Travel to + Quarantine in Taiwan
In this new age of (post-?) COVID travel, border entry restrictions and quarantine policies change very quickly. See here for the latest border control information on who can enter Taiwan. See here for the latest quarantine policies.
Overview of My Experience
I took a flight that landed on Sept 22 in Taipei from the US. As such, the COVID-related requirements were:
Pre-Departure
Pre-departure PCR taken no more than 3 business days before departure
Register with the “quarantine system for entry” no more than 48 hours prior to departure
Have booked a quarantine hotel for 15 nights
On Arrival
Register for a local Taiwanese SIM card (to use for tracking in the quarantine system)
Take saliva sample for PCR test at airport
Take quarantine vehicles to their quarantine location instead of driving their own vehicles
Quarantine for 15 nights
Pre-Departure
Tips
Instead of passing your smartphone back and forth, print all the documents out (maybe 2 copies just in case) so that it’s easy to pass to the people who review your documents, especially since many of these docs (test results, quarantine hotel registration) are not mobile friendly
Once you’ve collected all your documents, maybe also download them to your phone locally and send them to yourself in one email so that it’s easy to find just in case.
Flight:
If your flight arrives in Taipei in the morning, the hotel will likely charge you an extra night for early arrival. If you have the choice, see if you can land after 1PM (so that you arrive at the hotel after 3PM-ish) to save some money and spend less time in quarantine.
This goes without saying, but the closer you are to the front of the plane, the less you’ll have to wait in line for everything. You feel the impact of this way more during COVID travel when every step of the way requires many document checks.
Quarantine System for Entry - prior to departure, if you don’t have a local Taiwanese SIM card, you can enter in your phone number back home. I used my Google Fi number so I was able to roam and receive a link to complete the form (register a local SIM) when I landed. I’m not sure what happens if you don’t roam?
Quarantine Hotel
If you’re coming from a list of “key high risk countries”, you’ll be sent to a group quarantine facility and you won’t have a choice of where you’re going to serve your quarantine. If not, you get to choose your own quarantine hotel.
Some resources:
Taipei City Govt list of quarantine hotels
Taipei City Govt quarantine hotel search tool - with filters for certain key features like location, carpet vs hardwood, windows and balconies, etc.
Supposedly, some of these resources show availability, but I encourage you to always contact the hotel directly via email and confirm your room type and dates.
Considerations:
Most hotels allow for food delivery and eCommerce orders, as long as you pay in full online with a credit card. However, not all hotels are willing to deliver things immediately 24/7. Of the hotels I reached out to, one offered 24/7 delivery and the other had fixed times (including 1AM and 4AM) for delivery.
Location - you’d think the location doesn’t really matter since you’re stuck inside anyways, but it does impact the kind of food delivery and noise pollution you get in your room. If you are likely to be jetlagged or working US hours while quarantine-ing, you may want to stay near an area with plenty of late-night / early-morning food options. You can enter in the address of the hotel in the Ubereats or Foodpanda apps to see what kind of options you have.
Windows - Will the room have a window? Will you be able to open the window? What is the view like? You’ll likely have to pay premium for each of these features, so judge how important they are to you.
Upon Arrival
First things first, get a local SIM card and complete your “quarantine system” registration. Once you obtain the form that has a green bar, show it to someone and they’ll direct you to the next step. There are signages with QR codes and instructions explaining everything once you get off the plane and people are really helpful
Next, someone checks your quarantine hotel documents and prepares stickers for COVID test sample collection later.
Exchange some local currency, go through immigration, get your luggage
Upon exit, they will give you a rapid test to take on day 10 and direct you through to collect saliva samples for a PCR test.
After the PCR test, you line up for a quarantine taxi, fill out some contact tracing forms, get sprayed down and you’re off on your way!
Quarantine
I am currently serving my quarantine at Suz & Catorze in Wanhua District, near Ximending (a commercial district with lots of good food). All I can say is that it has been so so worth the splurge. My room has floor-to-ceiling (openable) windows with views of Tamsui River. The people here (communicating mostly via LINE) have been so nice and thoughtful. The food, included in the room rate, have on average been very tasty. It frankly feels as if I’m here on a resort retreat (we’ll see if I change my mind by the end of this). If I had to nit-pick, there are two things that I wish were better: 1) more places to hang towels / dry laundry…2) the view of the river also means the windows face a highway so it gets quite loud if the windows are open during the day. Nothing “improve” here, really, especially since soundproofing is excellent once the windows are shut.
