Top Takeaways:
- Taiwan will allow arriving travelers to bring up to 200 heated tobacco sticks duty free from Feb. 1, but only if purchased at Taiwan airport duty-free shops.
- Bringing in heated sticks bought overseas that are not MOH-approved remains illegal, with fines of NT$50,000 to NT$5 million.
- MOH says only two companies currently have approved heated tobacco product/component combinations.
Taiwan will allow arriving travelers to bring up to 200 heated tobacco product (HTPs) sticks into the country duty-free starting Feb. 1, but only if the sticks are purchased from duty-free shops at Taiwan airports, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOH), due to existing health approval rules.
MOH stated that the only heated tobacco products currently approved for sale in Taiwan are not sold overseas. Travelers who attempt to bring in unapproved heated tobacco sticks purchased abroad — even after the Feb. 1 duty-free allowance takes effect — would still violate Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.
The ministry said such violations carry fines ranging from NT$50,000 (US$1,584) to NT$5 million.
Lo Su-ying, head of the Tobacco Control Division at MOH’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA), told reporters that only two companies operating in Taiwan have designated heated tobacco products and component combinations approved by MOH. She said travelers may not bring other heated tobacco products purchased abroad into Taiwan, but may purchase approved products at duty-free stores in Taiwan’s airports or on outlying islands and bring them in under the new rules.
Lo also said the HPA provided the Customs Administration with information on approved heated tobacco products that had passed health risk assessments on Oct. 1, 2025, to support inspections upon entry. The HPA said it will step up public communication to help travelers understand the new duty-free rule and avoid violating the law.
