With the Mid-Autumn Festival Approaching, Foreign Nationals and Other Arrivals Are Urged to Help Prevent African Swine Fever and Other Major Transboundary Animal Diseases from Entering Taiwan

• Date： 2026-08-27
• Source：Entry & Exit Restriction Section
• Hit：211
• Updated date：2026-08-27

Since January 1, 2026, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), Ministry of Agriculture, has detected 109 cases at airports and seaports involving foreign nationals who illegally brought meat products into Taiwan and were denied entry because they were unable to pay the fines in full on the spot. Among these cases, the largest number involved people from mainland China and Hong Kong (40), followed by Thailand (14), South Korea (10), the United States (9), and Vietnam (7). Most of those involved had come to Taiwan for tourism (99), followed by business activities (5) and employment as migrant workers (2). The prohibited items they brought included ham sausages, ham sandwiches, pork burgers, hot dog buns, pork dumplings, and qingtuan filled with salted egg yolk and pork floss.

Given that the global African swine fever (ASF) situation remains extremely serious, 75 countries and areas are currently designated as ASF-affected areas, including 18 countries and areas in Asia (see attachment for details). With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, and to prevent ASF from taking advantage of the occasion to enter Taiwan, travelers, migrant workers, new immigrants, international students, and other foreign nationals arriving in Taiwan from various countries and areas are urged to observe the following precautions:

Upon arrival in Taiwan, do not bring any meat-containing foods, other animal products, or meals provided on flights into the country. If you are carrying any such items, dispose of them in designated disposal bins before entering Taiwan, or declare them for disposal before passing through customs.

Anyone found to have illegally brought pork products into Taiwan from a country or area affected by ASF will be fined NT$200,000 for a first offense and NT$1 million for a second offense. Foreign nationals without residency status who are fined NT$200,000 but are unable to pay the fine in full on the spot will be referred by the relevant APHIA branch to the National Immigration Agency and denied entry into Taiwan.

Please also remind relatives and friends overseas not to send meat-containing foods or other items subject to quarantine requirements to Taiwan by courier or mail. If pork products are mailed to Taiwan from a country or area affected by ASF, the recipient of the parcel will be fined NT$200,000 for a first offense and NT$1 million for a second or subsequent offense.

Educational materials on African swine fever are available for download and use from APHIA's African Swine Fever Information Section: https://asf.aphia.gov.tw/ws.php?id=21420

The Reference Table of Quarantine Requirements for Common Animals, Plants, and Related Products Carried by Inbound Travelers is also available for download and use from the APHIA website: https://www.aphia.gov.tw/ws.php?id=10719