Taiwan Arrival Cards to go all digital, starting 1 October 2025
Summary
Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency (NIA) will replace paper Arrival Cards with a Mandatory Online Arrival Registration (Taiwan Arrival Card, TWAC) from 1 October 2025. All inbound travellers must complete and submit the TWAC form online, free of charge, within three days prior to arrival via the NIA portal.
The form can be filled in Chinese or English (guidance offered in seven languages). Travellers may upload a passport biographic-page snapshot for automatic data extraction. One person can submit forms for up to 16 people in a group. Email verification is required and submissions can be edited up until arrival. Pre-submitted data will be retrievable at immigration by scanning the traveller’s passport. Those who haven’t registered beforehand can scan a TWAC QR code and submit the form at airport or seaport check-in counters.
Key Points
- From 1 October 2025, paper Arrival Cards are replaced by the mandatory online Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC).
- All inbound travellers must submit the TWAC online within three days prior to arrival, free of charge.
- Form available in Chinese or English; guidance in seven languages (including Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian).
- Passport biographic page can be uploaded for automatic data extraction to speed completion.
- One person may register up to 16 travellers (useful for families/groups); submissions can be edited before arrival.
- Email verification is mandatory and a confirmation email is issued upon successful registration.
- At immigration, pre-submitted data is retrieved via passport scan to improve speed and accuracy of clearance.
- Travellers who haven’t pre-registered may still scan a TWAC QR code and submit the form on arrival at airports/seaports.
Content summary
The NIA’s Mandatory Online Arrival Registration (TWAC) centralises arrival data and streamlines border processing. It targets most inbound travellers except those with Alien Resident Certificates, Resident Visas, or Diplomatic ID cards. Special entry-permit holders from Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland Area who travel with Multiple Entry & Exit Permits, and nationals without household registration are included where applicable.
Operational detail: the online portal extracts passport data from a photo to reduce manual entry; groups can be registered together; and the system links submitted information to passport scans at immigration for faster, more accurate clearance. The TWAC is free to use and allows last-minute submissions at check-in counters via QR code if travellers forget to register beforehand.
Context and Relevance
This move fits a wider regional push to digitise border processes and improve the traveller experience while enhancing data accuracy and operational efficiency at checkpoints. For HR and mobility teams, travel managers, frequent travellers and employers arranging staff travel, the change reduces paperwork, speeds arrivals and introduces a short pre-arrival window (three days) to remember when planning trips.
Expect smoother processing at immigration but also the need to update travel instructions, pre-travel checklists and corporate travel policies to ensure staff or candidates register within the required timeframe.
Author style
Punchy: this is a practical, operational change that matters for anyone managing travel or mobility to Taiwan. Read the details if you arrange travel or handle onboarding for incoming staff — it affects logistics, compliance and traveller experience.
Why should I read this
Quick heads-up: if you or your team travel to Taiwan, this will change how you do pre-travel admin. It’s simple, digital and mandatory — so bookmark the TWAC site, update your travel checklists and tell colleagues. Saves time at immigration and avoids surprises at arrival.
