Each person entering or leaving Taiwan must declare to customs, per trip, if carrying more than NT$100,000, foreign currency cash (including Hong Kong and Macau currency) worth more than US$10,000, securities worth more than US$10,000, gold worth more than US$20,000, or diamonds, gems or platinum beyond personal use worth more than NT$500,000 (Article 14 of the the money laundering control act, 洗錢防制法; Article 3 of the measures for declaring and reporting money-laundering-risk items entering or leaving the country, 洗錢防制物品出入境申報及通報辦法, "the declaration measures" below); for renminbi (RMB) the limit is 20,000. NT dollars and RMB also have a "carry limit": the part of NT dollars above 100,000 is, even if declared, sent back on entry and not allowed out on exit; RMB above 20,000 on entry is sealed at customs after declaration and given back on exit. If you do not declare and are caught, cash above the threshold is confiscated by customs.
Note: After the the money laundering control act was amended on July 31, 2024, the declaration measures were changed on January 13, 2025 to replace "currency notes" (現鈔) with "cash" (現金); the threshold amounts did not change. This article is based on the current text in the national laws and regulations database and on the Taipei customs office's page on limits for travelers carrying foreign currency, RMB, NT dollars and other items in and out (published 2019-06-06). The NT dollar limit is set by the central bank (中央銀行) and the RMB limit by the financial supervisory commission (金管會); if they are adjusted later, rely on the competent authority's announcements.
Declaration Thresholds and Limits at a Glance
| Item | Declaration threshold | Entry | Exit | Not declared or falsely declared |
|---|
| NT dollar cash | Over NT$100,000 | The part above NT$100,000 is sent back even if declared | The part above NT$100,000 is not allowed out even if declared | The part above NT$100,000 is confiscated; if falsely declared, the part above the declared amount is confiscated |
| Foreign currency, Hong Kong and Macau currency cash | Total value over US$10,000 equivalent | Can be carried after declaration (the the money laundering control act sets no limit) | Can be carried after declaration (the the money laundering control act sets no limit) | The part above US$10,000 is confiscated |
| RMB | Over 20,000 | The part above is sealed at customs by the traveler and collected on exit | The part above 20,000 is not allowed out even if declared | The part above 20,000 is confiscated |
| Securities (bearer traveler's checks, checks, promissory notes, bills of exchange and so on) | Total face value over US$10,000 equivalent | Declare | Declare | A fine equal to the value of the undeclared or falsely declared part |
| Gold | Total value over US$20,000 | Declare, and an import permit is required | Declare, and an export permit is required | A fine equal to the value of the undeclared or falsely declared part |
| Diamonds, gems and platinum beyond personal use | Total value over NT$500,000 | Declare (over US$20,000 also needs an import permit) | Declare (over US$20,000 also needs an export permit) | A fine equal to the value of the undeclared or falsely declared part |
The thresholds are calculated for "the same person on the same day on a single flight or trip" (Article 3 of the declaration measures); sending the same items in or out by freight, courier or mail follows the same thresholds. For the permits for gold and gems, the Taipei customs office page says to apply to the Ministry of Economic Affairs' international trade bureau (國際貿易局), phone 02-2351-0271; that bureau has since been restructured as the Ministry of Economic Affairs' international trade administration (國際貿易署), with the same phone number.
Two Concepts Not to Mix Up: the Declaration Threshold and the Carry Limit
The declaration threshold comes from Article 14 of the the money laundering control act: above it you must declare, and after customs accept the declaration they notify the Ministry of Justice's investigation bureau (調查局), in order to trace the flow of funds. For foreign currency, securities and gold, as long as you declare honestly, the the money laundering control act itself sets no carry limit (gold has separate permit rules).
A carry limit exists only for NT dollars and RMB: for NT dollars, under Article 18-1 of the central bank act (中央銀行法), the central bank sets the limit and the excess must be sent back; for RMB, under Article 38 of the act governing relations between the people of the Taiwan area and the Mainland area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), for the part above the limit set by the financial supervisory commission the traveler must declare it and have it sealed at customs, and it may be taken out on exit. Notes carried in breach of Article 38 without being declared are confiscated by customs under Article 92 of the same act.
So if you leave Taiwan with NT$150,000, even if you declare it you can take only NT$100,000 out; if you leave with US$15,000, after declaring you can take all of it.
How to Declare
| Direction | What to fill in | Where |
|---|
| Entry | The customs declaration form (中華民國海關申報單) plus the registration form for money-laundering-risk items carried by travelers or by crew serving on the conveyance (旅客或隨交通工具服務之人員攜帶洗錢防制物品入出境登記表), or declare through computer-linked data transmission | Declare and be inspected at the red-line counter (declaration / customs consultation) before clearing |
| Exit | The registration form for money-laundering-risk items entering or leaving (洗錢防制物品入出境登記表), or declare through computer-linked data transmission | Declare and be inspected at the customs departure service counter before clearing |
Under Article 4 of the declaration measures, on departure you must first declare and be inspected at the customs departure service counter before you can clear; this article's suggestion: arrive at the airport early and deal with the declaration before other procedures. Article 7 of the measures for inspection and duty release of travelers' baggage (入境旅客攜帶行李物品報驗稅放辦法) also lists carrying foreign currency over US$10,000, NT dollars over 100,000, RMB over 20,000, gold over US$20,000 and so on among the cases that must go through the red-line counter. Using the green-line counter is treated as having no declarable items.
What Happens If You Are Caught Without Declaring
- Under Article 14, paragraphs 4 and 5 of the the money laundering control act: for undeclared foreign currency, Hong Kong and Macau currency or NT dollars, the part above the threshold is confiscated; if falsely declared, the part above the declared amount is confiscated. For undeclared or falsely declared securities, gold or items, the fine equals the value of the part above the threshold.
- Under Article 15 of the same act: customs must detain items found to be undeclared or falsely declared; for cash, the owner may apply to provide a full security deposit, after which the detention is revoked and the cash returned.
- For undeclared RMB, under Article 92 of the cross-strait act, the notes above the limit are confiscated.
For example: entering with US$13,000 in cash through the green line and being caught means the US$3,000 above US$10,000 is confiscated. Leaving with NT$120,000 without declaring means the NT$20,000 above NT$100,000 is confiscated.
Consultation Contacts for Taipei and New Taipei Travelers
Entering and leaving through Taoyuan Airport and Songshan Airport falls under the Taipei customs office (臺北關) of the customs administration (關務署), Ministry of Finance. The Taipei customs office's published 24-hour consultation numbers are: Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 arrivals (03)398-2307, Terminal 2 arrivals (03)398-3386, Taipei Songshan Airport (02)2546-4698; inspection division business consultation (03)398-2293. This article's suggestion: for large cross-border transfers, a bank transfer is safer than carrying cash and avoids the declaration and the risk of loss; if someone asks you to "carry money abroad for them", be on guard and see scam identification and 165 verification. For duty-free allowances on tobacco, alcohol and luggage see duty-free allowances on entry, and for passport preparation before traveling see passport application and renewal.
FAQ
How much NT$ can I take out of Taiwan at most?
NT$100,000 per person each time. Over NT$100,000 you must declare to customs, but the part above that is not allowed out even if declared; if you are caught without declaring, the part above NT$100,000 is confiscated.
Do I need to declare US$10,000 in cash?
Exactly US$10,000 equivalent does not need to be declared; the threshold is "over" US$10,000 equivalent, and foreign currency, Hong Kong currency and Macau currency are added together by total value. Above that, declaring is enough to carry it, and the the money laundering control act sets no separate limit.
For a family of four traveling, is the cash threshold combined or counted separately?
Article 3 of the declaration measures counts "the same person on the same day on a single flight or trip", so the threshold is calculated for each person separately; but the cash each person carries must be accurate, and any falsely declared part is confiscated.
How much RMB can I take?
On entry the limit is 20,000; the part above is sealed at customs by the traveler after declaration and collected on exit. On exit the limit is also 20,000, and the part above is not allowed out even if declared. For undeclared RMB, the part above 20,000 is confiscated.
What should I watch for when taking gold bars abroad?
If the gold is worth more than US$20,000 in total, you must declare it to customs and apply to the Ministry of Economic Affairs for an export permit before going through customs clearance; if it is undeclared or falsely declared, the fine equals the value of that part of the gold.
Last updated: 2026-11-03
This article was compiled by SOSfix editors from public information and is for general reference only; for your own case, contact the Taipei customs office of the customs administration, Ministry of Finance, or the airport customs service counters.
Sources
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): the money laundering control act (amended July 31, 2024, verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): Article 14 on the duty to declare, confiscation and fines, sending back excess NT dollars, and RMB under the cross-strait act; Article 15 on detention and the security deposit.
- National laws and regulations database: declaration measures (amended January 13, 2025, verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): Article 2 on the definitions of securities and of diamonds, gems and platinum, Article 3 on the thresholds of US$10,000 / NT$100,000 / US$20,000 / NT$500,000 and on the same person on a single trip, Article 4 on how to declare on entry and exit and on sending back excess NT dollars.
- National laws and regulations database: general explanation of the January 13, 2025 amendment of the same measures (verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): "currency notes" changed to "cash" to match the amendment of the the money laundering control act.
- Taipei customs office (臺北關), customs administration, Ministry of Finance: limits for travelers carrying foreign currency, RMB, NT dollars, securities, gold and items at risk of money laundering in and out (published 2019-06-06, verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): how each item is handled on entry and exit, RMB sealing and not being allowed out, gold permits and the trade bureau's phone number.
- National laws and regulations database: measures for inspection and duty release of baggage carried by travelers entering the country (amended January 30, 2026, verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): Article 7 on the cash, RMB, gold and securities that must be declared at the red-line counter.
- Ministry of Economic Affairs international trade administration website (經濟部國際貿易署) (verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): the current agency name and the switchboard 02-2351-0271.
- National laws and regulations database: central bank act (amended January 8, 2014, verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): Article 18-1, the limit on carrying NT dollars in and out is set by the central bank and the excess is sent back.
- National laws and regulations database: act governing relations between the people of the Taiwan area and the Mainland area (amended June 8, 2022, verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): Article 38 on the RMB limit and sealing, Article 92 on confiscation when undeclared.
- Taipei customs office, customs administration, Ministry of Finance: customs clearance notes (published 2025-12-01, verified 2026-11-02) (in Chinese): the green line is treated as carrying nothing declarable, and the airport consultation phone numbers.
