Local Information

Time Zone:

Taiwan is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and does not practice daylight saving time during summer. Local time in Taiwan and the time difference from your home country can be found via this link: http://www.worldtimeserver.com

Electricity:

The electric voltage in Taiwan is 110V/60Hz which is the same as the U.S. and there are two type of receptacle:

Type A, please see: http://electricaloutlet.org/type-a

Type B, please see: http://electricaloutlet.org/type-b

Appliances from Europe, Australia or South-East Asia will require an adaptor and/or transformer.

Language:

The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese and the native Taiwanese tongue. The most popular foreign language in Taiwan is English, which is part of the regular school curriculum. Taxi drivers; however, generally only speak Mandarin or Taiwanese.

Weather:

Taiwan enjoys a subtropical climate with warm weather all year round. The annual average temperature is 24 degrees Celsius.

The real-time weather information please refer to: http://www.cwb.gov.tw/eng/index.htm

Currency:

The local currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$). Bill denominations are NT$2,000, NT$1,000, NT$500, NT$200, and NT$100. Coin denominations are NT$1, NT$5, NT$10,NT$20, and NT$50. The current exchange rate is approx. NT$29.5 to US$1 (Apr. 2012, subject to change). Foreign currencies can be exchanged at airports, hotels, department stores, and a number of government-designated banks.

Credit Card:

Major credit cards are accepted by hotels, department stores, airlines, most stores and restaurants. Cash can be withdrawn from the ATM which has the same logo on your cards. Cash is generally preferred in most places in Taiwan.

Tipping:

Tipping is NOT customary in most of places in Taiwan since a 10% service charge is automatically included.

Telecommunication Service:

A single local call from a public phone costs NT$1 for 3 minutes with additional coins insertion for continuing service. If needed, the overseas operator may be reached by dialing "100". Direct international call is available from some phones, after dialing the prefix “002”. Rate for direct international calls is charged every six seconds.

Customs:

Personal items are free of duty. Visitors over 20 years old may bring in, duty free, 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 0.5 kg of tobacco, one bottle of liquor and one used camera. Gold cannot be exported without a permit issued by the Ministry of Finance. Passengers arriving with gold and silver and planning to take it out at departure must declare it and leave the items with Customs until they leave Taiwan.

Helpful Phone Numbers:

English Speaking Police: +886-2-2555-4275 or +886-2-2556-6007

Emergencies/Fire Department: 119

Police: 110

24 hours English/Japanese/ Korean hotline: 0800-011-765

English Speaking Directory Assistance: 106

English Speaking Telephone Operator: +886-2-2311-6796

International Operator Assistance: 100

Taxi Service: +886-6-236-3636 or +886-6-599-9999 or +886-6-255-7700