• Application

Documents you need to bring

• ARC card, passport or R.O.C. National ID Card;
• The taxation schedules of your income and assets in Taiwan (you may apply for them from the taxation office TEL:0800-000-321); and
• Documents related to your case
• If your family or friends apply on your behalf, they must bring a letter of authorization and should be familiar with your case. 

Initial Assessment

• The Examining Commissioner interviews the applicant regarding his or her financial circumstances and relevant facts of the application.

Assessment

1. 3 Examining Commissioners sit as a Committee and decide applications by consensus.
2. Matters decided by Examining Committees include: whether to grant legal aid; the type of legal aid services to be provided (litigation representation, drafting of documents, representation in mediation or settlement), fees for legal aid service providers;
3. Staff notify applicants by telephone and send formal notices, and notify legal aid service providers by facsimile and registered mail.

Review of Decision

1. An applicant may appeal to the Review Committee of the Foundation within 30 days if he or she is not satisfied with the outcome of his or her application.
2. Appeals are lodged with the branch office that decided the application.
3. The Review Committee decides appeals with the consensus of 3 Commissioners. Where necessary the Committee may require applicants to show up in person for clarification, or may ask for the opinion of the branch office.
4. Once the Review Committee has decided whether to maintain or revoke the decision of the Examining Committee, they notify the applicants of such decision by written notice.

Provision of legal aid services

1. Notifying legal aid service providers: staff appoints legal aid service providers on the day when the decision to grant legal aid is made.
2. The provision of legal aid services: once attorneys have commenced legal aid services, branch offices notify the Foundation for the advance payment of legal fees.
3. Termination or revocation of legal aid: the Examining Committee may terminate or revoke legal aid in the circumstances provided by Articles 21 and 22 of the Legal Aid Act.

Final Stage

1. At the conclusion of legal aid: branch offices report to the Foundation for payment of legal fees upon receiving attorneys' proof that the legal aid matter has concluded.
2. Survey of the performance of legal aid services providers.

Termination or Revocation of Legal Aid

1. Revocation of legal aid:
   • If the documentation or statements provided by a recipient of legal aid contain false or misleading information, legal aid should be revoked. With revocation, the applicant may be required to repay the legal fees and costs incurred by the Foundation on his/her behalf.​
      
2. The Foundation may terminate legal aid in the following circumstances: 
   • where a recipient is no longer financially eligible due to inheritance, bestowal or for any other reasons;
   • where the recipient of legal aid has died;
   • where legal aid has become unnecessary because the relevant laws or circumstances of the case have changed or because the subject matter of litigation has been destroyed;
   • where a recipient has, without due reason, failed to cooperate with what are required in the provision of legal aid, or has failed to contribute to the legal fees and necessary expenses as required so that proceedings cannot continue, or has behaved in an inappropriate manner towards the provider of legal aid services.
   • where it is no longer necessary to provide legal aid for other reasons.