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Exporting consumer products from Taiwan

Exporters in Taiwan register with the International Trade Administration (TITA) and declare goods to Customs. Most goods need no export permit, but strategic high-tech commodities do. TITA and entrusted bodies issue certificates of origin. TFDA issues certificates for processed food and cosmetics, the Ministry of Agriculture quarantine certificates, and alcohol leaves free of excise.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Trade authority
International Trade Administration (TITA), MOEA
Customs
Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance
Food and cosmetics certificates
TFDA, Ministry of Health and Welfare
Quarantine
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, Ministry of Agriculture
Export control
Strategic high-tech commodities, licensed by TITA
Certificates of origin
TITA or an entrusted body, online

By product

What each kind of product needs to leave Taiwan.

Before the goods leave

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the exporter registered with TITA? Read more
  2. 2Is the product on the export restriction list, or a strategic high-tech commodity? Read more
  3. 3Which product certificates does the destination ask for, and who issues them in Taiwan? Read more
  4. 4Is the product marked with its origin, and does the buyer need a certificate of origin? Read more
  5. 5What goes to Customs with the export declaration? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Exporter registration and the export declaration

Who may export, when an export permit is needed, and what goes to Customs.

  • A company or business registered with the International Trade Administration (TITA, formerly the Bureau of Foreign Trade) as an exporter/importer may engage in export business; its English name is reviewed first (Foreign Trade Act, Article 9).
  • Registration is applied for electronically; TITA publishes the registration data online and transmits it automatically to Customs.
  • A registered firm exporting goods not on the List of Commodities Subject to Export Restriction needs no export permit; listed goods follow the regulations on that list (Regulations Governing Export of Commodities, Articles 5 and 6).
  • An export permit is valid for 30 days from licensing and cannot be extended (Article 19).
  • The exporter declares the trademark on the export declaration, or "without trademark" (Article 10).
  • Exporters declare goods to Customs before the clearance or departure of the means of transport, with the export declaration, loading list, booking note, packing list and any export permits (Customs Act, Articles 16 and 17).
  • Declarations, trade licensing, inspection and quarantine services run through the Customs-Port-Trade (CPT) Single Window, operated by the Customs Administration.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the exporter registration, any export permit and the export declaration with the shipment, dated, and shows a permit that will lapse before the goods leave. Ask about this

Export restrictions and controls

Which goods need an export permit, and the control on strategic high-tech commodities.

  • Exports are free of restrictions except under treaties or agreements, or for national defence, public security, culture, health, the environment or policy (Foreign Trade Act, Article 11).
  • TITA compiles a List of Commodities Subject to Export Restriction, covering among others strategic high-tech commodities, endangered species and goods under export quotas (Regulations Governing Export of Commodities, Article 5).
  • Strategic high-tech commodities need an export permit from TITA, with a truthful declaration of end use and end user (Foreign Trade Act, Article 13; SHTC Regulations, Article 15).
  • Endangered species and their products need authorisation before export (Foreign Trade Act, Article 13-1).

How we help: Compliant Always records whether each product is on a restriction list and keeps any permit with the shipment it covers. Ask about this

Product certificates by authority

Who issues the product documents a destination may ask for.

  • TFDA issues sanitary certificates, test reports and certificates of free sale and manufacture for processed food, applied for online.
  • TFDA issues five cosmetics certificates, including Type A and Type B manufacturing and sale certificates and a GMP certificate.
  • The plant quarantine authority issues phytosanitary certificates where the importing country requests one, and the animal quarantine authority export animal quarantine certificates.
  • BSMI certifies seafood plants for export, and inspects other exports where it has designated them by public notice.
  • Alcohol exported abroad is exempt from tobacco and alcohol tax, or the tax paid is refunded.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each certificate with the shipment and lot it covers, dated, and shows what is missing or expiring before the next one leaves. Ask about this

Origin marking and certificates of origin

How goods for export are marked with their origin, and how a certificate of origin is issued.

  • Goods for export are marked with the country of origin on the goods or their packaging, conspicuously and durably; goods made in Taiwan are marked "Made in Taiwan", "Made in Taiwan, Republic of China" or an equivalent (Regulations Governing Export of Commodities, Articles 14 and 15).
  • TITA, or a body it entrusts, issues certificates of origin and certificates of processing for exports (Foreign Trade Act, Article 20-2).
  • Goods originate in Taiwan if wholly obtained there, or if the last substantial transformation happened there: a change in the first six digits of the tariff number, or added value above 35% (Certificates of Origin Regulations, Articles 3 and 5).
  • Packing, re-labelling, simple assembly or mixing, and simple cutting do not count as substantial transformation (Article 5).
  • The applicant is the exporter on the export declaration, normally within 180 days after Customs releases the goods; the fee is NT$250 per certificate (Articles 11, 23 and 29).
  • The applicant keeps the documents proving origin for five years (Article 28).
  • Customs publishes the rules of origin for Taiwan's agreements, including ECFA, ANZTEC with New Zealand, ASTEP with Singapore, and the agreements with Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras, Paraguay and Eswatini.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the origin evidence behind each certificate with the lot, dated, and shows a certificate request coming up against its 180-day window. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ExporterRegistration with TITA, the export declaration, any export permit, and the certificate of origin application.Registration, permits and certificates kept with each shipment, dated.
ManufacturerFactory registration, hygiene or GMP records, and the evidence of origin behind the exporter's documents.Factory and origin records kept with each lot.
Customs broker or freight forwarderLodging the export declaration and its documents through the CPT Single Window on the exporter's behalf.The documents the declaration needs, in one place before the goods leave.
Certifying authorityTITA, TFDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, BSMI and the tax authorities, each for its own documents.Each document kept beside the shipment it covers.

Where are the goods going?

Most of what products have to meet is set where they are sold. Each guide sets out the rules on arrival, with the official source for each.

Questions businesses ask

Do I need to register to export from Taiwan?
Yes. A company or business registers with TITA as an exporter/importer, after a review of its English name, before engaging in export business (Foreign Trade Act, Article 9). Registration data is transmitted to Customs automatically.
Do I need an export licence to export from Taiwan?
Most goods need none. A registered exporter needs an export permit only for goods on TITA's List of Commodities Subject to Export Restriction, such as strategic high-tech commodities.
How do I declare goods for export in Taiwan?
The exporter, or a customs broker, declares the goods to Customs before the means of transport leaves, with the export declaration, loading list, booking note, packing list and any permits, through the CPT Single Window.
Who issues certificates of origin in Taiwan?
TITA, or an agency, foundation or trade organisation it entrusts. Applications go through TITA's online system, usually within 180 days after Customs releases the goods, at NT$250 per certificate.
Who issues export certificates for food and cosmetics in Taiwan?
TFDA, under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It issues sanitary certificates and certificates of free sale for processed food, and manufacturing and sale certificates and GMP certificates for cosmetics.
How must goods exported from Taiwan be marked?
With the country of origin on the goods or their packaging, conspicuously and durably; goods made in Taiwan are marked "Made in Taiwan" or an equivalent, without names suggesting another origin.
Which trade agreements does Taiwan have rules of origin for?
Customs publishes rules of origin for ECFA, ANZTEC with New Zealand, ASTEP with Singapore, and the agreements with Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras, Paraguay and Eswatini.
Is duty refunded on imported materials used in exports?
Customs duty paid on imported raw materials used in export products is refundable after export, if the manufacturer applies within one year and six months of the materials' release (Customs Act, Article 63).
How does Compliant Always help with exporting from Taiwan?
Our team reads the rules for the routes you ship. Compliant Always shows which export documents apply to your product, keeps them with the shipment beside what the destination asks for, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Taiwan and what your paperwork needs to show.

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