TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The government has received 1,200 affidavits from Chinese spouses unable to provide immediate proof of their renunciation of a Chinese household registration, the Ministry of the Interior said Friday.

An estimated 12,000 spouses still had to come up with the required documents. If they cannot immediately submit proof, they are allowed to file an affidavit if they fear for their safety when returning to China, if they are physically unable to travel, or if they have not visited China since July 1, 2015.

Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said some Chinese spouses encountered problems when trying to find the necessary documents, per CNA. Ma said they could provide an affidavit or ask for a postponement to receive more time to obtain the proof of renunciation from China.

At least 900 of the 1,200 affidavits received so far are valid, Ma told a Mother’s Day event for Chinese spouses Friday. The figure included about 200 applications to delay the review to allow spouses to travel to China to obtain the necessary documents.

The National Immigration Agency will review special cases separately, as some spouses said their original home in China had been torn down, so they were unable to apply for the documents from the local authorities. Other spouses said they were too old to travel and could not send their children as they were living elsewhere.

The law requiring spouses to give up their Chinese household registration came into effect in 2004, but some spouses said they had never paid much attention to the rules as they had already been married and living in Taiwan for a decade before.