Can Landlords Ask to See an ID Card, Household Certificate, or NHI Card in Taiwan? What Personal Data Should Not Be Collected?

When signing a rental agreement, it is common for landlords to want to confirm who the tenant really is and ask to see an identification card.

But what if the landlord also asks for a household certificate, National Health Insurance card, salary statement, or even bank balance information? That raises an important question: how much personal information can a landlord actually ask for?

Renting a property may require identity verification, but signing a lease does not mean that a landlord can collect every piece of personal information about a tenant.

The key principle is simple: personal data that is necessary for the rental relationship may be lawfully collected, while information that is unnecessary should not be collected without proper justification.

What Does the Law Say?

Mandatory Provisions to be Included in and Prohibitory Provisions of the Standard Form Rental Housing Contract, Article 11:

“The lessor shall present documents proving the right to lease the rental housing, as well as the national identification card or other documents sufficient to prove identity, for verification by the lessee.”
✨ Plain Explanation: Identity verification in a rental transaction is not something only the landlord gets to do. The tenant also has the right to confirm that the landlord is actually entitled to rent out the property.

Before signing the lease, the tenant may ask the landlord to present identification and documents proving ownership or the right to lease the property, such as a property ownership certificate, building registration information, or other supporting documents. If the property is being rented out through an agent, the tenant should also verify the agency or authorization.

⚖️ Legal Source:  Ministry of the Interior – Residential Lease Standard Contract Regulations

Mandatory Provisions to be Included in and Prohibitory Provisions of the Standard Form Rental Housing Contract, Article 12:

“The lessee shall, at the time of entering into this contract, present a national identification card or other documents sufficient to prove identity for verification by the lessor.”
✨ Plain Explanation: A landlord has a legal basis for asking a tenant to show the original ID card for identity verification when signing the lease.

The important part is “present for verification.” The landlord may confirm the tenant’s name, identification number, and whether the person signing the lease is actually the person named in the contract. However, this does not mean the landlord may keep the original ID card or automatically require every other form of identification as well.

⚖️ Legal Source:  Ministry of the Interior – Residential Lease Standard Contract Regulations

Mandatory Provisions to be Included in and Prohibitory Provisions of the Standard Form Rental Housing Contract, Article 23:

“This contract shall state the parties and their basic information:

(1) The lessee’s name (title), uniform number (identification document number), household registration address (business registration address), correspondence address, and contact telephone number.

(2) The lessor’s name (title), uniform number (identification document number), household registration address (business registration address), correspondence address, and contact telephone number.”
✨ Plain Explanation: A standard residential lease is expected to contain basic identifying information for both parties. This includes names, identification document numbers, addresses, and contact telephone numbers.

That is why it is normal for the landlord to verify the tenant’s ID and for the tenant to verify the landlord’s identity as part of the lease-signing process.

⚖️ Legal Source:  Ministry of the Interior – Residential Lease Standard Contract Regulations

Personal Data Protection Act, Article 19:

“1. Except for the personal data specified under Paragraph 1 of Article 6, the collection or processing of personal data by a non-government agency shall have a specific purpose and shall meet one of the following circumstances:

1. Where it is expressly provided by law.
2. Where there is a contractual or quasi-contractual relationship with the data subject and appropriate security measures have been adopted.
3. Where the personal data has been made public by the data subject or has otherwise been lawfully made public.
4. Where it is necessary for an academic research institution to conduct statistics or academic research in the public interest, and the data has been processed by the provider or collected in such a manner that the specific data subject cannot be identified from the method of disclosure.
5. Where the data subject has given consent.
6. Where it is necessary for the promotion of public interests.
7. Where the personal data is obtained from a source generally available to the public; provided, however, that this shall not apply where the data subject has prohibited the processing or use of such data and the protection of the data subject’s interests clearly outweighs other interests.
8. Where the rights and interests of the data subject are not infringed.

2. Where the collector or processor becomes aware, or is notified by the data subject, that the processing or use of personal data is prohibited pursuant to the proviso of Subparagraph 7 of the preceding Paragraph, the collector or processor shall, on its own initiative or at the request of the data subject, delete or cease processing or using such personal data.”
✨ Plain Explanation: An ordinary landlord is considered a “non-government agency” under the Personal Data Protection Act. This does not mean landlords are prohibited from collecting tenant information, but there must be a clear and legitimate reason for doing so.

For example, collecting information needed to verify identity, enter into and perform the lease, or contact the tenant is directly related to the rental relationship. But asking for large amounts of private information that have little to do with the lease may raise concerns about excessive collection of personal data.

⚖️ Legal Source:  Personal Data Protection Act Article 19 – Law.moj.gov.tw

Personal Data Protection Act, Article 20:

“1. Except for the personal data specified under Paragraph 1 of Article 6, the use of personal data by a non-government agency shall be limited to the necessary scope of the specific purpose for which the data was collected. However, the data may be used outside the specific purpose under any of the following circumstances:

1. Where it is expressly provided by law.
2. Where it is necessary for the promotion of public interests.
3. Where it is necessary to prevent danger to the life, body, freedom, or property of the data subject.
4. Where it is necessary to prevent serious harm to the rights and interests of another person.
5. Where it is necessary for a government agency or academic research institution to conduct statistics or academic research in the public interest, and the data has been processed by the provider or collected in such a manner that the specific data subject cannot be identified from the method of disclosure.
6. Where the data subject has given consent.
7. Where it is beneficial to the rights and interests of the data subject.

2. Where a non-government agency uses personal data for marketing pursuant to the preceding Paragraph, it shall immediately cease using the personal data for marketing when the data subject expresses a refusal to receive marketing.

3. When conducting marketing for the first time, the non-government agency shall provide the data subject with a means to express refusal to receive marketing and shall bear the necessary costs.”
✨ Plain Explanation: Even if personal data was lawfully collected in the first place, that does not mean it can later be used for anything the landlord wants.

If identification information was collected for entering into or performing the lease, it should generally be used only within the scope necessary for those rental-related purposes.

Put simply: personal data collected because of a rental relationship should generally stay within rental-related use.

⚖️ Legal Source:  Personal Data Protection Act Article 20 – Law.moj.gov.tw

A Landlord May Check an ID Card, but Verification and Keeping a Copy Are Different Things

This is one of the most common issues during lease signing.

Under the Mandatory Provisions to be Included in and Prohibitory Provisions of the Standard Form Rental Housing Contract, a landlord may ask the tenant to present an ID card or another document sufficient to prove identity in order to confirm that the person signing the lease is really the tenant named in the contract.

However, the rule expressly refers to presentation for verification. It does not state that the tenant must always provide the landlord with a photocopy of the ID card.

If both parties agree that a copy will be retained, the landlord must still collect, store, and use that copy only within the necessary scope of the rental purpose and in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act.

If a tenant provides a copy of an ID card, the following wording may be added in the blank area:

“For rental agreement purposes only. Not to be used for any other purpose.”

Adding the date can provide another layer of protection and reduce the risk of the copy being reused for an unrelated purpose.

Most importantly, the original ID card should be returned immediately after verification. A landlord should not keep the original simply because doing so feels more secure.

Can a Landlord Ask for a Household Certificate?

For an ordinary residential lease, there is usually no need for a landlord to obtain an entire household certificate.

A household certificate may contain information about other family members, including names, birth information, and family relationships. Much of that information may have no direct connection with the rental agreement.

For example, if the landlord only needs to verify the identity of the person signing the lease, an ID card will usually already serve that purpose. Asking for the entire household certificate therefore raises the additional question of whether all of that information is genuinely necessary.

If household registration transfer or another specific administrative procedure is involved, only the information actually required for that particular procedure should generally be provided.

So the key question is not whether a household certificate can “never” be requested. The better questions are: Why is it needed, and exactly what information is necessary?

What About an NHI Card? Usually Unnecessary for a Residential Lease

For an ordinary residential rental agreement, there is usually no need for a tenant to provide a National Health Insurance card or NHI card number.

Identity can already be verified using an ID card or another sufficient identity document, and the standard residential lease does not require an NHI card number to be recorded.

Therefore, if a landlord asks for a copy of the NHI card or the NHI card number simply for viewing the property or signing a lease, the tenant may first ask what the information will be used for.

If the landlord cannot explain why the information is necessary for the rental relationship, there is generally no reason to provide it simply because the landlord asks.

What Other Personal Information Should Not Be Requested Casually?

In addition to NHI cards and household certificates, landlords may sometimes ask for other forms of personal information.

Examples include:

• Employment certificate, business card, or proof of income: Some landlords may use these documents to evaluate a tenant’s ability to pay rent, but they are not legally required documents for an ordinary residential lease.
• Salary statements or bank balances: These contain more detailed financial information and are generally unnecessary if the purpose is simply to verify identity.
• Full household registration transcript: This may include information about other family members and should not be collected in full without a specific need.
• Police criminal record certificate: This involves criminal record information and other highly private data. It should not be treated as an ordinary document that every residential tenant is automatically expected to provide.

It is understandable that a landlord may want to assess whether a tenant is likely to pay rent reliably, but “wanting to know” and “having a legitimate need to collect” are not the same thing.

Where additional screening is genuinely necessary, the parties should still try to use a less intrusive method instead of automatically handing over large amounts of complete personal information.

Tenants May Verify the Landlord Too

Personal data protection is not one-sided.

Landlords may worry about fake tenants, but tenants also need to protect themselves against fake landlords, unauthorized agents, or people who do not actually have the right to lease the property.

Before signing the lease, in addition to the landlord verifying the tenant’s identity, the tenant should also check:

• The lessor’s identification
• Proof of property ownership or other proof of the right to lease the property
• If an agent is signing the lease, whether valid agency or authorization exists

If the tenant is willing to present an ID card for verification but the landlord refuses to provide any proof of identity or authority to lease the property, that should be treated with caution.

The Mandatory Provisions to be Included in and Prohibitory Provisions of the Standard Form Rental Housing Contract also require the lessor to present identification and documents proving the right to lease the property for the tenant’s verification. Identity verification is not a one-way background check by the landlord. Both parties should confirm who the other party is and whether that person has the authority to enter into the lease.

Extra caution is appropriate when encountering statements such as “pay the deposit first,” “the ownership certificate cannot be shown,” “the owner’s identity cannot be disclosed,” or where an agent cannot produce any authorization.

A safe rental transaction is not one in which one side hands over every piece of personal information. It is one in which both parties verify each other while limiting the information exchanged to what is genuinely necessary to complete the rental transaction.

Scenario 1: The Landlord Says, “Send Me Photos of Both Sides of Your ID Card for the Lease”

If the parties have already decided to enter into the lease, the landlord has a legitimate reason to verify identity and complete the required information in the contract.

However, the tenant may still ask how the copy will be used and stored. The tenant may also choose to present the original for in-person verification or, if both parties agree that a copy will be retained, add a restriction stating the permitted purpose and the date.

The fact that an identification number must be stated in the rental agreement should not be interpreted as meaning that the law requires the tenant to provide a complete photocopy of the ID card.

Scenario 2: Before the Tenant Has Even Decided to Rent, the Landlord Asks for an NHI Card, Household Certificate, and Salary Statement

This situation deserves closer attention.

The information reasonably needed during the property-viewing stage is not necessarily the same as what may be needed when the parties are actually signing the lease. If the rental relationship has not even been confirmed and the landlord is already requesting large amounts of personal information that have no obvious connection with viewing the property, the purpose of the collection should first be clarified.

The more detailed the information is, and the more information it reveals about third parties, the stronger the reason should be for explaining why that information is necessary.

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Conclusion

A landlord asking to verify a tenant’s ID card when signing a lease is normal and supported by the applicable rental rules. A residential lease also requires basic information such as names, identification document numbers, addresses, and contact details.

However, that does not mean a landlord may collect personal data without limits. Household certificates, NHI cards, detailed financial records, police criminal record certificates, and similar documents should all be considered under the same question: Is this information genuinely necessary for the rental purpose?

A rental relationship requires trust, but trust does not mean handing over every piece of private information. The better approach is for both parties to verify each other’s identity and authority while keeping personal data collection within the scope that is truly necessary. This protects the landlord while also reducing the risk of the tenant’s personal data being misused.

租哥小編

Published on 2026-08-09