Check whether you can visit visa-free, fill in the online arrival card before you fly, bring some cash for small shops, and buy a SIM at the airport. Taiwan uses 110V with North American-style plugs, and tipping isn't expected.
Entry
- Visa-free stays: 90 days for citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Israel, Switzerland and the EU, among others; 30 days for Malaysia and Singapore; 14 days for Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines. Check the Bureau of Consular Affairs list for your passport.
- Conditions: a passport valid for at least six months, and a return or onward ticket.
- Arrival card: fill it in online at twac.immigration.gov.tw within the 7 days before you arrive.
Money
The currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$). Cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) work in hotels, restaurants and department stores, but night market stalls and small shops often take cash only. Change money at the airport banks before you leave arrivals, or at designated banks in town, and keep the receipt if you want to change NT$ back.
Phones and Wi-Fi
Chunghwa Telecom has a counter in the international terminal at KHH, open 08:00 to 20:00, selling SIM cards. Taiwan switched off 3G on 30 June 2024, so a phone needs 4G calling (VoLTE) to make calls, including emergency calls.
Power, tipping, shops
- Power: 110V, 60Hz, two-pin flat sockets (types A and B).
- Tipping: not customary; hotels and restaurants often add a 10% service charge.
- Hours: most convenience stores are open 24 hours; department stores roughly 11:00 to 21:30.
Numbers to know
- Police: 110. Fire and ambulance: 119. Emergency from a mobile: 112.
- Tourist information hotline: 0800-011-765, free and 24 hours.
→ Getting to Kaohsiung · Getting around
Sources: Bureau of Consular Affairs (visa-free entry, updated July 2026); Taiwan Tourism Administration (money, power, tipping, emergency numbers, hotline); New Taipei City Tourism (plug types); 3G shutdown: CNA; Kaohsiung International Airport (SIM counter, exchange). Checked October 2026.