The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday urged international travelers to check the maximum limits of medicines, medical devices, food and cosmetic products that are allowed to be brought into Taiwan, and to remember that they can only be for personal use and are prohibited from being resold.
Under the Regulations Governing the Declaration, Inspection, Duty and Release of Personal Luggage or Goods of Inward Passengers (入境旅客攜帶行李物品報驗稅放辦法), inbound travelers can carry up to 12 bottles, boxes, cans, bars or sticks of one kind of nonprescription medicine, and no more than 36 in total, FDA Medical Products Division deputy head Wu Ming-mei (吳明美) said.
Travelers carrying prescription medication without a doctor’s prescription or documented proof are limited to a two-month supply, while those with a prescription can bring in a reasonable supply, but no more than a six-month supply, she said.
Medicine brought in from other countries can only be for personal use, and people who resell it face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$2 million (US$949 and US$63,241) under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), Wu said.
Many Taiwanese like to buy “Alinamin EX Plus” tablets from Japan, but the product is categorized as a medicine, not a dietary supplement, so it can only be purchased for personal use, she said.
While cold medicine containing codeine can be bought over the counter in some countries, it is considered a controlled drug in Taiwan, so it must be brought in with a doctor’s prescription, she said.
A license is required to import medical products, but some are exempt, although there is a limit on the amount brought in and they must be for personal use, FDA Medical Devices and Cosmetics Division deputy head Chien Chia-hung (錢嘉宏) said.
They include adhesive bandages (no more than 60 pieces), liquid bandages (no more than four bottles), medical cotton swabs (no more than 200 pieces), condoms (no more than 60 pieces), tampons (no more than 120 pieces), daily disposable contact lenses (no more than 60 pieces, one brand, two different diopters), prescription eyeglasses (no more than one pair) and medical masks (no more than 250 pieces), Chien said.
Inbound travelers can carry up to 12 bottles, boxes, jars, packs or bags of food tablets or capsules for personal use, and no more than 36 bottles in total, FDA Food Safety Division deputy head Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智) said, adding that general food products for personal use should be worth no more than US$1,000 in total and not exceed 6kg in total.
Fines totaling NT$8.71 million were issued for 474 cases recorded in 2021 and last year, Cheng said, adding that one person was fined NT$180,000 for selling vitamin products and collagen tablets purchased from other countries on online platforms.
There are also maximum allowable limits for certain types of cosmetic products, such as sunscreen, hair dye or perm solutions, antiperspirant or deodorant, and at-home teeth whitener treatments, Chien said.
Travelers can bring in no more than 12 bottles, boxes, jars, packs or bags of each for personal use, and no more than 36 bottles in total, he said.
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