Tipping & Tax
Tipping is customary charge 10% in hotel or restaurant.
Foreigners who work legally in Taiwan are required to file an income tax
return in May each year. The deadline is May 31. For guidelines on how to
file taxes as a foreigner, please contact:
Public Holidays
| Date |
Festival |
| January 1 |
Foundation Day of the ROC |
| Chinese Lunar year |
Lunar New Year's Eve; 1st, 2nd, 3rd of the 1st month by lunar
calendar
|
| February 28 |
Peace Memorial Day |
| April 4 or April 5 |
Tomb Sweeping Day |
| 5th of the 5th month by the lunar calendar |
Dragon Boat Festival |
| 15th of the 8th month by the lunar calendar |
Mid-Autumn Festival |
| October 10 |
Double Tenth National Day |
Electricity
*Taiwan uses electric current of 110 volts at 60 cycles, appliances from
Europe, Australia or South-East Asia will need an adaptor or transformer.
Many buildings have sockets with 220 volts especially for the use of air
conditioners.
Telecommunications
Public phones in Taiwan are divided primarily into two types, coin and
card operated.
Coin operated phones accept coins in denominations of NT$1, NT$5, and
NT$10. For local calls, NT$1 buys one minute of phone time. Phone cards
are divided into magnetic strip stored value cards and IC stored value
cards, and can be used all over Taiwan. Magnetic strip cards sell for
NT$100 each, and IC cards are available in NT$200 and NT$300 versions. The
cards are sold in railway stations, bus stations, scenic spots, and
convenience stores.
When making local calls it is not necessary to dial the area code; when
making long-distance calls, however, the area code of which the recipient
stay must be dialed in first (see explanation on the public telephone) and
then the recipient’s phone number. International calls can be made
from private cell phones, public IDD phones, or hotel IDD phones.
International calls are charged in units of six seconds.
The procedure for making international direct dial calls from Taiwan is as
follows:
- Dial Taiwan's international access code, 002 or 009.
-
Dial the country code of the country being called (1 for the U.S., 86
for mainland China, etc.)
-
Dial in the area code of the called party (leaving out the long-distance
recognition digit, "0")
- Dial in the number of the called party.
For operator-assisted international calls, please dial "100."
For international information, call this free number: 0800-080100.
Reduced price periods and fees for International Subscriber Dialing (ISD)
are as follows: 10:00 p.m. - 8:00 a.m. daily, 12:00 noon Saturday - all
day Sunday - 8:00 a.m. Monday, and all day on national holidays.
For reverse charges or credit calls, dial 008 + the communication number
for the country being called, as follows :
- Australia 008-061-0061
- Canada 008-012-0012
- Germany 008-049-0049
- Hong Kong 008-085-2111
- Italy 008-039-0039
- Japan (via KDD) 008-81-0051
- South Korea 008-082-0082
- Malaysia 008-60-0060
- Philippines 008-63-0063
- Singapore 008-065-6565
- England 008-044-0044
- United States (AT&T) 008-010-2880
Information for Foreign Mountaineers
Before entering into highly restricted mountain areas, foreign
mountaineers are asked to apply for entrance permits. If necessary, the
ROC Mountain Association can arrange an English guide for a group of more
than 4 members. But for those mountain areas less restricted, the local
police stations are responsible for the issue of B Class entrance permit.
The applicants have to provide their personal IDs or passports.
What's the procedure to apply for an entrance permit? The applicant has to
submit an application form with the attachment of passport or alien
residence permit, ID or any approval documents issued by competent
authorities, to the Police Affairs Department, local police stations or
the police team in the National Parks. But if the foreign visitor applies
for the permit in company with a ROC citizen for a same reason, he can
follow the same procedures of the ROC people.
Apply for a Foreigner's Mountain Pass
Where to apply? Foreign Affairs Section of your local police bureau's
Application procedure. Fill out one application form Present following
materials:
- Passport, visa, or alien resident certificate (for inspection)
- Certification of reason for entering mountains
- Processing fee of NT$10
- Processing time: Immediate
For further details
please check with National Police Administration at Tel: +886-2-2357-7377
Business Hours
| Service agency |
Business Hours |
| Government |
Weekdays |
08:30-12:30
13:30-17:30
|
| Government |
Weekends |
Closed |
| Business |
Weekdays |
09:00-18:00 |
| Department Stores |
Open almost daily |
11:00-21:30 |
| Shops |
Open almost everyday except for the Chinese Lunar New Year. |
10:00/11:00 - 21:00/ 22:00 |
| Convenience Stores |
Open daily |
24 hours a day
(some stores open at 07:00-23:00)
|
| Restaurants |
Most open daily |
Lunch 11:00-14:00
Dinner 17:00-22:00
(afternoon tea at 14:00-17:00)
|
Traveler's Check
Many Taiwan's local stores do not receive Traveler's Check, therefore
travelers who have Traveler's Check, please exchange for NT dollars.
VAT Refund Guidelines for Foreign Travelers
Requirements for VAT Refund
-
Foreign travelers holding passports from countries other than the
R.O.C., travel documents or R.O.C. passports without personal ID numbers
attached.
-
Foreign travelers who make purchases of at least NT$3,000 on the same
day from the same Tax Refund Shopping (TRS)-posted store, are eligible
for a refund of the 5% VAT paid on those purchased goods. To claim the
refund, they must apply at the port of their departure from the R.O.C.
within 30 days following the date of purchase, and they must take the
purchased goods out of the country with them.
Where to claim your refund
"Foreign Passenger VAT Refund Service Counter" at the airport or
seaport of departure.
The following chart gives the locations of these counters:
| Point of Departure |
Location of Refund Counter |
|
Taipei Songshan Airport
|
Customs Service Counter |
|
Taiwan Taoyuan Int'l Airport Terminal 1
|
Departure Hall, 1F, Customs Service Counter |
|
Taiwan Taoyuan Int'l Airport Terminal 2
|
Departure Hall, 3F, Customs Service Counter |
| Keelung Harbor |
East 2nd Pier, West 2nd Pier |
| Taichung Harbor |
Customs Service Counter |
| Hualien Airport |
1F, Customs Service Counter |
| Hualien Harbor |
1F, Customs Service Counter |
| Kaohsiung Airport |
3F, Customs Service Counter |
| Kaohsiung Harbor |
3F, Passenger Terminal |
| Kinmen Harbor |
Customs Service Counter |
Refund application procedures
Present Application Form for VAT Refund, passport or other designated
travel document, purchased goods to be taken out of the country, and
original copy of uniform invoice to Customs officers.
After verification, Customs officers will issue a "VAT Refund
Assessment Certificate."
Present "VAT Refund Assessment Certificate" to designated bank
at airport or seaport for issuance of refund due.
Guidelines for Foreign Passengers Claiming VAT Refund for Purchase of
Goods Eligible for VAT Refund