Shipping guide · Asia Pacific

Shipping from China and Hong Kong to Taiwan

Taiwan is a short, high frequency trade lane from both Hong Kong and mainland China, with efficient ports and a straightforward customs administration. The requirement that shapes most imports is BSMI certification for electrical and regulated goods.

Talk to us about Taiwan
Customs authority
Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance
Product control
BSMI certification for electrical, electronic and regulated goods
Business tax
5 percent, applied on imports and recoverable by registered businesses
Cross strait note
Mainland origin goods are subject to their own import eligibility rules
Economy
Manufacturing led, with heavy component and equipment import demand
Main entry points
Kaohsiung, Keelung and Taipei Port by sea, Taoyuan by air

BSMI, the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, governs product conformity. Electrical and electronic goods, and a range of other categories, need registration or type approval before they can be imported and sold. The requirements are detailed and testing is involved, so this belongs at the start of the process rather than at the end.

Taiwan is also a manufacturing economy in its own right, particularly in semiconductors, electronics and machinery, so a large share of imports are components and equipment rather than finished consumer goods. That shapes the priorities: precision handling, reliability and speed matter more than freight cost.

Trade with mainland China operates under its own framework, with specific rules on which mainland origin goods may be imported. That is a real planning consideration for Chinese origin cargo and should be checked by product rather than assumed.

Where cargo lands

Main freight and distribution centres

Taipei and New Taipei

The largest market and the administrative centre, served by Keelung and Taipei Port and by Taoyuan airport.

Kaohsiung

The main port city and the southern industrial centre, with heavy industry and petrochemicals.

Taichung

The central manufacturing region, with machinery, bicycles and precision engineering.

Hsinchu

The semiconductor cluster, with extremely high-value and time sensitive component flows.

Sea freight

Ports of entry and what they mean for your cargo

Kaohsiung

The largest Taiwanese port and a significant regional transhipment hub, serving the south and centre of the island.

Keelung

The historic northern port serving Taipei, constrained by size but close to the capital market.

Taipei Port

Modern facility near Taipei with more capacity than Keelung, increasingly the practical choice for northern cargo.

Taichung

Serves the central manufacturing region directly, avoiding a domestic leg from either end of the island.

Transit from Hong Kong and South China is very short, with high frequency services, so sea freight is realistic even for cargo that would need air from a more distant origin.

Match the port to the destination. Taiwan is not large, but the north to south leg is still a day of trucking and terminal handling that can be avoided.

Kaohsiung transhipment role means good connectivity onward to Southeast Asia and beyond, relevant for cargo that continues.

Air freight

Airports and when air is the right answer

Taoyuan (TPE)

A major Asian air cargo hub with extensive direct capacity and excellent handling for high-value electronics.

Kaohsiung (KHH)

Southern gateway, useful for cargo destined to the south without a domestic leg.

Taoyuan is one of the strongest cargo airports in Asia, driven by the semiconductor and electronics industry, so handling standards for sensitive cargo are excellent.

For semiconductor and precision equipment, the combination of short transit and specialised handling makes air the default rather than the exception.

Indicative transit times

How long the movement usually takes

  • Sea FCL, South China to Kaohsiung or TaipeiAround 2 to 6 days port to portAmong the shortest international sea transits anywhere.
  • Sea LCL, South China to TaiwanAround 8 to 14 days door to doorConsolidation adds most of the time; the ocean leg is minimal.
  • Air freight, Hong Kong or South China to TaoyuanAround 2 to 4 days door to doorFrequent direct services including handling and clearance.
  • BSMI certification lead timeArrange before shippingRegistration and testing take time and cannot be done retroactively.

These ranges are indicative and exist to help you plan. Real transit time depends on the service, the season, the routing and the clearance itself, and we confirm it per shipment rather than publish it as a promise.

Customs

How clearance into Taiwan actually works

The competent authority is Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance.

Taiwanese customs is efficient and electronic, and clearance is fast for compliant shipments. The administration is consistent and not adversarial.

Business tax at 5 percent applies to imports and is recoverable by registered businesses through their filings. Duty depends on classification, and rates on many industrial goods and components are low or zero.

BSMI certification applies to electrical and electronic products and other regulated categories. It requires testing and registration before import, and customs verifies it at clearance.

Goods of mainland Chinese origin are subject to specific import eligibility rules. Whether a particular product may be imported should be confirmed by classification, since assuming it can be is a costly error.

A foreign company without a Taiwanese entity needs a local importer, since the declarant must be established locally.

Documentation

What you need to have ready

Commercial invoice

Value, terms and a precise description consistent with the transport document.

Packing list

Piece counts, weights and dimensions per package.

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

The transport contract and the release instrument.

BSMI certification

For electrical, electronic and other regulated products, obtained before import.

Import declaration

Filed electronically by the importer or its customs broker.

Certificate of origin

Required for origin sensitive goods and relevant to import eligibility rules.

Taiwanese business registration

Of the importer of record.

Product specific approvals

Health, food, medical device or telecommunications approvals as applicable.

Controlled and restricted goods

What gets stopped, and why

  • BSMI certification is required for electrical and electronic goods and is checked at clearance.
  • Mainland Chinese origin goods face specific eligibility restrictions by product category, which must be verified rather than assumed.
  • Food and agricultural products face strict inspection with their own registration and labelling requirements in Chinese.
  • Telecommunications and radio equipment requires NCC approval alongside BSMI.
  • Medical devices and pharmaceuticals have their own licensing regime.
  • Wood packaging must comply with ISPM 15.

Working with Velonex

What clients usually bring us in for on this lane

  • Semiconductor, precision and electronics cargo where handling quality and short predictable transits matter far more than freight rate.
  • Electrical goods requiring BSMI certification, organised before shipping rather than discovered at clearance.
  • Confirming import eligibility for mainland Chinese origin goods by product, which is a genuine constraint here and not a formality.
  • Matching the port to the destination region, avoiding an unnecessary north to south domestic leg.
  • Companies with no Taiwanese entity, who need a local importer arrangement in place before the first shipment.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs to move to Taiwan

We listen before we quote. Share the cargo, the deadline and the constraint, and we will come back with a route that accounts for all three, the documents it will need and a timeline we can stand behind.

Your details

Includes your name, company name and email address

Shipment route

Includes your pickup location and destination

Cargo type

Includes the type of cargo you are shipping

Special requirements

Includes a short note about your challenge

Timeline

Includes your desired timeline

Your quote

A tailored response based on everything above

Velonex icon

Corporate logistics partner

Trust, clarity and operational follow through for complex cargo.

Not ready for a quote? Email info@velonex-hk.com or message us on WhatsApp with the question and we will answer it.

Sources

Where this information comes from

General guidance, last reviewed August 2026. Customs rules and product requirements change, and the treatment of any specific shipment depends on its classification, origin and value. Confirm the detail with us or with the authority before you commit to a movement.

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