I truly appreciated their commitment to assisting the community. It’s a great resource for anyone needing support with consular services or cultural inquiries. Highly recommend!

I have been to this office several times over the past 40 years. Like always, the staff here is very professional and courteous. The gentleman at the front reception area was very helpful in getting me started. I had no appointment but showed up 1 hr before opening, and he was able to steer me to an open window- I was expecting to have to wait for an afternoon appointment, but was out of there by 9:30 am. It was a Thursday morning, don’t know if that makes a difference. Nathan was awesome- a real problem solver and was so helpful getting my application squared away. Thank you Nathan and TECO LA!

Over all a smooth process, and people were definitely very helpful in person. I will say making an appointment is best, but walk-in options are also available. I arrived at 8:30am but recommend earlier as there were already 15-20 people there. Once you get your number for the afternoon walk-in appts, they will make sure you have the documents needed or tell you what you’re missing.

I have been here several times. All the procedures are pretty standard for all government type services. The waiting time for people who have appointments are good. Number of cases they can take during business hours are well controlled, therefore, it may take a while to get an appointment sometimes. But, walkings are available. Never used walking services, though. Cash only policy may caught some people off guard, but ATMs are downstairs.

The young staff were very competent and helpful. Their automated phone system, however, is utterly useless - so ... If you've got questions, it'll have to be answered in person.

REALLY GREAT PEOPLE, polite and patient. Shout out to Thomas (receptionist), and Nathan Tu (window staff), wonderful people!! But NOT nearly enough staff to assist with the amount of people coming into the office. PLEASE provide more staff!!

I came here to help my elderly family members with their documentation and paperwork. This is one of only two Taipei Economic & Cultural Offices located on the West Coast (the other office is located in San Francisco). This LA office is located in Koreatown and visitors will find the office located on the 7th floor. [Parking]: Metered street parking is available on Wilshire Blvd and S Oxford Ave but limited to only 1-hour. Unless visitors are here for pick-up only, then chances are visitors will most likely need to stay more than 1 hour. To avoid any chances of visitor's cars getting towed, it is best to stick with the designated underground parking garage (entrance via S Oxford Ave). The rate for the designated underground parking garage is $3 per 15 minutes (up to $21 maximum). So one-hour = $12 and my 90-minute stay ended up with $18 parking fee. [Walk-in vs appointment]: Consular service hours = Monday to Thursday 9 AM to 12 PM by appointment only & 1:15 PM to 3:45 PM open for walk-in for Power of Attorney or Passport Renewal (35 quotas in total). For afternoon walk-in appointments, visitors need to come to the office in the morning (ideally when the office just opens) to reserve a walk-in afternoon spot. While I understand many elderly family members are old-fashioned and prefer walk-ins, I highly discourage anyone from doing walk-ins because several morning walk-in visitors have been turned away and asked to return the next day. Just book online ahead of time, save yourself the hassle, and thank me later. [Waiting line]: There are two lines upon arrival: one for online appointments (morning slots) and another line for walk-ins (afternoon slots). The staff at the front counter will ask for the reason of your visit and give blank form(s) for visitors to fill-in if they haven't already completed those forms. Meanwhile visitors with appointments will receive a number and the PA system will call out visitor's numbers & direct visitors to a specific counter/window. [Authentication visit]: I came here at 9 AM for 9:36 AM appointment and done at 10:30 AM. The staff was friendly. [Picking up document(s)]: No need to schedule an appointment to pick up documents. Just directly go to Counter/Window 1 and tell the staff that you are here to pick up documents. The overall process took about 30 minutes. [Compulsory military service in Taiwan]: Men between the ages of 18 and 36 (conscription age) who were born in Taiwan or who have ever held a Taiwan passport may be subject to compulsory military service in Taiwan even if they are also U.S. citizens and enter Taiwan on U.S. passports. One office clerk mentioned that it is technically 'okay' to enter Taiwan using a U.S. passport as long as visitors are not doing any government-related paperwork while in Taiwan. However another office clerk said the safest way is using Taiwan passport to enter Taiwan and using U.S. passport to enter U.S. AS LONG AS visitors have an Overseas Compatriot Identity Endorsement stamp on Taiwan passport. On the day visitors depart from Taiwan, they need to stop by the National Immigration Agency (NIA) desk in the departure hall at Taoyuan Airport to fill out a form (about 20 minutes for this process). There's also another option to complete the form online to save some time. https://egate.immigration.gov.tw/NIA_OnlineApply_inter/nationalsSoldierApply/nationalsSoldierApplyForm.action Men with Overseas Compatriot Identity Endorsement stamps are only subject to the draft if they stay in Taiwan for 183 days or more in a given year. [Becoming a Taiwanese citizen]: Fun fact - Taiwanese nationality follows the principle of jus sanguinis (citizenship by descent). Children born to at least one parent with Taiwanese nationality are automatically Taiwanese nationals at birth regardless of their place of birth and able to apply for a passport. However, those children may be with or without household registration depending on circumstances. https://citizenship.tw/taiwanese-parents/ [Conclusion]: Honestly this is no different than a DMV visit. Just plan ahead and the overall process should be pretty smooth. P.S. - Visitors will find brochures and DVDs with tourist info about Taiwan near the front entrance.

I've been to this Taipei Economic and Cultural center in LA. Located on Wiltshire Blvd and on the 7th floor. There's a parking garage downstairs where you can pay a fee to park there. The office is open Monday-Friday 9-12 (appointments) and 1:15-3:45pm (non-appointments). I've been here several times and it is best to always make an appointment otherwise you will have to wait a long time before you get a number. When you enter their office turn to the right and there is a gentleman that will help you first. He determines which line you get to go in. There is a separate line for applying for Taiwan passport and another line for renewals. They are very strict in the passport photo process. If you don't have the right dimensions, they will reject your passport photos and you have to go to a nearby Photo processing center to get them retaken. Once you pass the first gentleman on the right, you take a seat and wait for your number to be called. The staff here speaks both English and Mandarin. They have a website here you can request an appointment and you can also check which American holidays they observe so you don't accidentally visit this location and they are closed. If you need to visit the restrooms you can get a key from then. Then head out the door and the restrooms are on your right. Also very clean. Once your number is up, depending on what services you need at this place they will give you directions on how to process your paperwork. They only accept cash so come prepared. Also if you are picking up your documents you have the choice of coming back or having it sent by mail. However the staff lady did warn us if passport stents delivered correctly via mail you have to restart the process again so it's best to pick up in person instead. Pick up items you don't need to make an appointment. Just wait in Line 1.

I'm here to write my review and save you guys some time. Just also wanted to say Taiwanese people (like myself cough cough) are some of the friendliest people I know! The people who work here are the perfect example of that. (More on that later) What you need to know before coming here: *You need to make an appointment *There is a lot parking but I think it's $3 for 15 minutes or something ridiculous. Park on Oxford, the elevators to the 7th floor is in the middle of the building so park as close as you can to save time. We parked at the meters. It's cheaper or if you have a handicap placard it's free. We were out in about an hour. While you're here: Go pass the picture on the big door. There is a person working the counter. He or she can view your documents and assist you to one of the three windows where the process can begin. Bathrooms are down the hall to the right while exiting. Keys to the women's are on a hanger by the table. Men's bathroom is always open Payment is cash and something else (I think money order) processing a renewal was less than $50 but pictures not included. There's an ATM I think near the Starbucks and a picture place nearby in case your passport photos didn't match the size. You can opt to pick up your passport. It takes something like a month. They strongly encourage it, I almost paid around $25 to have it sent to me but the auntie at the counter guilt trip me by saying you'll have to start this process again if it was lost in the mail. When picking up: You'll get an email confirming it's ready. You won't need to make an appointment. When we got there, we actually bypassed the counter since there was a nice lady who helped us. (Or maybe she saw how slow my mom was) but I was super grateful she did. In and out in about 15 minutes. The nice lady, the auntie, and the guy at the counter all made sure everything was correct and took the time to do it. I can't explain how great and easy process (except for my almost 2 hour drive from orange county) this was. Passports are good for 10 years. They have a social campaign here on Facebook about reviewing them and getting a free mug but it looks super complicated. I wanted to let you all know besides the commute and possibly the parking getting a taiwanese Passport here is super easy!

So nice experience.I thought I will have a problem renewing my passport.I went to the office in LA without appointment and I already giving myself a headsup that it will took long hours of waiting.I am the 4th person arrived and we begin to fall in line.When the time to process my passport.It is so smoothly that I finished it in the morning at 10:00.So it means I just stay there for 1 hour.Wow,and the one who accomodate me was the lady in the 2nd window.Thank you She was so gracious and told me to wait until Jan.2025.to received my renewed passport.Well its ok since I understand it is overseas but then.It only took 3 weeks.That is so wonderful.I extend my best regards to all the officers in Taiwan embassy.Good work and thank you so much.

The staff were professional, friendly and helpful. Underground parking was easy but expensive. It's best to make an appointment before going to avoid long wait. A tip I can share is to keep checking the website for appointments availability. Sometimes people cancel and you can find an appointment closer to the date you want.

1. Set an appointment online for faster service, usually taken care of in the first hour of your appointment. Otherwise, expect the usualy 3+ hour waiting in line for the afternoon hours After you arrive and get your number. 2. The rules and procedures can vary from simple (eg get a visa or passport renewal) to absurd (eg. probate + document authentication). The rules are made by the Taiwanese government, so nothing these staff can do about it. For example, if you're born in CA, you can bring your birth certificate here for authentication. if you need a Chinese translation, you first need to bring it to the handy translator service nearby at Wilshire shipping, and also get it notorized there. But if you're born outside the TECO LA service area, like NY, now you got to run the hamster wheel. Contact teco ny for their instructions, send birth cert. To them for autthentication, then back to wilshire for translation and notarization, then to teco la for authentication of the translation. So be prepared to spend lots of time on complex matters. 3. Parking underneath the building is $21~/day - better for applications and such. 1 hour parking at the meters in front next to the park for a few dollars (Coins or credit) - better for pickups of completed items. Enjoy listening to the crazies at the park screaming. 4. Teco la will send you to Wilshire shipping across the street for many common things..notarization, translation, photos etc. They Know how to do it to Teco specs, unlike other local shops. So don't be surprised if you take something from another local shop to teco and they refuse it for not followong their "format" requirements. 5. The above does meh passport photos, so even 19 minute in Cerritos etc do prettier. Just make sure hair DOES NOT cover the eyes or ears, no teeth, no big smiles. All that will fail the photo and you'll have to get another. 6. Wilshire $15~ notarize, $40-200 for official translations. 7. For some things that need Apostile of documents, another trip to downtown LA for that. 300 south street. That luckily is quick, 10-15 minutes for $26 or so per document. 8. email for q's. the office girl even said it herself they hardly ever pickup because they get a lot of junk voice messages. or just show up in person. (note lunch hours, closed then. also, not all services available all days of the week.)

Not sure if the person who works window four is always the same, but prepare to be met with despicable attitude - rude, dismissive, and utterly unprofessional. Communication was trash as they rudely cut me off multiple times. Get ready for an infuriating waste of time dealing with their abysmal demeanor. Avoid if possible, but if not, brace yourself for an encounter with the epitome of trashy service. On the other hand, people who greet you at the front desk were pretty helpful, that's why this place still worth one star

Highly recommend to make an appointment online in advance. That may save your previous time, not waiting in line. Also, do yourself a favor to read through the instructions on the website. It has all the information you need before you make your way there. I want to shout out to the staff as well. They are very helpful and very knowledgeable. During the 30 minute I was there (I arrived way ahead of my appointment), they patiently answered everyone's questions and checked if you have all the documents you need before you proceed. They deserve A+ for what they do. There are paid parking underneath the building. It only cost me $9+ for almost an hour, which I think it's totally worth it. And the staff there is very nice, too.

A bunch of F@CKING idiots work here. They can't get anything right after three attempts So unorganized it's unbelievable what I had to go through today. My spouse had to come back three times. I left my paperwork at the check in desk and the moron male receptionist (see pic attached) did not even log me in. I waited an hour and was told I was not in the system. This idiot receptionist (see attached) knew my paperwork was there but didn't think of logging me in. Is there anything nice to say about this place....I will think of something when hell freezes over or when pigs fly Taiwan is a beautiful country but these morons here give a bad impression of the country and it's people. I hope he reads the review, the moron receptionist (see pic attached) and rethinks his competency or should I say incompetency at his job I am hoping I can give a better review when I have to go back again to Pick up Documents. Anyone who gave this place 4 or 5 stars may have been on Meth or Coke or both. I have never seen such outrageous service in my life Have a wonderful day moron. That's my nephew giving you a special gift

Made an appointment online for document authentication (make sure to make an appointment for each item you need help with if you have multiple). It's in the Wilshire area, so paid metered parking or garage are your options. They're on the 7th floor. Spoke with two different people during my 3.5 hours there. They were both kind and courteous. The second person that helped me really went out of her way to help me fill out more documents & make sure I could get my documents in time. Unfortunately, I didn't have all the information and documents I needed. (I had tried to call the office multiple times prior to my appointment to get information. The phone was never picked up, and I left messages, but never received a call back). So I had to go to the nearby Wilshire Shipping Center to get some documents filled out & notarized, and then come back to the office afterwards. I came into my appointment thinking I needed three documents authenticated, but by the end I had 7 documents. You have to come back at a different day to pick up the documents, about a week +1 business day later. It's pickup anytime during their opening hours, not the 2-4pm window that is written in other reviews. There is an express option for more $ where you can pickup documents faster, or they can send it by mail but you run the risk of it getting lost in snail mail. They take lunch from around 12-1:30pm. Also, if paying by cash they only accept exact cash for payment; they aren't able to make change and you can't pay extra. There is a Chase Bank downstairs.

It is hard enough to be up in LA to submit and pick up paperwork, it's even more traumatizing to deal with a rude unsympathetic receptionist. Nowhere on the TECO website indicates that pick up of documents takes place only for two hours (between 2-4pm) in the afternoon. There is incredible lack of communication from the people behind the counter doing the paperwork. It is unreasonable to allow pick up for only 2 hours in the afternoon. Why not allow pick up anytime in the morning AND afternoon? Is their operation really so inefficient that they cannot have pick up of already prepared and completed documents anytime during the day? Why not allow people to make an appointment in the morning to pick up the documents? What if we have to work or take care of the elderly or children in the afternoon and can only be available in the morning? All through the pandemic, the office adapted and used mail/FedEx as a way to reduce P2P interaction. Now, with a very efficient way of doing business established, they decided to revert back to a less efficient and less superior way of doing business. Why not just put two pieces of paper they have stamped in the mail, tell your customers to pay for it (like before), and reduce work for everyone please. If they are really inefficient and can't create an environment of helpfulness for folks requiring their services, then maybe what they they need is a new leader who can make TECO better. If this is how they are representing Taiwan here in Los Angeles, it is an embarrassment to their country. Sad.

Most frustrating process ever to get to a special visa during covid-19. I missed a funeral because I tried emailing and calling, and never received a response. Their online reservation system doesn't work either! Horrible!! When you try to call it's always an automated recording of a bunch of information.

I brought my wife to renew her passport. Everything was done swiftly and was ready to pickup at the time they mentioned. Everyone was very kind and helpful. Recommend to read the website for instructions first to make sure you bring everything that is needed. Any questions we had were answered thoroughly in person.

Glad they are back in office and better flow. Nevertheless going into that part of town is rough.

The staffs are friendly and very efficient. Hearing the Taiwanese accent is so familiar snd make me homesick.

The worst place you can be with the shittiest customer service ever in the world. They should fire everyone here and rehire with happier and pleasant people with higher standards for customer service. I would only give negative star rating if I could.... not even joking. When you come here be sure to have all your paperworks and make sure you have plenty of time to waste cause these ppl don't give a shit and careless about you...lol

Went in for passport renewal, I recommend making an appointment online. If you choose to do an afternoon walk-in, know that people start lining up for walk-in appointments in the morning. The most annoying part was probably passport photos - I'd gotten mine done at UPS, and they didn't take my photos because the UPS guys took the photo from too far away. They recommended going to the Wilshire Shipping Center across the street for $20. I'd booked the earliest appt on a Monday morning, found some free residential street parking a 6 minute walk away. I arrived 10 mins early and was 2nd in line. Because I'd pre-filled out my forms and brought my passport(s), the process took less than 10 minutes. They said I could pick up my passport in 6 weeks anytime between 9am-4pm. They held onto my expired passport and said they will return it when I come back to pick up the new passport. Overall, it was a pretty smooth process and the employees were nice. There was a group of 3 people ahead of me trying to apply for visas, and it seemed to take longer, not sure if that was because it was a group of 3 or because of paperwork reasons.

I would give negative stars if I could. I took my family members for power of attorney, Service was very, very slow, the employees there were not very helpful. We mailed in the document in February, according to their webpage; the whole file got returned in April. No one was answering the phone or return the calls in the LA office, everyday for months! I had called TECO in Denver and Texas, and guess what, they answered or returned my calls! It seemed like TECO workers were busy, no one was answering the calls or returning the calls, but when I was there, two times, I didn't see more than three people there trying to get their paperwork taken care of. Taiwanese people are known for their efficiency and effectiveness in workplace. If this were in Taiwan, there would be a whole bunch of complaints. They need to do better!

All the employees need to get fire. Non of them take their job seriously. Or Taiwan need to improve their system. Long story short. It took me from 11:30-4:30om just to renew my passport on March . They told me to come 6/1 to pickup the passport. And I got there at 1:30 . And it was a total chaos people don't know where to go to get passport. No direction at all. Finally I approach the window the lady said she cannot find my passport she ask to sit down so I did I waited until 330 she says she cannot find my passport she told me come by two days later so I did they still can not find my passport. Lady said she will call me . But she never did. She told me to come 6/6 which is today . She said for sure it will be ready on Monday to pick up. or she will extend one more year with my old passport. So I went there today at 10 am . It still not ready. The guy said come back 12:30 it will be ready. So I came back 12:30pm . Door was lock. So waited until 1 pm . Finally guy came out. He said it's not ready. Come back different day. What? Are they play with me . Total I went back 4time I still did not receive my passport. Waste my time and time at work. This is ridiculous they have no respect for you. And they don't mean what they say to you. It's a shame that they don't even have scanner to save the documents. If it's not ready how come they didn't even call me to tell me it's not ready I have to drive one and a half hour one way round-trip have to spend three hours with no traffic. this is total BS. Tell president Tsai call me.

Don't get me wrong, I love Taiwan but this office is just horrible. I am an American citizen so entry into Taiwan requires a visa (COVID regulations). My flight is pretty soon so when I called to inquire about the status of my visa (as it had been 3 weeks without notice), it took several calls to get through and when I did, I received a very curt reply that they would get back to me soon. They never did get back to me so I called again today and a lady with a waisheng accent picked up and kept interrupting me when I spoke. I kept trying to ask her how could I make sure I could get my visa by my flight date but she said there was no way and repeated that she would relay the message to the consular officer in charge (陳 組長). That's what they said last time. I get they are understaffed and probably also overworked but they're an embassy and getting paid to do their job! They should at least make an effort to actually help instead of saying I'll relay your message. RESOLVED 6/28 Updated review to 3 stars since after 5 calls that ended with them saying I'll relay your message, the head officer called and asked about my experience and I replied that I'd called them a few times. He sounded surprised and apologized. It got done within 2 days of him calling me!

Horrible people represent Taiwan Government, unfriendly and unhelpful staffs, confusing procedure to applying documents and I experienced much of the negative review past year by others who are applying document. They never answer calls and don't bother leave message, they don't return calls.

Arrived on a Friday around Noon. There were maybe 3 other people waiting on service that was already started. A nice lady from behind the left window under "Information" helped me out by stating that she would get me a waiting number. The machine that gives you the ticket with the call number, the screen wasn't on. She tapped it a few times and I got my ticket. (The machine's instruction is all in Chinese). So when you enter, just tap on the grey machine's screen a few times and a ticket will be printed for you. I was called up almost immediately, and another lady was able to get my passport renewed. The service cost $45 for renewal, and another $26 to ship to your residence, or you can come pick it up. It took me over 1 1/2 hour traffic to get here, and 15 minutes to get everything done. Quick and easy. Can't wait to go back to Taiwan!

Everyone there is nice, very patient, respectful, very positive attitude! Really appreciate their kindness when taking care of paper works for us. They explain everything clearly and patiently. They are there to help. I would rate the TECO 10 stars!

I called like a month ago, and I was going to publish this review right then, but I missed the timeframe. Anyway, I lived in socal, and I have questions about renewing my passport. I went on the website and took a brief look. The UI was not friendly and looked very clunky. I had no idea how the renewal worked. I decided to call to get some help. The following conversation was in Mandarin, but I don't type HanZi well. Here is the English translation. So I called, and a lady answered. I said, "I want to renew my passport." The lady told me that "We don't renew passport anymore and we give new passports." I thought ok why would she tell me this technical detail? So I said ok, "I just want to get a valid passport." Before I asked my question, she told me, "We are very busy and you should read the website about the passport; and we have English and Chinese instructions. Because of etc, etc, we don't have enough people, and you should really go to the website, and it has instructions on how the process works. It is easy. Only for people who don't understand at all should call." You know what she really was saying was, "I don't work at the phones but since we are under staffed, I just come to help answering phones." I was thinking "like ok you are just complaining and not helping me, but let me try to talk to you to get some help." So I said," I heard that we can get a valid passport by mailing: how do I do that." Then she repeated her statement about how we are very busy and you should really read our instructions on the website; and you should not waste any of our time. I felt the time she used to complain to me could help me understand the process. Her response didn't really help me. Then I began my question saying I still have the same pictures for American passport... She interrupted and said you should not use those. She said that if you send the photos and if we see the pictures are the same as the old passport and not recent, then we will reject those. That was a weird answer, but whatever. I asked if it is alright to use the same style as American passport photos? She told me the photos for Taiwan are different from American passport. She added, "These are all easy questions, and you should go to the website." At this point, I felt she did not want to help me. Finally, I said, "You know what. You have an attitude problem. Is this customer service? (This is not customer service, she said) I would like to file a complaint. Is there not enough money to hire customer service people? Why do you have such a bad attitude? I am a citizen and why do you not help and answer questions?" She denied that, and she said something like, "I know you felt hurt." I said you have a bad attitude... Then she asked if I had more questions. I paused and said that no I don't have any questions. So I ended the call. With this service, she just wanted people not to call and to call to ask only "good questions"? WTF is this? Getting a passport is a citizen's right. I have questions, and there are no stupid questions.

Parking: There's underground parking directly downstairs for $1.75 per 12 min. There's metered parking as well. Location: 7th Floor. Service: Friendly service person at the initial counter who will look through your application and point out any errors. They will also hand out the ticket number. Pictures: Ignore the old reviews which say they can take photos on site. They no longer do this. They recommend a photo place within a 1 block walking distance. (Blue 22 Photography, 3871 W. 6th St., 90020). $10 for two photos. USA sized passport photos won't work. Payment: Cash or check. No credit cards. Mailing option: In case you don't want to come pick up, they can mail for $7.35 USPS Priority, or ~$26 Express. Language: They can speak English but prefer to speak in Chinese. If you're an ABC expect to be spoken to in Chinese. Application forms are all in Chinese. No English versions. Showed up around noon on a Friday and there were only a few people in front of me. If I didn't have to get my pictures taken off site I could have been in and out within 30 min.

The pretty lady, Mimi, who helped me was very kind and helpful. Just FYI, they only take cash.

To process any kind of visa, a reservation/appointment is required, can't walk in. It doesn't say that anywhere on their website. There was a place to do that, but there were no more available this year. So me & my mom came here in the morning & waited in the walk-in line for 3 hrs. We tried so hard & spent so much time getting everything done beforehand, were considerate & patient w/ them , but when we asked them questions nicely, they were not patient & considerate. We even patiently explained & we're polite, but they didn't have patience when answering back, like they didn't want to listen. Even if you're busy, you do not treat your customers like that. Their customer service wasn't what I expected, unprofessional! I'm kinda disappointed & will never ask of their service again. Even though my visa wasn't processed & we're ok w/ that, but the way we were treated wasn't professional. We would feel better if the staff was more patient & considerate.

My mother applied for passport renewal, and it has been three months without any follow-up. No one answers the phone calls in the office, no one answers emails, very bad service attitude and efficiency

I went there to renew my Taiwan Passport. Excellent service from All, including at the front desk and the officer. Super friendly and super efficient, which made me feel warm and welcome. It really is the famous Taiwanese altruism and the utmost helpfulness that comes from the heart. A few days later, I sent an email for some follow-up questions. On the same day, I got a call back -- from Ms. Chiang and also the Chief (a lady) -- Wow!!. They helped me even though it was after-hours. All of you are great. Thanks very much!!

My passport pics were rejected at the time when I applied passport renewal in person. They sent me to a designated store and the person who took my pic wet all my hair down and put hair behind my ears. It costs $17 which is 3 times more than the price I paid at Costco. What a rip off! The picture turns out horrible. I looked like just came out of shower, colors are all off and my ears are not even shown as they originally claim need to be. Very angry about my passport looks awful and I have to see my picture for 10 years,just because they team up with photo shop to rip you off. What a shame, Taipei economic & cultural office.

People there are nice and helpful. It took me less than a hr to get my passport renewed:) But keep in mind it takes more than 15 working days to process. (I sent my application on Nov 9 and will be ready for picking up on Dec 5) They don't do on site passport photo anymore but you can go to the CVS next door or the Passport photo on the 6th st between Oxford and Sorrano Ave recommended by the staff. It's a Korean owned store so there is only a small English "Passport Photo" sign at the front and the store name and the rest were written in Korean ($5 for 2 photo, cheap, so-so quality) Parking at the back of the building $1.5 for 15 mins. Max $15 per day. Not too bad at all. You can either pay the ticket when exiting the parking lot or pay at the machine located at the north side of courtyard. Both accept credit card.

Beware of the instruction you have heard. I went for document authentication a week ago, a lady told me to come pick it up after May 19, anytime after 2:00pm or the next day. I went this morning (May 20), drove for an hour, then the front desk boy told me the document should be picked up at 2:00pm. I did not understand, I was supposed to be here yesterday after 2:00 pm but I gave it one more day. So I told him just that. He ignored me and went back to his front desk. I asked again, then he told me all these sort of documents should be picked up everyday at 2:00pm. I remember last time when he was approached by ladies, he was very willing to help. As for men, try your luck when you guys are not wearing a skirt.

My experience going into the office for my appointment and turning in my power of attorney application went a lot smoother. First, you're supposed to go to suite 104 first to have your documents checked, then you go to suite 700 to complete your application. Many of us who had appointments went to suite 700 first and were told that the instructions on the appointment says to go to suite 104 and then come back. I didn't see that on the instructions anywhere, maybe they updated it within the last month? Not a big deal, going between the suites is quick. There were about 3-4 people ahead of me, and I was in and out within 50 minutes from the time I parked at a meter and finished turning in the application. I'm told to pickup the application the following week, about 6 business days later. This time, go straight to suite 700 counter 1. No need for another appointment

One star is generous. Staff is no help at all, long tedious wait time just to meet someone to process and more waiting to pickup document, then you're restricted to certain time to pickup which was not properly conveyed by staff and if you missed it have to go back and waste more hours driving there. Very ambiguous poor communication and not serving the people properly.

Went there by Uber for fear of parking problem. Arrived 11:18AM, planning to get a walk-in number and back after 1:15PM. The young guy at the reception gave me a number and advised me to wait, maybe I can get it done in the morning. So I did and around 12:05 they called my number and things went smoothly. The attitude of the staff and the effort of trying to help are excellent. Maybe it wasn't good in the past, but now is a whole new story. They deserve 5 stars

Since COVID-19 pandemic, TECO closed in April, and started accepting all the application by mail on 5/1/2020. I had to go to TECO to sign the Power of Attorney-授權書 to help my relatives in Taiwan. First, I need a valid Taiwan passport. There are strict rules for the passport picture. The length from head to chin must be 3.2cm-3.6cm, both ears need to be exposed, teeth can't be seen... I had gone to local Costco photo center three times to get it right. After mailed the application for passport renew, and checks of $45 for renew and $27 for postage (it's express priority mail-1 day which is unnecessary, $7.5 regular priority mail is fast enough-2 days) It needs one month (TECO has to mail the passport to Taiwan) to get the 10 year valid passport. Then I have to go online(https://tecola.appointlet.com/) to make an appt for power of attorney. I logged in the website many times to get one(they post Sunday?, or hopefully someone just cancelled). Finally I went this morning. I got there before 9am, and there are some meter parking(accept quarter coin or credit card) at Wilshire Blvd, Serrano Ave and Oxford Ave... $0.25/15min. I was in and out within 15 min. And just paid $7.5 to have them mail me the authenticated paper after 5 business day.

Update: I finally got my passport back with visa for special entry. Maybe 2 months is considered normal these days but that's still a bit excessive considering travel is limited these days.

I called once this morning and no one answer the phone. I left a voicemail cuz, let's get real, is there any other choice? I called this afternoon and no one answers the phone. What a shocker. Don't even bother to submit questions online. I did that twice, no response, just a computer-generated, non-specific reply with tons of links. My uncle in Taiwan actually called their office in TW and he was able to get a response on the phone right away regarding the status of my passport. I think the LA TECO is the worst of the lot. They need to have someone else answer the phone. The lady they have assigned to answer the phone gives curt answers and hangs up on people.

I had many questions about power of attorney, notarization, and passport, so I called. Both times, Jenny Wang answered the call and helped me. She was very knowledgeable and gave me all the extra info I needed to prepare ahead. She told me to arrive before 1030am if I wanted to get documents notarized by a staff who only would be there at 1130am. Once you miss him, you'll have to come back next day. Had she not tell me that small detail, I would have missed him and had to come back at another day. At the LA office, Ms. Guo, who was at check - in, was extremely helpful and patient with me (and others) because I couldn't read much Chinese. She was attentive even when I was at the window with an agent to make sure the process was going well... I never had such a good customer service such as this office. I gave a 4 star because the parking was very limited and expensive.

This office must be run by the most corrupted and crooked people in the world. Omg I think prc government might even be better than this joint. How the hell is it still locked down in LA where literally no one gives a damn to wear masks and they are fully masked and not taking walk in or not even answering phone calls. They abuse the Covid rule. I tried calling the office but have no way of reaching anyone. Filed a passport application in January and was notified in April there is a mistake because of xyz that were not mentioned in their website. And then I rushed there to turn in the document but when I went there was a long line in first floor where people are taking number to go upstairs for their paperwork. So I just went up regardless and people were all staring at me thinking I shouldn't be there. Ok so I approached the counter and the guy didn't look at me and said repeatedly - be patient, and I said someone called me and asked me to turn in extra stuff and I need to verify if things have been received... then he stood up and asked me who it is I said she didn't say here name but provide me with a number to send back to her the stuff. Then he said - go to window 5 and someone will come. While I was waiting many people were servicing some others with pretty good attitude and I wondered what I missed out as I submitted everything and just missed one thing that wasn't mentioned on website and I should be an easy customer. Oh well after I talked to the girl she said it's all good and I should be getting the passport 4-8 weeks. Sure enough after another month I got a missed call and telling me a missed two more documents and I can email them. I emailed and knowing how unefficient they are I had to drive there to make sure they got what needed to process the dang passport. When I went there today same thing a lot of people are being helped at the window with courtesy and I again had to approach the window and asked for them to bring my representative to help. The girl literally told me to wait and ignore me. At this point I don't care I just went to another window where there was an old lady with glasses and she was nice enough to call the person out to help me. The heck, they need two more forms again and I said so from last month til now this has never been progressed and mailed to Taiwan, she said "no" and this has to be the biggest joke in the world. I asked her how long it will take to get it she said it may take all the way to July to get it. What a joke

I had a horrible experience at this office. I was going in for walk-in hours during 1:15-3:45pm to do power of attorney. I was there around 12:15pm and had to line up outdoor. There were already over 15 people ahead of me. I thought I was in a black Friday line. At 1:15pm they started seeing people. But I didn't get in until 1:45pm. That was ok. There was only one guy there and wasn't there to process anything, but to give you a number to go upstairs for the real process. There was also another form needed to be filled which took extra time. Once I got a number to go upstairs 7th floor to start the real process, it was over 2pm. Upstairs, I waited until 2:40pm to get seen. It was the worst customer service ever. This lady was so rude. She started complaining that my paper is too light and can't see and use rough hand gestures to push the forms back to me to fill out additional info. I know people can have bad days, but not this rude. I was treated as if I was a illegal person who committed crime. She kept fussing and with frustrating attitude. Finally it was over and was over 3pm. She asked me to pay for the service in cash, I paid. Then she forgot and asked me again.. I said I already paid you. Then she remembered, but didn't say sorry. She finally gave me a receipt and said today's process is done. I thought it was really done and I get my proper document back for power of attorney. But NO. It was only a receipt to come back to pick it up over a week later at a specific time. I continued to be polite and never match her foul attitude. I finally said THANK YOU. But she didn't even acknowledge me or looked at me. This was the worst customer service ever. They are understaffed, overworked, I get it. But there is no need to treat another person this way.

Friendly Service, and lines are not very long too. I can really feel people are trying to help here. Its so smooth in compare to the China Embassy few blocks down. Take Metro or Bus in order to avoid the parking situation. Plenty meter parking nearby the area too.

This place sucks, they have process issues and they get things done in a very inefficient path. The law in Taiwan is old and broken, it's terrible. It's 2017, not 1917, please improve your system

We visited this location just last week, and I have to say, I have never been more disappointed with foreign government employees in my entire residence here in the US. :O) Upon taking a number from the more likely than not $10,000 dollar digital number dispenser, I shortly thereafter noticed that they have a $35,000 - $40,000 salaried human receptionist, who never said a word to me upon entering. He did however seem to be a bit aggressive with several other visitors in their native language (mine is English, so I really am not positive, but is sounded like a raised voice and looked like a kitted eyebrow). Good thing he's there to direct many of the visitors as they may become lost or disoriented upon entering the door and 10 feet in taking a number by pushing the only button possible on that electronic number dispenser. After waiting for over an hour and a half and observing the other customers as each of their numbers are called and they "approach the bench", only to have someone send them away to obtain more paperwork within the first 5 min. of assistance. I would watch as each would return and retake a number throughout my hour and a half of waiting. Finally my number came up... and yes, I too had obtained an inadequate number of copies of my paperwork required, and no they did not have a copy machine behind the counter! So, off to obtain a second copy of ALL my paperwork for their records (FUN FACT: most government offices need certified copies of paperwork when they are accepting copies, however, this one sends you out to make your own and then compares the docs when you return). So, without a usable copy machine in sight and no assistance what so ever from the counter help... off we went waking the streets of downtown LA, as I almost tripped over a homeless person while looking for addresses of a Notary Service, which by the way was no longer in service. Finally about four blocks later and two times around we stumbled upon a notary service that was actually still in business. We had a document which was actually notarized and acceptable had it had the wording "State of California" at the top of the page and not at the bottom as it were. Either way, we needed to obtain an "All Purpose Acknowledgment" form and have it notarized by another kind person for $40! (That's two signatures folks). When we returned to TECO we thought we had it all figured out... but we were wrong! Took another number, waited about 45 min. more, paid a "EXPEDITED FEE" to have the documents EXPEDITED (same day), the woman helping us said it will be a few hours and they will call us, so, we went to lunch and received a call from the very same woman... she said that they needed us to return to fill out additional forms. We then had to leave the Korean BBQ restaurant mid serving! Thankfully we had someone we left there as collateral, so they weren't too worried about us dodging out on the meal. Got back to TECO and filled out the additional forms required (Another $30 fee!), and the TECO representative said they will call us if they need anything else. $140 dollars for the expedite service and $10 worth of parking meter fees later, we arrived back at the STAR KING BBQ (Korean) finished up our meal, it was very good! Got to the final course... and of course!... TECO called once again! Yep! They needed us back ASAP! Ran down the street to TECO and into the office that was by this time, thinned out and ready to close, at 4:20 pm the TECO representative told us that our "EXPEDITED" documents would have to be mailed back to us over night for an additional fee of $20 as they did not have enough time to complete the documents, and that if we simply pay the $20 they will finish it up and get them off to us first thing Monday morning. (it was Friday). Something was fundamentally wrong with this service! Needless to say, I gave them an ultimatum... "refund my $140". They opted to stay later and asked us to please wait as all the important people who actually understand immigration laws are in a emergency meeting. It actually did not go this pleasant, but out of the kindness of my heart I edited out the fun stuff. At 5:20pm as everyone behind the counter was scrambling around collecting their personal effects and disappearing one by one... out stepped two older more experienced and worldly TECO officers! They summonsed us to the bullet proof glass, and notified us that we need to fill out four different application forms as the first TECO representative helping us gave us the wrong forms. So here we go again, good thing I had my mother in law with me she was very helpful with the writing our English names in Chinese Characters part of the form. About 15 additional minutes later we had our documentation that would only have been able to be done with us there in person. Had we left the office and paid the additional $20 for overnight service of our documents, they would have never been able to be complete.

the teco la office exists to waste people's time, just like the dmv. the teco la office exists as a shame for the taiwanese government. reasons: 1) the office is ALWAYS full of people waiting to get stuff done 2) the lines are SO long and it takes forever just to get through few numbers 3) 99% of the time, the administrators have NO idea what they're doing and during the process they have to ask each other what's the right thing to do to process paperwork i had to renew my taiwanese passport because it was long expired and i was almost going to loose my tw citizenship... and my mom was nagging me about getting power of attorney done for a property... and i was sent to pick up my sister's power of attorney as well. it took me 1 hour to drive to la, 1.5 hours to get 3 simple things done, and another 1 hour to drive back. so be prepared to waste plenty of time at the office. did i mention that it takes THREE hours for power of attorney to be picked up the same day? i opted for $23 express usps shipping instead because who has 3 hours to wait around and waste their day? wtf. so really though, you're looking at taking 1 day off just to get things done. oh, and what's worse if if you don't have all the documents you need and you can't get what you need to get done processed? good luck, that's gonna cost you another half day just to drive to the office hoping they don't send you back. this poor couple that was trying to get things done said that they read the teco website but apparently the public information was incorrect... so their trip was wasted. i don't know how the taiwanese government allows tecola to waste their citizens' time...

Just calling them for information already was a bad experience! If I can give a zero star, I will. So unfriendly and the lady on the phone just put me down in my face. She just assumed the stuff she told me I won't be able to remember!!!? Wtf!!!? I, myself have great customer care service, being the same ethnic background showed what a big difference between educated kind person and an ignorant person!!

Taiwan economic and cultural office in Los Angeles. Room 700. Make sure to grab a number. Office is a simple room with up to 5 walk-up counters.

Gentleman at the service counter was super helpful and professional! The lady behind the window was also very helpful. Website could be more user friendly for English visitors on certain required documents and info. I recommend parking under the building due to the super nice and helpful parking attendant lady.

This place gets 5 stars, but only considering this is a bureaucratic office since it's not like anything "fun" ever happens here. Basically, if you have to come here (TECO), you probably need a visa to visit Taiwan. (You might also come here to renew your Taiwanese passport or possibly have Taiwanese legal documents verified/authenticated/"notarized." But let's assume you just need a visa.) If you have a US Passport and need a Taiwanese visa, be prepared to drop up to 100 clams for it. And to leave your passport with this office for a few days (1 full business day) while they prepare the visa and update your passport. You do have to bring a number of other documents with you to apply for the visa, so definitely do a little bit of prep work to avoid having to take extra trips. Here are a few tips: -Don't come here on Saturday! This is when most people come and there is ALWAYS a line. To be fair, they do have all their windows staffed/open on Saturdays. -Park at the meters. Only 50 cents for an hour. If you're here to submit a visa application during the week, it shouldn't take you any longer than an hour. Probably less. If you come on the weekend, all bets are off. I got a $30 parking ticket because I was there for over an hour and didn't move my car. (But that wasn't TECO's fault... so negative ten stars to the LA Parking Authority. ) -If you are there to submit an application, go get a ticket number before you do anything else. If you need help or forms (Go to Window #1), get them after you get your number. If you are there to pick up your visa, go right to Window #1. (Make sure you check your receipt to see the date and time it will be ready. I forgot to do that and had to come back at the right time.) -Check the website first. Although a lot of it is in Chinese, there's a lot of helpful info online. http://www.tecola.org That said, the people staff is friendly and helpful; very fast considering the amount of paperwork they have to prcoess. If you need passport photos, you can get them taken here, though I'm not sure how much they charge. They also have a coin-operated copy machine, if you need to make photocopies. If you are nervous about anything, bring a friend who speaks Chinese although it's really not necessary.