UK ETA for Taiwanese Citizens

Do Taiwanese Citizens Need a UK ETA?

It would be wrong to say that every Taiwan passport holder qualifies, and equally wrong to say that every Taiwanese citizen needs an ETA. The wording of the UK entry is about the passport and what it contains, so the first job is to look at the passport itself.

The ETA is a digital permission to travel, linked to one passport. It is not a visa, it leaves no stamp, and it does not guarantee admission.

The Special Condition for Taiwan Passports

Most entries on the ETA National List name a country and stop there. Taiwan’s entry carries a note limiting it to those who hold a passport issued by Taiwan that includes the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan.

In plain terms, the UK is asking whether the passport itself carries that number. It is not a requirement about where you live, and it is not satisfied by showing some other document alongside the passport. The rest of this page keeps coming back to that one fact because every other answer depends on it.

Check Your Passport First: A Three-Step Pre-Check

1. Open the passport to the photo and data page, the one with your picture and personal details.
2. Look for an identification-card number among the details. Do not rely on memory or on the number printed on a separate card.
3. If the number is there, read on: the ETA route may apply. If it is not, go to the section on a passport that shows no ID number before you apply or book.

We do not describe where on the page the number sits or how it is formatted, because we cannot confirm those details and they are not needed for this check. What matters is whether the passport in your hand shows it.

Do the check for every passport in the household, and do it early. A family planning a summer trip can lose weeks if the discovery comes at the airport, whereas a problem found months ahead leaves time to sort out the right course of action with the Taiwan authorities or to check the UK requirement for the document in question.

When Did the UK ETA Start for Taiwan Passport Holders?

Taiwan belongs to the group whose ETA requirement covers travel to the UK on or after 8 January 2025. That is later than the Gulf group, which began in February 2024.

For anyone travelling now, the date is simply background: the requirement has been in force for some time, and it applies to the qualifying passport.

Why the Identification-Card Number in a Taiwan Passport Matters

• The UK’s Taiwan entry carries a passport condition, not just a nationality.
• The condition concerns the number appearing in the passport, so it is not the same as a residence-address requirement.
• The ETA is linked to the qualifying passport used in the application.
• Check the photo and data page carefully, passport by passport, including a child’s or a renewed passport.
• A separate physical National ID card does not repair a passport that does not meet the UK’s wording.

We invent no formatting rules, we say nothing about how UK systems read the number, and we do not suggest that the UK accepts a separate card as a substitute. The current UK rule is the one to follow.

Taiwan National ID Card vs Passport for a UK ETA

The National Identification Card is a domestic identity document. It is separate from the passport, and the passport is the document an ETA is linked to.

The UK’s special condition concerns the identification-card number appearing in the passport. It does not mean you should bring the card in place of the passport, and the card is not the international passport. It cannot hold an ETA, and it cannot move an ETA from one passport to another.

Household Registration and the Passport

Taiwan’s authorities distinguish between nationals who have household registration and nationals who do not, for example someone who has acquired nationality but has not yet registered a residence. Guidance from Taiwan’s immigration agency has long explained that a passport issued to a national without household registration may show no identification-card number on the data page.

We handle this only as far as it bears on the UK question, and nothing here is nationality-law advice. The terminology and the rules may change, and the status of a person and the content of their passport are not always identical. The UK-facing message stays the same: the actual passport content matters.

What If My Taiwan Passport Does Not Show the Identification Card Number?

Do not guess that you can apply anyway, and do not assume that showing a separate ID card solves the problem. The current UK entry has the passport condition, and a traveller whose passport does not satisfy it should check what the UK requires for that travel document before applying or booking.

• Do not pay for or rely on an ETA until you have checked the condition.
• Do not treat a National ID card as a workaround.
• Check the UK entry requirement for the document you actually hold, and contact the Taiwan authorities about the passport itself if you think it should carry the number.

We make no visa determination for travellers in this position.

The Taiwan Passport and Its Chip

Ordinary Taiwan passports are electronic, with a chip that holds the data-page information and the holder’s photograph. We have not confirmed rollout dates or technical specifications from Taiwan’s authorities, so none are stated here.

A chip does not remove the ETA requirement and does not make a passport qualify. The ID-number condition is about the content of the data page, and the chip is a separate feature. It also does not open the ordinary UK eGates, which depend on a nationality list.

What If I Renew or Replace My Taiwan Passport?

This matters more for Taiwan than for most countries. The ETA is linked to the passport you applied with, so a new or replacement passport generally means a new ETA where one applies. And because the entry has a passport condition, the new passport itself must be checked as well.

• Look at the new passport’s data page for the identification-card number before you apply.
• The previous passport’s ETA does not move to the new one.
• A National ID card cannot transfer an approval from one passport to another.

See our guide to ETA validity, multiple trips and new passports.

I Live in Taiwan but Hold Another Passport: Do the Taiwan Rules Apply?

No. Living in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung or anywhere else in Taiwan does not by itself bring you under the Taiwan entry. A resident document or number issued to a foreign resident does not make that person a Taiwan citizen, and it is not the same as a citizen’s identification-card number in a Taiwan passport.

Residents travel on United States, Japanese, South Korean, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Malaysian and many other passports. Each follows the UK position for the passport they will carry. We do not set out those positions here, and nothing on this page is a visa determination for them.

What If I Already Hold UK Immigration Permission?

Some travellers already have what they need. If you hold a UK visa, an eVisa, or settled or pre-settled status that covers the trip, the rules generally do not require an ETA on top. Whenever your passport is replaced, update the details in your UKVI account. Treat your own papers as the final word, since this section is a pointer and not personal advice; our UK visa guide has the broader picture.

What If I Am Taiwanese and British, or Taiwanese and Irish?

British citizens do not need an ETA, and neither do Irish citizens. If you hold one of those nationalities as well, you can enter the UK in that capacity with the matching passport. We offer no analysis of Taiwan’s nationality rules.

Names and Romanization on the Application

Your passport prints your name in Latin script, and the passport is the authority. Copy it exactly as it appears, including spelling, hyphens, spacing and order, and follow the application’s own instructions where it asks for the details.

• Do not create a new English spelling.
• Do not change hyphens, spaces or the order of name elements on your own.
• Where machine-readable details are requested, transcribe what the passport prints.

This page does not teach any particular Romanization system, because the printed passport form is the one that counts.

Do Taiwanese Children and Babies Need Their Own UK ETA?

Where a child qualifies under the Taiwan entry and an ETA is required, each child and baby needs their own, and a parent’s approval gives them no cover. The child travels on their own passport.

Take particular care here. Do not assume that a child’s passport shows the identification-card number the UK entry asks for. Check the child’s data page just as you would an adult’s. See our guide to children, babies and families.

Do School Groups from Taiwan Have an Exemption?

There is no blanket school-party exemption for Taiwan. The only school-party provisions are ETA 1.9 for qualifying schools in France and ETA 1.10 for qualifying schools in Germany, so a group organised by a Taiwan school cannot rely on them. The opposite case is worth noting: a Taiwanese pupil who is actually enrolled at a qualifying French or German school could be covered by the relevant rule, provided every condition is satisfied.

Travelling from Taipei and Kaohsiung

People leave from the Taipei area, from Kaohsiung and from other points. There are no timetables on this page and no promise of a direct route, and it says nothing about how any airport handles immigration.

• Apply only with a passport that meets the ID-number condition.
• Make sure the booking agrees with the passport.
• A carrier may verify digital permission before boarding.
• Nothing needs to be printed.
• The ETA never promises admission to the UK.

For timing, see our guide to UK ETA processing time.

Connections and UK Airport Transit

Many itineraries stop in a regional or European hub. A connection elsewhere does not change the UK’s ETA rule, and what the connecting country asks of you is a separate matter on which we offer no view.

For a UK connection, the question is whether you pass through UK border control. Staying airside on a qualifying connection may need no ETA. Going landside, for instance to collect bags or change terminals, may need one where it applies to your passport. “All transit needs an ETA” and “no transit does” are both wrong. See our transit and layovers guide.

Taiwanese Travellers, Ireland and the UK

Ireland the state is distinct from the UK, whereas Northern Ireland sits within it. Choosing a route through Ireland does not make the ETA requirement go away. There is one narrow exemption, for people with lawful residence in the Republic who arrive from another part of the Common Travel Area, and it works only when its conditions are all met.

eGates, Registered Traveller and Contactless Gates

These are three different things, and Taiwan’s position differs for each.

Ordinary eGates

Not on nationality alone. Taiwan is not on the list of nationalities with ordinary eGate access, so a chipped Taiwan passport plus an ETA does not create that eligibility. Follow Border Force instructions, and remember that no gate is guaranteed.

Registered Traveller

Taiwan is eligible for this separate programme, with a condition that echoes the ETA one: the passport must have a personal ID number on the photo page. Applicants must be 18 or over, hold an eligible passport, and have either an eligible UK visa or, if they can visit without one, at least four visits to the UK in the last 24 months. Passing through on the way elsewhere does not count.

Approved members may use faster border channels and, with a chipped passport, the ePassport gates. We publish no price, and the programme is not an ETA. For our own service, see fees and processing options.

Contactless eGates

The contactless rollout began in October 2026 and is initially limited to British citizens. Registered Traveller eligibility does not automatically bring contactless eligibility, so Taiwanese travellers should not expect passport-free processing for now. A valid passport is always needed.

Tourism, Family, Business, Work and Study

Many Taiwanese visitors come for a holiday or to see people they know, which is ordinary Visitor activity. Our pages on tourism and visiting family and friends set out the boundaries.

On the business side, an ETA covers what the Visitor business rules allow: attending meetings and conferences, negotiating, and qualifying site visits. The business visits guide explains further.

Employment is a different matter, because an ETA does not grant it. Distinguish these routes:

• Permitted Paid Engagements
• the Creative Worker concession
• an ordinary job, which normally needs a work visa (see the UK visa guide)

A brief course can sit inside the Visitor rules, and the short-term study guide shows where that stops. Where a Student visa is required, the ETA cannot stand in for it.

How Long Is the ETA Valid, and How Long Can I Stay?

An ETA can last up to two years from grant, though it stops earlier whenever the linked passport reaches its expiry date. During that window you may come and go, with every arrival tested against the Visitor rules, and a string of repeat stays must never amount to living in the UK. The UK uses no 90 or 180 day formula.

Under eligible Visitor travel you can seek entry for as long as six months. That figure is an upper limit, not an entitlement, and two years of validity should never be read as two years of stay.

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

Each of the three Crown Dependencies, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, runs an ETA scheme, and travel there has been affected since 23 April 2026. Under the relevant rules a UK ETA and a Crown Dependency ETA are recognised by one another. Because the Common Travel Area has separate arrangements, double-check the island you plan to visit shortly before leaving.

Four Short Examples

Because the answer depends on the passport, it helps to see how different travellers come out.

• Passport shows the number. A traveller whose Taiwan passport includes the identification-card number falls within the UK’s Taiwan entry, and an ETA generally applies to an eligible short stay.
• Passport shows no number. A traveller whose Taiwan passport lacks it does not fit the entry as written, and should check the UK requirement for that document before applying or booking.
• Foreign resident in Taipei. Someone living in Taiwan on a different country’s passport follows the UK position for that passport, whatever their Taiwan residence status.
• Family with mixed passports. A household may contain a parent whose passport qualifies and a child whose passport does not. Each person is assessed separately, and one approval never covers another.

UK ETA Requirements for Taiwanese Travellers

You will generally need:

• a qualifying Taiwan-issued passport that includes the identification-card number
• an email address you can read
• a clear photograph of your face
• passport and personal details, entered as printed
• answers to the application questions
• a payment method for the payment stage

A National ID card, a resident card or a foreign-resident identifier is not a substitute for the qualifying passport. See the full requirements page and our fees and processing options.

How to Apply for a UK ETA from Taiwan

1. 1

   Inspect the passport

   Open the data page and confirm that it shows the identification-card number.

2. 2

   Stop if it does not

   Check the UK requirement for the document you hold before going further.

3. 3

   Rule out exemptions

   See whether UK permission already makes an ETA unnecessary.

4. 4

   Check the dates

   Make sure the passport has not expired and note when it does.

5. 5

   Copy the details exactly

   Take name, number and expiry from the passport, changing no spelling.

6. 6

   Add the photo and passport details

   Give the form what it asks for, with a clear image of your face.

7. 7

   Choose a UKETA.sg service option

   Pick the handling that suits your plans.

8. 8

   Submit and pay

   Keep the confirmation and your reference.

9. 9

   Watch your email, then travel

   Wait for the outcome, and carry the same passport you applied with.

Common UK ETA Mistakes for Taiwanese Travellers

1. Assuming every Taiwan passport qualifies. The UK entry has a condition.
2. Not checking the passport for the identification-card number. Check the data page first.
3. Thinking a National ID card fixes a non-qualifying passport. It does not.
4. Confusing residence in Taiwan with Taiwan passport eligibility. Residence does not decide.
5. Mistaking a foreign-resident identifier for a citizen’s ID number. They are different.
6. Leaning on a superseded passport. The approval remains attached to the booklet you applied with.
7. Expecting an ETA to transfer to a new passport. It does not.
8. Changing the Romanized spelling. Copy the passport exactly.
9. Expecting an electronic passport to open the ordinary UK eGates. Taiwan is not on that list.
10. Treating Registered Traveller as ordinary eGate eligibility. It is a separate programme.
11. Treating Registered Traveller as an ETA. Neither replaces the other.
12. Forgetting that Registered Traveller has its own ID-number condition. The passport must show a personal ID number.
13. Supposing a parent’s ETA covers a child. Every traveller needs their own, and the child’s passport must be checked.
14. Believing a Taiwan school group gets the France or Germany exemption. Those provisions are specific.
15. Making blanket assumptions about airport transit. Airside and landside differ.
16. Reading the ETA as a work permit. Ordinary employment is not covered.
17. Assuming approval guarantees entry. The border officer still decides.

Pre-Travel Checklist for Taiwanese Travellers

• ✓You have looked at the passport’s data page and found the identification-card number.
• ✓You will carry the same passport that appears in your ETA.
• ✓You have worked out whether an ETA, UK status or an exemption is relevant.
• ✓Your National ID card stays a domestic document and is not packed as a substitute.
• ✓Residence in Taiwan is not being treated as Taiwan passport eligibility.
• ✓The name on the application matches the passport exactly.
• ✓Each child’s passport has been checked separately.
• ✓For a school trip, nobody assumes the French or German rules apply.
• ✓A renewed or replaced passport has been checked and has its own ETA.
• ✓You are not relying on eGate access.
• ✓If you use Registered Traveller, you have confirmed it separately.
• ✓Your connection or transit has been checked.
• ✓Your plans in the UK fit the Visitor rules.

UK ETA FAQs for Taiwanese Citizens

Want more answers? Browse our UK ETA FAQs or contact us. You can also go back to the eligibility checker.