Which TECO office to send your marriage certificate to depends on the issuing state: the jurisdiction table for all 13 offices
If you married in the US and want to register the marriage in Taiwan, the marriage certificate first has to be authenticated by a Taiwan office in the US (the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, TECO). Which office to send it to depends on which state issued the certificate, not where you live. There are 13 offices across the US, each covering its own region, and the two tables below are compiled from their official notices.
For example, if you married in Las Vegas and live in Texas, the certificate was issued by Nevada, so it goes to TECO in San Francisco, not TECO in Houston. Each office only accepts documents issued within its jurisdiction (TECO in Los Angeles and TECO in Houston both say so), and if you send it to the wrong office, you have to mail it again.
Which TECO office covers each state
Based on the jurisdiction table published by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (checked 2026-10-22):
| Office | Jurisdiction (where the document was issued) |
|---|---|
| Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (Washington, DC) | Washington, DC; Maryland MD; Virginia VA; West Virginia WV; Delaware DE |
| TECO in New York | New York NY, New Jersey NJ, Pennsylvania PA, Connecticut CT |
| TECO in Boston | Maine ME, New Hampshire NH, Massachusetts MA, Vermont VT, Rhode Island RI |
| TECO in Chicago | Ohio OH, Michigan MI, Iowa IA, Indiana IN, Illinois IL, Wisconsin WI, Minnesota MN |
| TECO in Atlanta | Georgia GA, Kentucky KY, Tennessee TN, Alabama AL, North Carolina NC, South Carolina SC |
| TECO in Miami | Florida FL, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands (plus Bermuda, the Bahamas and other parts of the Caribbean) |
| TECO in Houston | Texas TX, Oklahoma OK, Arkansas AR, Louisiana LA, Mississippi MS |
| TECO in Denver | Missouri MO, Kansas KS, North Dakota ND, South Dakota SD, Colorado CO, Nebraska NE |
| TECO in Seattle | Washington State WA, Montana MT, Wyoming WY, Idaho ID, Alaska AK, Oregon OR |
| TECO in San Francisco | Northern California, Nevada NV, Utah UT |
| TECO in Los Angeles | Southern California, New Mexico NM, Arizona AZ |
| TECO in Honolulu | Hawaii HI, American Samoa |
| TECO in Guam | Guam, Northern Mariana Islands |
California is split between two offices: San Francisco (Northern California) and Los Angeles (Southern California). TECO in Los Angeles says it handles documents issued by "counties in Southern California" (checked 2026-10-14); for which county belongs to which office, go by the two offices' notices before you send anything.
Documents issued by the federal government go to the Representative Office in Washington, DC instead; for a marriage certificate issued by a state or county, send it according to the table above.
Fees, payment and processing time
Below are the offices whose official pages we could open this time. The fee is US$15 per document at all of them; an office missing from the table, or a cell that says "go by the website," means we didn't find an official page this time, not that it's the same as the other offices.
| Office | Payment | Processing time |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | Cash, cashier's check, or money order payable to TECO; no personal checks or credit cards | About 2–3 weeks |
| Los Angeles | Cash only at the counter | 5 business days at the counter, about 1 month by mail |
| Washington, DC | Go by the website | 5–7 business days |
| Boston | Cash, money order, certified bank check; rush service adds US$7.50 per document | Go by the website |
| Denver | Money order payable to TECO; US$30 together with the Chinese translation | 3–5 business days |
| Houston | Cash, money order, cashier's check payable to TECO in Houston; no personal checks | 5 days at the counter, 2–3 weeks by mail |
| Atlanta | For mail-in applications, a money order or cashier's check payable to TECO; no personal or business checks | 7–10 business days |
| Honolulu | Cash, money order, cashier's check payable to TECO in Honolulu; no personal checks or credit cards | Go by the website |
Dates checked: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Boston and Denver on 2026-10-14; Houston, Atlanta and Honolulu on 2026-10-22. For fees and processing times at New York, Chicago, Miami, Seattle and Guam, go by each office's website.
The certificate must be the long form, and the names must match your passport
First request a certified copy (an official copy issued by the county government, with an embossed seal or watermark) from the county that issued the license. Photocopies and scans cannot be submitted for authentication.
- TECO in Los Angeles: requires the original or a certified copy of the complete long form certificate, and does not accept an abstract (extract / short form); the English names, dates of birth and places of birth on the certificate must match the passports.
- TECO in San Francisco: the names on the certificate must be exactly the same as on the passports, though a middle name written only as an initial is acceptable; if taking a married surname causes a mismatch, include other supporting documents.
- Representative Office in Washington, DC: authentication of a marriage certificate requires copies of both spouses' passports; if one spouse holds a Chinese passport, they must pass an interview before the certificate is authenticated.
- TECO in Denver: include the original or a certified copy of the certificate, copies of both spouses' passports, and one extra photocopy.
Check the copy word by word the moment you get it. Authentication uses up one copy, and you'll need more later for a name change and immigration in the US, so order several at once (see item 10 of the checklist).
Prepare the Chinese translation yourself
TECO offices don't translate for you (San Francisco, Denver and Houston all say so). The rule from the Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior, is that foreign-language documents must come with a Chinese translation, and the translation must be authenticated by a Taiwan overseas mission or certified by a notary in Taiwan (checked 2026-10-22).
- TECO in San Francisco: a complete, unabridged translation in Traditional Chinese, with a signed statement that the translation is accurate; authenticating the translation is US$15 per document, and the translation cannot be submitted on its own.
- TECO in Houston: authenticating the translation is US$15 and it must be submitted together with the English version; one set of English plus Chinese is US$30 in total.
- TECO in Denver: the translator's signature must first be notarized locally.
The other option is to have only the English original authenticated, and have a notary in Taiwan certify the translation once you're back.
Return postage for mail-in applications
- TECO in San Francisco: include a USPS Flat Rate Priority envelope with US$13.90 in actual postage stamps.
- TECO in Atlanta: include a return envelope and postage; stamps only, no meter postage.
- TECO in Houston: include a postage-paid return envelope; if you use a prepaid UPS, FedEx or DHL envelope, put yourself or a family member in the sender field, not the office.
The offices aren't responsible for mail that is lost or delayed. Use a shipping method with a tracking number.
After authentication
The authenticated certificate and translation can be forwarded by the office to the household registration office where your household is registered in Taiwan, or you can take them in person to any household registration office in Taiwan to register the marriage. Article 48 of the Household Registration Act requires you to apply within 30 days; check with the household registration office or the TECO office about when the 30 days start. For the full five steps and the extra documents needed for a foreign or mainland Chinese spouse, see registering a US marriage in Taiwan in five steps; if you married in Las Vegas, see a Las Vegas marriage can be registered in Taiwan.
Common questions
I live in Texas and married in New York. Where do I send the certificate for authentication?
To TECO in New York. Jurisdiction depends on which state issued the certificate, and documents issued by New York State belong to TECO in New York.
How much does it cost to authenticate a marriage certificate?
At the offices whose official pages we found this time (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Boston, Denver, Houston, Atlanta and Honolulu), it's US$15 per document; authenticating the Chinese translation is extra, US$15 per document in both San Francisco and Houston.
Can I pay by card?
San Francisco, Boston and Honolulu state explicitly that they don't accept credit cards, and Los Angeles takes only cash at the counter. Bringing cash, a money order or a cashier's check is the safest choice.
On the My Wedding Plan checklist, authentication, the translation and registering in Taiwan fall under item 10 (certified copies) and item 15 (registering in Taiwan). The checklist has a free version, and you can start without giving an email address; once you choose both partners' status, the relevant items are added to your list.
Sources (checked 2026-10-22)
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States: Consular Jurisdiction of TECO offices in the U.S. (checked 2026-10-22)
- TECO in San Francisco: Checklist for authenticating birth and marriage certificates (September 2026 edition) (checked 2026-10-14)
- TECO in Los Angeles: Marriage certificate authentication (checked 2026-10-14)
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States: Marriage certificate authentication requirements (checked 2026-10-14)
- TECO in Boston: Document authentication (checked 2026-10-14)
- TECO in Denver: Marriage certificate authentication (checked 2026-10-14)
- TECO in Houston: Authentication Services (checked 2026-10-22)
- TECO in Atlanta: Requirements for Document Authentication (checked 2026-10-22)
- TECO in Honolulu: Document Authentication (checked 2026-10-22)
- Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior: Marriage registration guide (checked 2026-10-22)