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Taiwan
Capital:
Taipei
 |
Air
Travel | Weather | Money | Tipping
| Business Hours | Visas
|
| Customs | Electricity
| Medical Service | Transportation
|
For National holidays, festivals, and trade shows check Calendar.
Air
Travel
Taiwan has two international airports - at Kaohsiung in the
South and at Taoyuan in the North. Chiang Kai-SHek International
Airport at Taoyuan is 24miles (40km) southwest of Taipei. The airport
departure tax is NT$300.
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Weather
Taiwan's climate is subtropical, with average annual temperatures
of 22�C (72�F) in the north and 24�C (75�F) in the south. Summers,
which last from May through September, are usually hot and humid
with average daytime highs from 27?to 35�C (81?to 95�F) Winters,
from December through February, are short and mild, with average
lows from 12?to 16�C (54?to 61�F.); snow falls only on the higher
mountains.
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Money
The Republic of China's unit of currency is the New Taiwan dollar
(NT$). The exchange rate, around NT$27 to US$1, has fluctuated greatly
in recent years. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at government-designated
banks and hotels. Receipts are given when currency is exchanged,
and must be presented in order to exchange unused NT dollars before
departure.
Major credit
cards are accepted and traveler's checks may be cashed at some tourist-oriented
businesses and by room guests at most international tourist hotels.
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Tipping
Tipping is not necessary in Taiwan. Hotel bellhps and airport
porters will most likely to expect a tip from you. It's US$1 per
bag. Big hotels and restaurants will have a 10% service charge and
5% value added tax on your bill.
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Business
Hours
Banks open at 9am till 3:30pm on Monday to Friday. For Saturday,
the hours are from 9am to 12:00noon. Department stores usually open
at 11:00am till 9:30pm on Monday to Friday. 11:00am till 10:00pm
on Saturdays.
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Visas
Tourist visas for the Republic of China, or letters of recommendation
which can be exchanged for visas, can be obtained from ROC embassies,
consulates, or designated representative offices in foreign countries.
Letters or recommendation can be exchanged for visas upon arrival
at Chiang Kai-Shek international Airport in Taoyuan or at Hsiaokang
International Airport in Kaoshoung, the only points of entry to
Taiwan at which such letters may be exchanged.
14-day visa-free
privileges are afforded to citizens of the United States, Japan,
Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium,
Luxembourg Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and Portugal.
Foreign nationals
may obtain a tourist visa if they bold foreign passports or travel
documents valid for more than six months and wish to stay less than
six months in the Republic of China for purposes of sightseeing,
business, family visits, study or training, medical treatment, or
other legitimate activities.
Visa requirements
include one completed application form, incoming and outgoing travel
tickets (or a letter of confirmation from a travel agency), three
photos, documents verifying the purpose of the visit (except for
transit or sightseeing), and a letter of guarantee (in some cases).
Tourist visas
may be single- or multiple-entry, and allow stays in the ROC for
two weeks to 60 days. Unless restricted to two weeks, tourist visa
holders may apply for a maximum of two 60-day extensions, for a
total of six months. Holders of a tourist visa are not permitted
to assume employment in the ROC without authorization.
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Customs
Inbound Passengers
Personal belongings are duty-free, but stereo sets, TVs, and
video recorders must be declared. Each person may bring into the
ROC, duty free, one liter of Alcoholic beverages, 25 cigars, 200
cigarettes, or one pound of other tobacco products.
A written declaration
is required when bringing dutiable articles into the ROC. Duty is
charged on gold in excess of 62.5 grams in weight. No more than
NT$40,000 in cash may be brought into the country by each passenger,
and undeclared sums in excess of this amount will be confiscated.
Incoming passengers who want to bring in more than NT$40,000 in
cash should apply, prior to entry, for a permit from the Ministry
of Finance.
The following
articles are prohibited from entry; there are severe penalties for
their importation, use, possession, or sale:
1. Counterfeit currency or forging equipment;
2. Gambling apparatus or foreign lottery tickets;
3. Obscene or indecent materials;
4. Publications propagating communism or originating in nations
or areas under communist control;
5. Firearms or weapons of any kind (including air guns) and ammunition;
6. All drugs or narcotics of a non-prescription and non-medical
nature (including marijuana);
7. Toy guns;
8. Articles infringing on the patents, designs, trademarks, or copyrights
of another person;
9. Contraband articles as specified by other laws, e.g. fruit, and
so on;
10. Animals and pets.
Outbound
Passengers
Outbound Passengers Except in the following cases, completion
of the Outbound Passenger's Declaration form is optional. Outbound
passengers must declare to Customs in writing when:
1. Carrying
foreign currencies, New Taiwan Dollar notes, or gold or silver ornaments
in excess of allowed amounts;
2. Carrying gold and/or silver ornaments and, when leaving the country
within six months of arrival, the unused portion of foreign currencies
which were declared to Customs on entry;
3. Carrying commercial samples and or dutiable items (camera, tape
recorder, calculator, etc.) intended to be brought back duty-free
in the future;
4. Carrying computer media including magnetic tapes, magnetic disks,
diskettes, punched cards, punched tapes, etc.
Passengers who
do not make a declaration to Customs and are found, on their departure
from the ROC, to be carrying gold, silver, New Taiwan Dollar notes,
and/or foreign currencies in excess of the designated limits, shall
have the excess amount confiscated and may be subject to punishment
by law. The designated limits on gold and/or silver ornaments, and
currency which a passenger is allowed to carry on his departure
from the ROC are as follows:
Up to 62.5 grams
(or two market taels) of gold ornaments or coins; up to 625 grams
(or 20 market taels) of silver ornaments or coins; up to US$5,000
in notes or the equivalent in foreign currencies; up to NT$40,000
in notes and 20 coins (of the types in circulation) of New Taiwan
dollar notes.
Articles that
may not be taken out of the country include unauthorized reprints
or copies of books, records, videotapes, and so on; genuine Chinese
antiques, ancient coins, and paintings; and items prohibited from
entry, such as firearms, drugs, counterfeit currency, and contraband.
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Electricity
Electricity is 11volts, 60Hz.
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Medical
Service
No particular health risk, but recommended to have vaccinations
for hepatitis.
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Transportation
Major cities have an abundance of taxis. Charges are NT$ 65
for the first 1.65 km and NT$ 5 for each additional 350 meters.
An additional NT$5 is charged for every four minutes of waiting,
and a 20% surcharge is added to fares between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.,
the price of radio cars, and carrying luggage in the boot adds NT$10.
Most drivers do not speak English, so it is a good idea to have
hotel personnel write both your destination and your hotel's name
and address in Chinese, along with the projected cost of each one-way
trip.
Taiwan
has a number of international and domestic car rental companies.
Credit cards or sizable deposits are required, as well as an international
or Taiwan driver's license.
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China | Hong
Kong | Japan | Indonesia
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