Population | 23.3 million (2022) |
GDP | 828.66 billion USD (2022) |
GDP per capita | 35,513 USD (2022) |
Internet penetration | 91% of the population use the internet (2022) |
Ecommerce users | 80.9% of the population shop online (2022) |
Leading product categories | Digital media and entertainment, apparel and footwear, and consumer electronics |
Preferred online payment method(s) | Credit and debit cards and digital wallets |
Languages | Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Mandarin (Hokkien) |
Currency | New Taiwan dollar/TWD/$/NT$ |
Landed cost is the total price of getting a purchase to the customer's door, which includes:
CIF: CIF (cost, insurance, freight) is a method for calculating import taxes or duties where the tax is calculated on the cost of the order plus the cost of freight and insurance.
Further explanation of de minimis, tax, and duty provided below
Based to the CIF value of the order
Duty and tax will be charged only on imports into Taiwan where the total CIF value of the import exceeds Taiwan’s minimum value threshold (de minimis), which is 2,000 TWD. Anything under the tax de minimis value is considered a tax-free import, and anything under the duty de minimis value is considered a duty-free import.
Applied to the CIF value of the order
The import VAT rate for Taiwan is 5% and is applied to the CIF value of the order. There are no VAT registration requirements for selling physical goods into Taiwan if you do not have a physical location there.
When you need to register:
Trade promotion service tax
Every import into Taiwan is subject to a trade promotion service fee of .04%, which is applied to the CIF value of the order.
Applied to the CIF value of the order
Taiwan’s duty rates range from 0-30%, with an average rate of 6.25%. Duty is applied to the CIF value of the import.
Below are sample landed cost breakdowns for Taiwan (one below the de minimis threshold and one above), which were calculated using Zonos Quoter:
Landed cost for a shipment to Taiwan below the de minimis value:
Landed cost for a shipment to Taiwan above the de minimis value:
Taiwan has at least 11 trade agreements that offer a zero or highly discounted duty rate for goods manufactured in participating countries.
Taiwan is a member of the World Trade Organization
As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Taiwan must abide by the most-favored-nation (MFN) clause, which requires a country to provide any concessions, privileges, or immunities granted to one nation in a trade agreement to all other WTO member countries. For example, if one country reduces duties by 10% for a particular WTO country, the MFN clause states that all WTO members will receive the same 10% reduction.
Talk to your carrier about customs refunds.
Depending on the courier, additional shipping fees may include:
Always required:
Sometimes required:
Certificate of origin
Government agencies regulate imports.
Restricted items are different from prohibited items. Prohibited items are not allowed to be imported into a country at all. Restricted items are not allowed to be imported into a country unless the importer has approval or a special license. Controlled goods have military or national security significance.
Prohibited items:
Restricted items:
Further information on Taiwan’s prohibited and restricted imports:
Requirements to import food and agricultural products into Taiwan
Taiwan doesn’t have many notable legal regulations, but a significant import category that importers should pay special attention to is food and agricultural products. There are special labeling, packaging, and registration requirements involved with importing these goods. See the full report of Taiwan’s customs regulations for food and agricultural products here.
Taiwan’s exportation regulations
A cross-border guide to Taiwanese ecommerce, shipping, and importing goods
If you are looking to grow your ecommerce business into Taiwan
, you’ve come to the right place. In our guide, created by Zonos' cross-border experts, you will find the following: