Can a foreigner register a .tw domain?

The rules below come from TWNIC's Policies and Regulations (last revised December 2023), its Guidelines for Domain Name Registration (last revised November 2021) and its Domain Name Registration Agreement (amended October 2025). The Chinese text governs if a translation conflicts. We cite the policy by part and item, and the others by article.

Who can hold .tw and .com.tw

Taiwan is the opposite of a locked registry. The top level is open, and the company second level admits foreign entities by name.

Plain .tw

Part Two of the Policies and Regulations says of second level domain names that no particular restriction is applied. There is no local presence test and no nationality test, for individuals or companies.

.com.tw

Item IV admits a corporation, firm, limited partnership or other profit-seeking association registered under the law and tax-registered, or a professional practitioner. It then adds a foreign corporation, limited partnership or other association registered under competent national or state laws. A US, UK or EU company therefore qualifies on its home registration alone, with no Taiwanese entity.

The other third levels

• .idv.tw (item VII): any individual, with identity verified by email.
• .org.tw (item VI): foundations and non-profits registered in Taiwan, or foreign non-profits registered under their national, state or federal law.
• .net.tw (item V): telecommunications licence holders.
• .game.tw, .ebiz.tw and .club.tw (items VIII to X): no restriction beyond email verification.
• .edu.tw, .gov.tw and .mil.tw (items I to III): registered institutions and agencies.

What the policy says about trustees

Nothing. We read the Policies and Regulations, the Guidelines and the Registration Agreement, and none mentions a trustee, nominee or proxy holder. That is consistent with a registry that has not made presence a condition. What matters instead is eligibility of the named registrant:

• Agreement, Article 1 has you warrant that you meet TWNIC's qualification requirements, and re-warrant it on renewal or when a registration is assigned to you.
• Agreement, Article 9 lets TWNIC set seven days to explain or correct a qualification breach, and then cancel.
• Guidelines, Article 8 says neither TWNIC nor the registrar verifies what you submit, and you bear the consequences of a false statement.

Exit and transfer

Guidelines Article 27 gives the customer the right to transfer or terminate a name, unless the dispute mechanism provides otherwise, and Article 28 asks for documents proving identity. A new holder re-warrants eligibility under Article 1 of the Agreement. Moving registrar is a registrar-level step: registrars we checked require an authorisation code and an email confirmation from the registrant, and one applies a 60-day rule after a registration or previous transfer. Read transferring a restricted domain for the general sequence.

How registration works

You register through a TWNIC-accredited registrar (FAQ Q3 and Q4), on a first come, first served basis (Guidelines Article 10). TWNIC's registrar list in October 2026 names 18, including overseas ones such as Gandi, Key-Systems (the platform behind CentralNic Reseller), Ascio, Dynadot and GNAME, so you do not need a Taiwanese vendor. Registrars we checked ask a company for its registration number.

Part Three of the Policies caps the annual fee at NT$800 for .tw, .com.tw and most third levels, and at NT$400 for .idv.tw, and Guidelines Article 12 bars a registrar from charging more than TWNIC. Prices we saw from overseas sellers are quoted in pounds, euros and dollars, so convert before comparing them with that ceiling. Renewal notices go out at least 90 days before expiry. If you do not pay, resolution stops for 30 days, and after that the name is released (Guidelines Article 15). Disputes go through TWNIC's dispute resolution policy, and TWNIC executes a panel's decision to transfer or delete (Guidelines Articles 25 and 26). Our expiry guide compares this with other registries.

Chinese names under .台灣

Taiwan has its own Chinese top level, .台灣 (with a simplified form, .台湾, named in Guidelines Article 2). Names directly under it, like second levels under .tw, carry no restriction. The Policies and Regulations (Part One) allow Chinese internationalised names only at the second level under .tw and .台灣, with at least one Big5 Chinese character. TWNIC's FAQ (Q5) is stricter: Big5-range characters, at least two consecutive, and no mixing of traditional and simplified forms.

Name format rules

A name is 1 to 63 characters, made of letters, digits and hyphens. A hyphen cannot come first or last, or appear twice in a row (Part One). Japanese, Korean, Thai, French and German internationalised names are allowed at the second level under .tw only. Third levels such as .com.tw do not take internationalised names.

What the public lookup shows

Article 2 of the Agreement lets TWNIC publish the entity name, registrant or contact name, address, country, telephone, fax and email. It adds that TWNIC may offer a disclosure choice, so personal data is public only with the registrant's consent. In practice registrars differ: CentralNic Reseller lists WHOIS privacy as supported, while 101domain says private registration is not available for .com.tw. See WHOIS privacy on restricted domains.

If you cannot hold .com.tw

A foreign individual who wants a .tw address can take a plain .tw, which is open to all. A founder who already has a company can register .com.tw in its name. Either way, see whether any trustee exists, and the trustee or local company guide.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated October 2026. Registry policies change. If you spot something out of date, email info@trusteeindex.com.