A completely FOSS Guide for Residents and Tourists who've settled down or who are just visiting this lovely island called Taiwan. Please feel more then welcome to submit issues, contribute information, the goal is not to replicate a Wiki page. Wikipedia is a good resource for information, but it's not a comprehense collection of experiences from those who have knowledge of an area. This guide aims to accomplish this by allowing the contribution of all members of the online community, not just those who are talented in writing. Eventually this guide will be split into two sections to make organziation easier for residents who know their way around and are looking for hard to source information, and those who are just starting to plan their Formosa trip! Thanks for stopping by.
President:
Currency: NTD
Population: 23 Million
Climate Taiwan enjoys warm weather all year round. Weather conditions fluctuate during spring and winter seasons, while in summer and autumn the weather is relatively stable with temperatures anywhere from mid twenties to high 30's.
National Holidays:
Emerg/Important Numbers: 🚨🔥 Ambulance and Fire 119 👮 Police: 110 ☎️ 24H Foreigners Helpline: 0800-024-111
Social Networks/Groups for Taiwan Discussions: 🇷https://www.reddit.com/r/taiwan/ 🇹 🇫
Line Pay is a payment system similar to Apple pay which operates inside the LINE messaging application offering contactless payment solutions via a mobile barcode that is scanned by the cashier and then the payment is authorized to your credit card. However, it currently does not support Visa/Mastercard/JCB of all countries and is quite limited in functionality for those who are not citizens or residents and do not have a Line Pay Visa Debit/Credit card from CTCB Bank. Those who have a credit/debit card from CTCB are able to gain a certain percentage from purchases back in points. These points can be used towards future purchases either at Familymart/7 or towards purchases made in the LINE app as well.
Apple pay is currently operational in Taiwan and a list of locations which accept Apple pay can be found at the following link. Please note however, although Apple Pay is accepted at Familymart at the current time, it is limited to only Taixin Bank Card holders, and not "open" for use by any credit card until July of 2017.
Samsung Pay has also come to Taiwan recently
And finally, Android pay is now also available as well in Taiwan.
iCash
iCash 2.0 is the second version of a reloadable cash card created by 7/11 stores. The card has similar functionality to Easycard/iPass minus the ability to fund transiting on the MRT/TRA. The system features "Openpoint" which basically allows you to gain points when you make purchases/reload the card. In addition to the regular cards, partnerships have been formed with banks in Taiwan to offer 合作銀行優惠訊息 or combined cards that add credit/debit card functions as well.
Two cards in use by transit systems called
and . These transit cards are reloadable via the terminals inside the train stations, or just by reloading at any convience store islandwide. Not only can they be used to fund transiting on the MRT, but also the TRA and anything you wish to purchase at convenience stores nationwide. They both offer their own application for tracking purchases made and transit amounts deducted, as well as checking the current amount on the card. The downside is that there is a signficant delay with when you actually made the purchase or transit trip, and when the amount is reflected via App, usually 3 days. If you need to check the amount remaining on your card right away, you can just either ask staff at 7, Familymart, or OK mart to check your current balance, or use the iBon/Familyport terminals in the stores. As well obviously the IC card readers are located on the terminal machines inside any MRT/TRA station. As of this year, iPass is accepted anywhere Easycard is also accepted. The maxinum reloadable amount for both cards is 10,000NTD.Please note one cannot simply just refund Easycards anymore and the refund process is lengthy, and refund will be mailed to your residence. If your not a resident here it's probably more worth your while to keep your card as a keepsake and not bother with the 4.00 refund. Pay careful attention not to lose your Easycard as those that are not registered will not be able to be re-imbursed if they are lost/stolen. Those who are issued credit cards or debit cards from their bank with dual Easycard/iPass functionality will automatically be registered and insured the value if you are to lose your card and replace with a new one.
- 中華電信 HINET
- 台灣大哥大
Documents required when signing contracts for broadband lease include a valid ARC/APRC with at least X months of remaining validity.
Earthquakes: Taiwan experiences frequent minor Earthquakes, while not up to par with the Early Warning System that operates in Japan, Taiwan does make use of technology to keep citizens alert if an emergency were to occur. There is not much you actually have to do in order to setup any device to be aware of Earthquake or other disaster alerts. Devices manufactured within the last 5 year period should include a form of emergency and government alerts without any setup, just connecting to Taiwan's cellular network will push notifications (in Chinese only, although you can grasp the point from the earthquake magnitude reading) to your device if and when an sizeable earthquake or other natural disaster does occur. As always it's better to be over-prepared then underprepared so here are some additional links to applications the government has developed, as well as where to check online about recent quakes.
Central Weather Bureau: Earthquake Reports via Web: http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V7e/earthquake/quake_index.htm
Typhoons:
Landslides: