International Removals to Taiwan from the UK
Shipping to Taiwan
Fast Secure Road & Sea
Full and part load
How do international removals to Taiwan from the UK work?
International removals to Taiwan from the UK go by sea, in a full container or a part load sharing space with other households. We survey, pack and wrap everything, handle the export side here, and a Taiwanese agent clears the shipment against your residence certificate and work permit.
Taiwan has one requirement that is genuinely unusual and that nobody warns you about until it is too late. It involves what you do at the airport when you arrive, and it is covered in the duty section below. Read that part before you book your flight.
One coordinator runs the move from survey to delivery.
How long do removals to Taiwan take?
Your transit time is confirmed in writing on your quote, because it depends on the sailing schedule and whether you book a full container or a part load. A shared container waits until it is full before it sails, so it always takes longer than a container of your own.
There is a second deadline on this route that matters more. Your shipment needs to arrive within a set window of your own entry into Taiwan, so the sailing is planned backwards from your arrival date rather than forwards from collection.
Do I pay duty on my belongings going into Taiwan?
Used household goods normally clear free of duty and tax in Taiwan provided the documentation is complete, your shipment arrives within six months of your own entry, and you are in the country before it lands. The catch is a step you take at the airport, not at the port.
When you first arrive in Taiwan you need to go through the red channel at the airport and lodge a declaration that household goods are following. Miss that and published guidance is blunt about the consequence: customs can impose full duty and tax on the whole shipment. It takes five minutes at arrivals and there is no way to fix it afterwards.
Quantities are judged as reasonable for a household, and guidance commonly describes an allowance of roughly one of each type of appliance per family member arriving. Beyond that, items become dutiable. Pianos are a specific exception and attract duty regardless, so if you are shipping one, budget for it.
These conditions come from published mover and customs guidance rather than from a figure we have invented. Your coordinator confirms the current requirements with our Taiwanese agent, but the red channel step is yours to take and we will remind you of it before you fly.
What documents do I need for removals to Taiwan?
You will need your passport, your work permit and your Alien Resident Certificate copied front and back, a signed customs authorisation letter, a detailed inventory, and the transport document. The name on the transport document has to match your passport exactly.
That last point sounds trivial and is not. A consignee name that differs from the passport, even by a middle initial, is a common reason a Taiwanese clearance stalls, so we confirm the exact spelling at the survey rather than copying it off an email.
Your entry stamp and flight details are usually requested as well, because they are what prove the shipment is arriving inside the permitted window after your own entry.
Which Taiwanese port will my shipment arrive at?
Most household shipments from the UK arrive at Keelung, which serves Taipei and the north, or Kaohsiung in the south. Taiwan is compact with excellent roads, so the inland leg from either port is short wherever you are moving to.
The port choice follows your delivery city rather than the other way round, and because the island is small the difference is modest compared with a mainland destination.
Tell your coordinator the delivery address and the access, particularly the floor and lift arrangements, and it is planned into the quote.
Can I send a part load to Taiwan?
Yes. A part load means you pay for the space your belongings actually take inside a shared container rather than hiring a whole one. Given that Taiwan judges quantities against what is reasonable for your household, a modest shipment is often the sensible approach anyway.
The packing and protection are identical. The difference is the schedule, because a shared container sails once it is full, so the date moves with the other households in it.
The survey settles which fits and we quote both. There is more on our part load removals page.
Which parts of Taiwan do you deliver to?
We deliver across Taiwan, including Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Hsinchu, Keelung and Hualien, as well as towns reached by road from those cities. The island is small, so the drive from the port is short.
Taipei deliveries are usually apartment deliveries into tall buildings with small lifts, and that is what shapes the day rather than the distance. Older walk-up blocks without a service lift are common and need planning.
Where a lift cannot take your furniture the final leg may need a smaller vehicle or extra crew, which is planned into the quote rather than added afterwards.
What sets the price of international removals to Taiwan?
How much you are sending, whether you book a full container or a part load, how much packing you want us to do, and the access at both ends. Building access in Taipei carries more of the cost than the inland drive, because lifts and stairs decide how long a delivery takes.
Sea freight is priced on the space your belongings occupy rather than their weight, so the survey is what makes a quote real rather than a guess over the phone.
We quote in writing with the inclusions listed, and anything excluded says so.
Moving elsewhere in the Far East? We also run removals to China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, and every route is on our Asia and Middle East destinations page. Sending less than a full household? See part load removals.
Why people trust us with a move
These are not our words. They are our customers, on a review site we do not control.
- 4.6 out of 5 from 110 reviews on Trustpilot, rated Excellent
- Over 10,000 moves completed
- Typically replies within 24 hours, as shown on the Trustpilot profile
- Our own yard and storage at Riverside Industrial Estate, Fazeley, Tamworth
- Members of Approved Movers in the UK, and we only work with overseas agents who are members of BAR or FIDI
- Reviewing since October 2020, and still collecting them every month
From contact to collection everything has been really smooth. All emails were answered promptly. The three guys that came and collected our things were super friendly, helpful and extremely careful with our belongings.
Vanessa, May 2026 – verified Trustpilot review
Removals to Taiwan: frequently asked questions
What is the red channel declaration?
When you first arrive in Taiwan you go through the red channel at the airport and declare that household goods are following. It takes five minutes, and published guidance says missing it can mean full duty and tax on the entire shipment. There is no way to correct it afterwards.
How soon must my shipment arrive after I do?
Within six months of your entry into Taiwan, and you need to be in the country before it lands. We plan the sailing backwards from your arrival date for that reason, so tell your coordinator your travel plans early.
Can I bring two of everything?
Not without paying duty. Taiwan judges quantities as reasonable for a household, commonly described as around one of each type of appliance per arriving family member. Beyond that, the extras become dutiable.
Can I ship a piano?
You can, but budget for duty on it. Pianos are a specific exception to the duty-free treatment of household goods in Taiwan, so it is worth deciding whether shipping or replacing makes more sense before you commit.
Does the name on the paperwork matter?
More than you would expect. The consignee name on the transport document has to match your passport exactly, and a mismatch is a common reason a Taiwanese clearance stalls. We confirm the spelling at the survey.
Can you store my things before they sail?
Yes, at our own yard in Staffordshire. Because your goods must arrive after you do and within a set window, holding them here until your travel date is confirmed is often the sensible option.
Is my shipment insured?
Cover is arranged against the value you declare, and the level of cover depends on that declaration and the terms in our agreement. Our guide to removals insurance explains it in full.