In applying for an invention patent involving a biological material, the applicant shall deposit the biological material in a local deposit institute designated by the Taiwanese IPO, unless the biological material involved can be easily obtained by persons skilled in the art or the biological material has been deposited in a foreign deposit institute recognized by the Taiwanese IPO. In the event that an applicant has deposited the biological material in a depository designated by a foreign country in its territory with which the ROC recognizes the effects of deposits based on reciprocity (currently only Japan is entitled to the reciprocal effects), the applicant is exempt from the requirement of making a deposit in Taiwan.
And the documents evidencing the deposit of the biological material issued by the deposit institute shall be submitted within 4 months from the filing date or within 16 months from the first priority date if a priority (or priorities) is claimed, whichever is earlier.