Adoptee Seeks To Reclaim Taiwanese Citizenship

TaiwanPlus News
TaiwanPlus NewsMar 24, 2026

Why It Matters

The story highlights legal and medical obstacles faced by adult adoptees seeking identity and citizenship, urging policy reforms to protect their rights.

Key Takeaways

  • Adopted Taiwanese woman seeks mother's identity to reclaim citizenship.
  • Adoption was canceled in 1983 without proper verification.
  • Lack of inter‑agency communication left her without official records.
  • Her hereditary condition spurred urgency for family medical history.
  • Legal battle highlights challenges for overseas adoptees reclaiming nationality.

Summary

The video follows a Taiwanese-born woman adopted abroad who is now fighting to restore her Taiwanese citizenship and learn her biological mother’s identity.

She discovered that on October 12, 1983, the Taiwanese authorities abruptly canceled her adoption without confirming the child’s whereabouts, and no notification was sent to Australian officials, leaving her without any official record of her birth or parentage.

“I just want to know the name of my mother so I can carry that with me,” she says, noting that a recent diagnosis of a hereditary condition has intensified her need for accurate family medical history, which doctors cannot provide without her biological information.

The case underscores systemic failures in inter‑governmental adoption tracking, raising questions about the rights of overseas adoptees to reclaim nationality and access vital health data, and may prompt reforms in adoption documentation and citizenship restoration processes.

Original Description

Vanessa Miles, a 46-year-old Australian national who says she was born in Taiwan and trafficked to Australia as an infant, is protesting the interior ministry’s decision not to reinstate her citizenship.
But Taiwan’s household registration office says that Miles’ adoption was cancelled, and her household registration was revoked decades ago. Her original ID number has since been given to another person.
Taiwan’s interior ministry says Miles’ birth certificate cannot be verified, and that they cannot reinstate her citizenship until the document’s authenticity is proven.
The interior ministry has also suggested Miles undergo DNA testing with her biological parents—if they can be found—to prove her claim.
Diagnosed with a hereditary condition at 45, Miles was unable to provide the family medical history her doctors required. This realization, combined with a deep desire to reconnect with her roots, led her back to Taiwan.
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
Reporter: Irene Lin
Videographers: Leon Lien/Devin Tsai
Video Editor: Alison Nguyen
#TaiwanPlusNews #Taiwan #Australia #Adoptee #Citizenship
#TaiwanPlus #TaiwanPlusNews #TaiwanNews
-
TaiwanPlus presents the country’s unique voice on not only local issues but also world events.
Connect with TaiwanPlus
» Watch shows made by TaiwanPlus https://www.youtube.com/@TaiwanPlus
» Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwanplus

Comments

Want to join the conversation?

Loading comments...