Taroko Gorge road
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Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Taiwan

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Taiwan is one of those countries that doesn’t seem to get much love from Western tourists.

I’ll admit the only reason I first went there was because my girlfriend had visited a few years earlier, and couldn’t stop raving about the place. Now I understand why.

Wonderful food, buzzing cities, pristine beaches and natural parks, and some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met made visiting Taiwan a highly rewarding experience.

Readers of this site are likely to love it for another reason, too: it’s a geek’s paradise. I replaced my lost earphones and bought a new laptop while I was there, and enjoyed some of the best internet speeds I’ve found while traveling.

That wasn’t limited to the Wi-Fi, either. Mobile data was also fast, with coverage almost anywhere you’re likely to be.

Even better, taking advantage of those speeds and coverage during your time in Taiwan isn’t difficult. It’s easy to buy a local SIM card at the airport or in towns and cities, and it’s even easier (and cheaper) if you use a travel eSIM instead.

However you choose to do it, here’s what you need to know about staying connected in Taiwan.

Companies

  • I recommend Chunghwa for most travelers who want a physical SIM
  • An eSIM from Nomad is the best option if you only need data

After various mergers and acquisitions in recent years, there are three major cell companies left in Taiwan: Chunghwa, Taiwan Mobile, and FarEastone. They all have stores and 4G/LTE service throughout the country.

I’ve used Chunghwa on two trips to Taiwan, flying into Taipei and picking up SIMs at both the airport and in the city. I was happy with the plan and prices I ended up with, but there are definitely differences between operators.

Do check the other options, especially if you’re in the country for a particularly short or long time.

There’s no 2G service or 3G in Taiwan. Both LTE and 5G coverage are widespread with Chunghwa, at least in terms of places where people actually live. Like anywhere, you might have a somewhat different experience in remote, mountainous areas.

Travel eSIM for Taiwan

Compared to buying locally, it’s cheaper to get a travel eSIM unless you really need unlimited amounts of data for your stay. Nomad typically has the cheapest prices, and you can get a surprising amount of data for ten bucks or less.

Like most travel eSIMs, it’s data-only: you don’t get a local number. I use apps for everything from communication to transport these days, so the lack of a local number very rarely matters to me, but you might have different needs.

If you’re new to eSIMs, they offer big benefits to travelers in terms of how quickly, easily, and (often) cheaply you can get connected when you arrive in a new country. Most recent phones support them, and you can read all about them here.

How to Buy a Prepaid SIM Card in Taiwan

There are several mobile stores in the arrival hall of Taipei’s Taoyuan airport. You can find them near the escalators down to street level, on the right-hand side as you exit. If you’re heading for the buses into the city, you’ll likely walk straight past them.

Purchasing there is straightforward, and unlike when you buy elsewhere, you only need one form of identification (your passport).

You’ll be initially offered various unlimited plans, but just ask to see the other options if necessary. Sign the form, hand over the money, and you’re done. It took less than five minutes start to finish.

If you don’t buy at the airport, there are mobile stores everywhere in Taipei. Even the convenience stores can sell you both a SIM and credit if needed. On my first trip to the country, I walked into a small store with Chunghwa branding near my hostel and asked to buy a card.

When buying outside the airport, you may find you need two forms of photo ID. In my case I used a passport and a driver’s license, so just be sure to have appropriate identification with you before heading out to make your purchase.

The rest of the process was seamless, albeit with a large amount of photocopying and signing of agreements in Chinese. It took about ten minutes all up.

Prepaid SIM and eSIM Costs

Chunghwa

You’ll pay 300 NTD ($10 USD) for the SIM card, but that includes an equivalent amount of pre-loaded credit that you can put towards whatever call/text/data package you need.

In my case, 3.2GB of data valid for two months neatly used up that 300 NTD. I didn’t care about calls and texts, but if I had, I’d have needed to add a bit of extra credit to cover those.

There were several other plans available, up to 8GB of data valid for six months that cost 888 NTD ($29). If you need more than that, go for one of the unlimited data plans on offer at the airport.

LTE-based unlimited plans range from 300 NTD for three days up to 1000 NTD for a month, with a bunch of calling credit as well. 5G versions are available as well, starting with a 3-day plan for 500 NTD, and going up to a 7-day plan for 800 NTD.

Nomad

Nomad has the lowest prices of the travel eSIM companies I recommend: it’s often well under ten bucks for 5GB of data.

They’re not the only game in town, of course, and it’s worth looking around: prices and packages change regularly. The latest details are in the table below.

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 15 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 2 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 20 GB

Price (USD)

  • $4.50

  • $8

  • $10.50

  • $15

  • $25

  • $45

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 15 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 2 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 20 GB

Price (USD)

  • $4.50

  • $7

  • $9.50

  • $13

  • $21

  • $32

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 15 GB

  • 20 GB

  • 30 GB

  • 40 GB

  • 50 GB

Price (USD)

  • $4

  • $5

  • $7

  • $11

  • $15

  • $17

  • $20

  • $26

  • $32

Topping Up

Once that data or call/SMS credit is used up, a quick trip to a convenience store will get you going again. There’s at least one on pretty much every city block.

You may need your passport, phone number, or the registration number of the agreement you signed, so have any or all of them handy.

Nomad

Topping up with Nomad (or any of the other travel eSIM companies) is done by logging into the website or app. You just select your Taiwan eSIM, hit the top-up button, and buy the same package again.

The top-up packs have exactly the same pricing and duration as the original eSIMs: there’s little difference between topping up your current eSIM and buying a new one, other than not having to activate it.

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Coverage and Data Speeds

Coverage was consistent throughout the country, only dropping out now and then during a train ride through the mountains along the east coast. I had good service in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taroko Gorge, and elsewhere.

Upload and download speeds were fast everywhere I tested them: they usually sat at around 70Mbps down and 15-20Mbps up, although that varied based on both location and time of day.

Even so, they never slowed down to the point where I noticed the difference in normal use.

Nomad eSIMs use both the Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile networks as needed, so you’re even less likely to find coverage black spots there.


Check out our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs in 75+ other countries here.

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62 Comments

  1. thanks for this 🙂
    seems so easy! after buying the sim, do you just pop it in your phone and you’re ready to go? or do you need to register to get on the network ?

  2. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

    I don’t think it came pre-activated — after getting everything signed and paid for, the guy behind the counter at the Chungwa store tapped away for a few seconds before handing the phone back to me. The end result was the same, I guess. — a working phone before I left the store — but it may be worth double-checking before you walk out, just in case.

  3. Avatar AnnaNguyen says:

    does The SIM card provide you 3G as well?
    Thanks for all the information 😀

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      Hi Anna — yup, as mentioned above, I got 3G coverage pretty much everywhere I went in Taiwan.

  4. Avatar Rebecca Marken says:

    Just wondering, I am headed there on a school trip for 4 days and need to be contactable, is it worth getting a sim card there or should I just get a travel sim beforehand?

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      If you only need to be contactable by phone/SMS in an emergency, I’d just enable roaming with your existing provider — but don’t forget to turn off data roaming!

      If you’re looking to use your phone while you’re there, especially for data, it’ll be cheaper to get a local SIM even if it’s only for four days. Whether you want to go through the hassle is up to you (not that it was much hassle). I’m not really a fan of travel SIM cards unless you’re going to a whole bunch of different countries in a short space of time, as their costs tend to be unreasonably high.

  5. I just arrived in Taiwan two days ago at Taoyuan International airport. The process to get a sim card was very simple and you can get online and even a phone number before you get through immigration. I got some Taiwan dollars from an ATM near an arrival duty free shop (it only accepted one account of one of my cards, so I do suggest to bring a bit of cash in NT$, otherwise you may be stuck for a while if none of your cards or accounts work on that particular ATM). I then got a 7 day sim from Chunghwa (500NTD), there are I think 6 sim providers in the hall right BEFORE going through immigration. Maybe regulations changed, I only had to show my passport and no second ID, but don’t rely on this. They put the card in, activated and tested it and I was ready to go. Bus to the city and start exploring!

  6. Hello Dave – One question. I arrived in Taipei exactly one month ago. I purchased a SIM card inside the airport that was valid for one month, with unlimited data, for 800 NTD. I was only intending to stay in Taipei for one month, but I ended up being offered a job here, which I took. My question is, once this current SIM card expires tomorrow, do I need to get a NEW card, or is there a way to just extend the life of this one by paying another 800 NTD? Thanks!

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      You don’t say which company you bought the card from, but I’d very surprised if you couldn’t extend it. It’s probably as simple as just buying more credit from a 7-11 or other convenience store and topping up your phone — it’ll likely try to automatically renew if there’s enough credit — but if you want to be sure, track down a retail store for the company that sold you the SIM and double-check the process.

  7. Hi Dave,

    Thanks so much fot this! I’ll be arriving in Taipei this February for a 6 days vacation. I’m really an internet person! What can you recommend for me and where can I find them in the airport?

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      Luckily all of the main companies have booths at Taoyuan airport, so you’ll be able to compare prices at a glance. After you’ve cleared immigration and collected your bags, walk out into the arrivals hall and turn right. Follow the signs for the buses — just before you get to the end of the arrival hall and escalators to take you down to where the buses leave from, you’ll see several booths on your right.

      You can get an unlimited 7 day data plan with Chunghwa for 450 NTD (around $13.50 USD). Check what the other companies are offering as well, but that’s not a bad deal. If you don’t need that much data, 1GB costs 180 NTD, and 2.2GB costs 300 NTD, valid for two months.

  8. Hello,

    I am having layover in Taipei, it is only for one whole day but I would still like to use data there. How much would cost 1 day unlimited data package? I found information thats 100, but its there any additional cost for the sim card by itself or its just those 100 for all together?

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      You’ll need to ask, but I suspect you’ll be charged 300 NTD for the SIM, with 300 NTD credit on it. You’ll then use 100 NTD of that credit for your one day of data.

      As I say, though, ask at the kiosk in the airport to be sure — if you do need to pay 300 NTD, also check with the other SIM providers (they’re all in the same place in the terminal), in case a company other than Chunghwa has something more appropriate for you.

  9. Avatar Zab Scoon says:

    Hi Dave,

    Another great guide to buying a SIM while travelling. We arrived on the 1st February at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) from Bangkok. We were able to find the Chunghwa store. Once you reach the arrivals hall you go left towards the walkway which leads down to the Bus Station and High-speed Rail Station. Once there there are signs to Departures through a wide passage. The Chunghwa store is on the right hand-side just past the pink bank atm.

    The staff are very friendly and setup the SIM for you in a matter of minutes. Prices are again spot on and I would like to recommend people follow your recommendation. It is much more expensive if you purchases a ‘Tourist’ package. I paid NT$300 for the SIM and used NT$180 for 1GB of data which left the remaining credit for calls. We are in Taiwan for just over two weeks and a 15 Day package is NT$1000, so even if I topped up and added another 1GB it is still less than half the price of the ‘Tourist’ package.

  10. Hi Dave,

    My flight touch down at TaoYuan Airport at 10pm.
    So , may I know whether I can still buy the SIM card from the airport ?
    What’s the telco opening hour?

    Thanks .

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      Unfortunately it looks like you’ll be out of luck — the last telco kiosk to close does so at 10pm, as per this page. Fortunately it’s not hard to buy a SIM elsewhere in Taipei the next day, although it may take a bit longer.

    2. Dave, similar question but…. How early those mobile stores open? I arrive at TPE around 6 pm and need to head to another airport in Taipei. I would love to purchase a SIM card prior to leave TPE.

      Also., I am with T-Mobile, will I be able to call or receive calls from the states? What setting should I set for my phone when I am in Taiwan? Airplane mode? Thanks for your help.

      1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

        I guess you mean 6am, rather than 6pm? If so, it looks like you’ll be in luck — check the link I put in my reply above, and click around on the different phone store links. It seems the earliest one opens at 5:30am, with another at 6am.

        Unless you have a dual-SIM phone (unusual in the US), you can only have either your home T-Mobile SIM, or your Taiwanese one, in the phone at any one time. Either one can receive calls from the US, but only the T-Mobile one will have your US phone number attached. If you want to receive calls and texts with that SIM, you’ll need airplane mode turned off, and mobile data turned off. When you’re using your Taiwanese SIM, you’ll want mobile data turned back on.

        Bear in mind that your phone needs to be carrier unlocked to use a different SIM, and some T-Mobile plans (the “Simple Choice” ones), have free international data and text, and cheapish calls, included. You may want to chat to someone from T-Mobile to confirm your options before you travel.

  11. Hi Dave,
    I will be visiting Taiwan for 9 days. 1st half on tour group then on my own. Not a heavy user but using google map to move about Taipei and maybe post a fews pictures etc. Which provider & plan suits me the best? Is it normal to hand over our phones to them to insert the sim. TQ.

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      Hi Bob,
      The provider and plan mentioned above should suit you well – it’s inexpensive, has enough data for your needs for nine days, and can be purchased at the airport. You don’t need to hand over your phone if you don’t want to, but if you’re not familiar with swapping SIM cards, it’s easier to ask the vendor to do it.

  12. Hi Dave,
    I’ve been reading that another thing they ask you to buy the sim card is to be 20 or 20 years old! Do you know something ’bout that? I’m 19 so I’m worried thank you

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      I don’t know, sorry – it’s sadly been a long time since I was under 20. 🙂

  13. Hi, Dave.

    I am traveling to TPE in November. I arrive in the morning. That afternoon, I depart to Macau and Hong Kong for a few days. If I purchase a Chunghwa SIM, will I be able to use it in HK and Macau? Is it worth it to use the card there? As I hope to stay connected while traveling, is there an recommended alternative, if not Chunghwa’s SIM and service?

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      I’m unsure of the roaming restrictions and costs for Chunghwa’s prepaid service, sorry. You’ll need to check with the vendor.

      As for an alternative, an international SIM card might be appropriate for those few days – just check the costs first. We compared several of them here.

  14. Hi Dave, glad you enjoyed Taiwan. Im Chinese and have been visited Taiwan many times over the last few years and truly enjoyed the place – the food / culture / mountains and the hospitality of the people. I even dream of living there one day. I was thinking of getting a prepaid mobile sim card when i am going there next month again (Nov 2016) l, and found your article while researching about this on the internet. It is very very helpful! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

  15. Avatar ShuWen Lu says:

    Hi Dave:
    I will visit Taiwan at the end of November 2016 and stayed there for several months. If I bring me cellphone with SIM card, both were purchased in the U.S.A., will I be able to purchase local SIM card at Taiwan, then replace my SIM card from U.S.A. with SIM card purchase at Taiwan. Will it work? Thanks for your help.

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      It depends on whether your cellphone is locked to a US carrier or not. If you bought it at a discount, it almost certainly is. If you paid full price, especially if you didn’t buy it from a carrier, it may not be. If you’re in doubt, contact your carrier and asked. If it’s unlocked, or you can get it unlocked, you’ll be able to use it in Taiwan and make calls, send texts and get 2G and 3G data. You probably won’t get LTE speeds, however, as the frequencies are different.

  16. Hi Dave Dean. Thanks for your comprehensive info on purchasing SIM cards in TWN. You mentioned that there are several mobile stores in the arrival hall of Taoyuan Int’l AP. I’m arriving at 0530am on Sunday, would you happen to know if any of these mobile stores is open so early in the AM? Thanks,

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      Hi Andre,

      Yep, as mentioned in one of the other comments, it seems the first store opens at 5:30am, with another at 6am. This link has the details.

  17. I misse the ordinal flight in the morning so need to catch evening and will arrive Taoyuan 10.10pm. Would it be possible to book SIM card and pick up specially outside office hour? (Roughly closed by 8pm) and used to buy unlimited data sim of Taiwan Da Gege (big brother- name in Chinese ) with around 300NT for 5days. Any suggestion?

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      You’ll need to call or email the company at the airport and ask them directly, I’m afraid. I have no way of answering this on their behalf.

  18. Avatar Micheline S. Claveau says:

    Hi Dave from Montreal 🙂 !

    My daughter Virginia (23) will be studying in Taipei (exchange student between universities) at the National Taiwan University (NTU) for one session equal to about 5 months. Certainly less than 6 months.

    She left home with an unlocked Samsung S5 Neo only. No computer (for the moment anyway. The thing is she left Quebec last November to explore with her back bag Asia and didn’t want to have to travel with heavy luggage).

    NTU provides internet accès at an unknown price for the moment. And I will have to compare considering Virginia’s tight budget.

    One thing for sure, it would be very convenient for her to have constant data on her phone considering how convenient it is to be able to explore an unknown country with the support of technology (google map, etc.) beside free wifi in a coffee shop. And apparently, in Taiwan, the cost is not the same than here in Quebec where it costs a fortune to have data on your cell.

    Also I am not familiar with the concept of 3 g, of 4 g. versus the Samsung S5 Neo. iF relevant. Sorry for my ignorance.

    I thank you in advance for any recommendation you could provide us with.

    With all my appreciation for your generosity,

    Best,

    Mich, Virginia’s Mother

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      Hi Mich,

      You’re right, data access in Taiwan is very cheap compared to Canada. Even better, you can buy packages that last up to six months (or until the data allowance is used up).

      Your daughter’s phone is unlikely to support the 4G (LTE) frequencies used in Taiwan, but it doesn’t really matter — 3G download speeds are reasonably fast there. It all really depends on how much data she thinks she’ll use. The Chunghwa page I linked to with packages has many different options. If she thinks she’ll use around 1GB per month, maybe the 1000 NTD (~$42 CAD) plan that gives 8GB over six months could be good. If she’ll use more data, pick a different plan that lasts for a shorter time, then just top it up whenever she needs to. It’s not particularly expensive, unless she chooses an unlimited data plan.

      Hope that’s useful!

      1. Hi Dave,

        I wouldn’t want more time to pass by without thanking you for the precious time you took to answer my questions. Very useful.

        Best to you 🙂 !

        Mich

      2. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

        No problem at all, and thanks! 🙂

  19. Hi Dave,

    Me and my friends 3 of us will be in TPE in April for 13 days. If we buy the 10 days unlimited and if it finished the value on the SIM card, can we just top up and continue to use for another 3 days?

  20. Avatar Rowena Fisher says:

    Thanks for all the great info In the section about Taiwan the link to the other plans offered by Chungwha (spelling?) doesn’t work

    several other plans available,

    1. It still works for me. It’s a very ugly page, but it does load. 🙂

  21. Avatar ExpatNZer says:

    The link to 7-11’s page on Taiwan sim cards is http://www.7-11.com.tw/ibonmobile/english1_1.html
    We just bought one today in Henchun and the process took about 15 mins. Need two pieces of current ID (e.g. driver’s licence and I believe the other has to be your passport. There’s an machine (IBon) in the store which resembles an ATM and all the information’s entered on that, Your photo’s taken and you sign. There are also paper copies of everything. Sim should be active in two hours from purchase. Sim card is only good for 6 months – can’t recharge it after that. Clerk suggested not purchasing a top-up card at the same time as the sim- it may be that purchasing and activation are contemporaneous.

  22. Avatar Rowena Fisher says:

    Further to my earlier post a sim purchased at 7-11 won’t work in my Canadian-purchased Moto G 2nd generation phone. 7-11s carrier is Far East Tone. Probably a different frequencies. Tried the sim in an IPhone 5 and it worked, but wouldn’t in the Moto G.

  23. Hi Dave, I plan go to Taiwan at May 3-6, I only need little data for what Apps. I will go again to Taiwan at August 19-28. I need longer simcard validity. Which operator suitable for me? Thanks

    1. The information I have is available in this post and the links to the cell company websites. I haven’t used operators other than Chunghwa, so can’t advise whether another one might better suit your requirements. Assuming you’re flying in to Taipei, you can compare prices between vendors at the airport kiosks.

  24. Avatar evan tan suan foong says:

    i will be arriving in taipei at about 6am would the shop me open?

    1. As mentioned elsewhere in the comments, the SIM stores at the airport start opening at 5:30am.

  25. Avatar Haehorng Shih says:

    Hello, I had my iphone that is under ATT plan in the US unlocked. I went to Chungwa store and bought a prepared SIM card. Unfortunately the upper left corner of my phone shows “Invalid SIM” when the card was inserted. So I cannot use that phone. Any suggestion? I tried two other stores and FarEast but nobody can solve the problem.

    1. Have you used a non-AT&T SIM card in it in the past? It sounds a bit like it’s still locked.

  26. I just landed today at the airport. One store selling SIM cards before the immigration check was closed. This was around 5:45-6:00am. Opening time was listed much later, like 8:00am something. After immigration I saw 2 more stores but they were only handing out WiFi routers to folks who had booked them earlier. Asked the lady at one of the stores about the SIM and she said no SIM.

  27. Thanks Dave!

    My wife and I are heading to Taiwan in a couple of days. Our daughter lives there and has purchased SIM cards before, but your blog was very helpful to us as well.
    Just an additional tip to Verizon plan users: All Verizon’s current devices are unlocked, so you don’t have to do that bit anymore.
    Of course, don’t take my word for it (after all, I’m a stranger in the comments section), you should always call and check.
    For as much of a pain in the neck as Verizon can be in many respects, this is a nice convenience for their customers.

  28. Hi Dave!

    This is very helpful. I will be in Taiwan this September but have a bit of a problem. My surname in my passport doesn’t match the surname in all of my other IDs (one letter discrepancy only tho). Will this be a problem for me in buying a Taiwan sim card? Thanks for your help in advance.

    1. I can’t imagine it’ll be a problem if you buy at the airport, or from a vending machine. You might have problems like I did if you buy elsewhere — but even then, it’s probably quite unlikely if there’s only one letter difference.

  29. Avatar Clara Bloom says:

    Hi Dave, Thanks for sharing your experience.

    I am wondering if any telecom vendors at the airport sell data-only sim cards that work with my personal wifi router. I bought a router (Huawei) when we went to Europe this summer.

    I searched many sites, but they mainly talked about sim cards for phones, not for portable routers.

    Thanks,

    1. I don’t know whether any of the vendors at the airport sell a data-only SIM, but a “normal” SIM card (ie, one activated with a call, text, and data package) should work fine in a router anyway. You may find the pricing a little better for your needs with a data-only SIM, but not always — calls and texts cost so little for a carrier to provide these days, that they often essentially bundle them in for free.

  30. Avatar Christina Yong says:

    Hi Dave! Thanks for the informative post you shared. I will be traveling to Taiwan this coming February for 7 days. I need to use mainly Internet to search for maps and maybe do some Googling on places to go, etc. I have looked through the Chunghwa pre-paid plans they offered, and I think the one with 2.2GB ($300) (Ideal Card) internet seems like a good choice. But, I’m concerned whether the Chunghwa booth in Taoyuan Airport offers that sim/prepaid plan, since it’s not exactly for travelers?

    Thanks in advance!

    1. The plan I bought at that booth wasn’t a tourist version either, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting the one you’re after. You may need to ask specifically about it, though, as they’ll likely offer you tourist (or at least, more-expensive unlimited) plans first.

  31. Avatar Reygan Maputol says:

    Hi Dave, I need your suggestion regarding that sim card in Taiwan, I will be living in taiwan for 3 years for a work. What prepaid sim card that will last for 3 years without disconnection?. Thank you

    1. Whichever one you buy, if you’re living in Taiwan and keep topping up your SIM regularly, it won’t expire/disconnect.

  32. Hi Dave! Very informative post, thank you for sharing it! I’ve been combing the net for information on acquiring a sim card outside of the airport (as I’ll be arriving well after 1AM and will most likely get out of immigration even later). I was wondering if it was advisable to just go to a CHT outlet (or any other provider really) to get one? How difficult would this be, if ever?

    1. Hi June,

      On my first trip to Taiwan, I bought my SIM outside the airport — I recounted the experience in the post. It wasn’t a difficult process, although took a little longer than it did at the airport.

  33. Avatar Jan Van Boom says:

    Hi everybody,

    Thanks for the article.

    One question, what are they doing with your passport? Copying it? I’m from Germany, and find it a bit weird to provide my passport for a prepaid SIM card. Nobody does that in the European countries I lived in. I’m kinda allergic to provide such sensitive information for a SIM card .

    People are willing to give up everything for that these days.

    Please let me know, if they just look at my passport or if they need to copy it.

    Thank you

    Jan

    1. Yeah, while it’s definitely uncommon to provide your passport or ID to get a prepaid SIM in Europe, it’s unfortunately very common elsewhere in the world. From memory, I think the vendors took a photocopy of the photo page, and also filled the relevant information into whatever activation system they used. You can try to argue the point with them, but you may find that you simply can’t buy a local SIM without having a passport copy taken, at which point I guess you need to decide which is more important. 🙂

      I don’t love handing my passport over to random SIM vendors, but I think I’ve just got so used to it now that it doesn’t upset me as much anymore.

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