Know before you go: Taiwan

Verified essentials for Taiwan: connectivity, transport, tickets, money and etiquette — checked by humans, with dates.

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Before you book3

1. Check your passport and entry rules first.

   Before booking anything, check your passport's validity and the entry rules for your nationality — visa or visa-waiver, allowed stay, and any pre-registration your destination asks for. Rules differ by passport, not by airline.

   Documents

2. Sort travel insurance while flights are refundable. Travel insurance for this trip

   Medical care abroad is paid care — a short hospital visit can cost more than the trip. Buy a policy that covers medical treatment and trip interruption when you book, not the week you fly.

   Health

3. Lunar New Year shuts more than you'd think.

   Around Lunar New Year, Taiwan travels en masse: high-speed rail sells out, and many restaurants, shops and night-market stalls close for several days — some for the whole week. Museums stay open, streets go quiet; plan those dates deliberately or shift them.

   TransportTickets

2–4 weeks before2

1. Set up an eSIM before you land. Get an eSIM before you land

   Install a travel eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and it activates when you land — no airport SIM counters, no roaming surprises. Keep your home SIM active for bank SMS codes.

   Connectivity

2. HSR early-bird fares open 28 days out.

   Taiwan High Speed Rail releases tickets 28 days ahead, with early-bird discounts of 35%, then 20%, then 10% as each tier sells out — the deepest cuts go in the first days, especially for weekends. Book on the T Express app or website and pick up tickets at any convenience store.

   TransportMoney

A few days before4

1. Download offline maps and the language pack.

   Before you fly, download your destination's offline map area and the offline language pack in Google Translate or Apple Translate. The camera/Lens mode reads menus and signs instantly — it works best with the pack already on your phone.

   Apps

2. Prep your cards, skip the worst exchange rates.

   Tell your bank you're traveling, carry a second card in a different bag, and when a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, always choose the local currency — "dynamic currency conversion" is a built-in bad rate.

   Money

3. File the Taiwan Arrival Card online — paper is gone.

   Every foreign visitor must submit the free digital Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) before landing — paper forms were retired in 2025. The window opens 7 days before arrival; three minutes on the official immigration site, then the officer just scans your passport.

   DocumentsApps

4. US-style plugs at 110V.

   Taiwan uses flat two-pin type-A/B sockets at 110V — American devices plug straight in; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Modern chargers handle the voltage; check anything with a heating element.

   Connectivity

On arrival3

1. EasyCard first — your bank card won't tap everywhere.

   Buy an EasyCard at any convenience store or metro station (cash top-up): it runs the Taipei metro, buses, lockers and even convenience-store purchases. Contactless bank cards work only on some newer metro gates, and the high-speed rail doesn't take EasyCard at all — that one needs a proper ticket.

   TransportMoney

2. Night markets run on cash.

   Taiwan is still cash-first at street level: night-market stalls, small eateries and temples mostly won't take cards. Withdraw NT$ at 7-Eleven or FamilyMart ATMs (they take foreign cards) and keep coins — an evening of grazing rarely needs more than a few hundred NT$ per person.

   Money

3. Taxis are honest and metered — Uber works too.

   Taipei's yellow taxis go by meter and don't expect tips; Uber operates in the main cities, and locals also use 55688 (Taiwan Taxi) and LINE Taxi. Cards are increasingly accepted, but short-hop drivers still prefer cash.

   TransportApps

Daily on the ground6

1. No eating or drinking past the metro gates.

   Eating, drinking (water included) and chewing gum inside the fare zone risk a fine of up to NT$7,500 — the platforms are spotless for a reason. Queue at the marked lines and leave the dark-blue priority seats free; locals take both seriously.

   EtiquetteTransport

2. Keep your receipts — they're lottery tickets.

   Every Taiwanese receipt carries a number in the national Uniform Invoice lottery, drawn every two months with prizes up to NT$10 million. Locals hoard them; tourists can win too — keep them till the draw or drop them in a charity receipt box.

   Money

3. Street bins are rare here too.

   Like Japan, Taiwan's cities keep few public bins — carry a small bag for your night-market skewers and cups, and use convenience-store bins when you buy something. Locals will notice, kindly.

   Etiquette

4. Respect typhoon season.

   July to September is typhoon season: when a typhoon day is declared, offices, museums and most shops close and the HSR thins out — build one flexible day into summer trips and follow the announcements. May–June brings the plum rains; year-round, plan for humidity and afternoon showers.

   Health

5. 5% VAT back from NT$2,000 per store.

   Spend NT$2,000 or more in one authorized store on the same day and you can claim the 5% VAT back — instantly in larger stores (small-amount refunds), or at the airport E-VAT kiosks before check-in. Passport at purchase; arrive early, refunds close before the goods fly.

   Money

6. A little Mandarin opens a lot of stalls.

   "Nǐ hǎo" (hello), "xièxie" (thank you), "duōshǎo qián?" (how much?), "hǎochī!" (delicious). English thins out fast beyond central Taipei — your translate app's camera does the menus, and pointing plus a smile does the rest.

   Etiquette

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