How to Get a Taiwan SIM Card at the Airport When You Arrive

Several different colored SIM cards laid out on a flat white surface

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Let’s face it. No one wants to travel without a phone nowadays. Having Internet access will make your Taiwan trip much easier in many ways.

Luckily, Taiwan has very fast reception almost everywhere. What’s more, it’s very easy and affordable for tourists to buy a prepaid SIM card for Taiwan when they land at Songshan, Taichung, Kaohsiung or Taoyuan (see my Taoyuan Airport guide).

In this article, I’ll introduce why I think Chunghwa is the best SIM card for Taiwan. Order it on Klook or this deal this deal that includes the same SIM plus an EasyCard.

I’ll also cover Taiwan SIM card prices, step-by-step instructions for getting your SIM card when you land at any airport in Taiwan, and how to buy a SIM card in the city.

You may also consider getting an eSIM like this one, this one, this one, or this one (I compare them all in my Taiwan eSIM guide) or a pocket WiFi device like this or this. I’ll compare all these options in a table below.

Why SIM Cards Are the Best Choice for Taiwan

Nick Kembel riding on a yellow and orange YouBike in Taipei riverside park
Having a SIM card allows you to register for a YouBike membership for easy renting

If you have a SIM card for traveling around Taiwan, I can guarantee you won’t regret it. This card will come with unlimited data, plus you’ll get some data for making phone calls.

Here are Taiwan-specific reasons why SIM cards are the best choice:

  • GoogleMaps works really well in Taiwan. You’ll use it not only for navigation but also for opening hours of attractions, bus times and bus stop locations, restaurant reviews, and more.
  • There are many other useful apps for Taiwan, some of which require a local phone number to sign up. Translation and transportation apps can be life savers ­­– see the best apps for Taiwan here.
  • Many hotels in Taiwan communicate with their guests using the LINE app. You’ll need Internet to use the app.
  • You may need to call restaurants to make or change a reservation. This can only be done if you have a SIM card. You can also send text messages in Taiwan, but few people there do that – everyone uses the LINE app for instant messaging.

The Best SIM Card for Taiwan

A hand holding up a tiny Taiwan Chunghwa SIM card with a yellow wallet in the background
That’s my Chunghwa SIM card (and my stinky tofu wallet!)

No matter which airport you are flying into, I recommend ordering this Chunghwa SIM card on Klook. While KKday has the same one, recent travelers reported that their airport kiosk opening times weren’t accurate, so I don’t currently recommend getting it from KKday.

If you need an EasyCard too, then you can get both with this EasyCard + Chunghwa SIM deal on Klook (also on KKday but see my note above about KKday).

Why It’s the Best

  • Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信 or Zhonghua Dianxin) is widely considered the best provider in Taiwan. Travelers and expats consistently report that it provides the widest coverage and it is the top-selling prepaid Taiwan SIM card o Klook.
  • By ordering it on Klook, you can pay for it before you arrive, so you won’t have to prepare cash or see if your credit card will work at the airport mobile phone kiosk. Just show your email voucher and passport to pick it up. Secondary identification may also be needed – see the Klook page for details.
  • When you pick up the SIM card at the airport or in the city, the clerk will help to install it for you and make sure it works.
  • Data is unlimited, so you can use the web as much as you want, including videos, video games, etc.
  • Options include 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, or 30 days (sometimes not all of these are available), with the option to add TWD 50, 100, 150, or 430 for local calls (for the average tourist, 50 should be enough for a short trip or 100 for a longer trip).
  • If you are traveling with 2 or more people, you could even just buy one SIM card and share data with your companions.
  • Chunghwa’s tourist SIM cards are 4G, which is generally more than good enough for Taiwan. If you want 5G, you can buy it at the airport and it will be more expensive.  

Taiwan SIM Card vs. eSIM vs. Pocket WiFi Device

Besides regular prepaid SIM cards, two other common options are eSIMs and Pocket WiFi devices. Each of these come with some advantages and disadvantages, as you can see in the below table.

ProsCons
SIM Card– Unlimited Data
– Phone calls and SMS
– Can register for YouBike and sign up for apps
– One person can share data with a friend
– Up to 6 months available at airport
– Clerk will activate for you
– Need to pick up at airport
– Can’t be extended
– Need to carry (and not lose!) your home SIM card.
eSIM– Works as soon as you land
– No physical product needed
– Cheap
– Works for LINE app, which everyone in Taiwan uses for communicating
– Regional and global plans available
– Only works on newer phones (see list)
– Only some have unlimited data
– Max 30 days
– Can’t register for YouBike unless you get this one with local number (but single rental still possible)
– Confusing set-up
WiFi Device– Can be shared by up to 5 devices
– Can rent for up to 90 days
– Need to charge every day
– Need to pick up at airport
– Need to return at end of trip
– Extra thing to carry around

eSIms

A mobile phone that has a light blue eSIM symbol on a dark blue screen.

eSIMs are the latest trend for travelers (see my guide to using eSIMs in Taiwan). If you get an Airalo, Holafly, Klook, or KKday eSIM, it will start working as soon as your plane lands in Taiwan. In fact, the hardware is already in your phone (only in newer phones!)

All you have to do is download the the relevant app, choose the plan you want, pay, and follow the instructions so that it works as soon as you arrive in Taiwan.

In Taiwan, almost everyone uses the LINE app to communicate via instant messaging or phone calls. So an eSIM will be enough to communicate with hotels (they will often want to connect with their guests via LINE).

On the downside, with most of these eSIMs, the data is limited. You’ll only get 1 to 10 GB, depending on the plan you choose. If you run out, it’s easy to buy more. Holafly and KKday do offer unlimited data but they are quite a bit more expensive than the others.

Also, for most eSIMs, you’ll ONLY get data, which means you won’t get a local phone number. This means you won’t be able to make phone calls or register for a YouBike account.

There are some new ones coming out that do include a number and some money for making calls, such as this Chunghwa eSIM on Klook. The downside is that you still have to pick it up when you arrive in Taiwan, unlike Airalo, Holafly, KKday, or other ones on Klook, which you can set up yourself before you arrive.

Pocket WiFi Devices

Pocket WiFi Devices like this one on Klook or this one on KKday are another popular option, but they are becoming less so. The main benefit of a Pocket WiFi device is that it can be shared among up to five devices. This means a whole family can share just one device.

A major downside here is (again) no local number or phone calls. Also, for multiple people to share it, you’ll need to be relatively close together, so it may not work if you’re in different rooms. The device is an extra item that needs to be carried around and charged every night. Last but not least, you’ll have to return it at the end of your trip.

How to Pick Up Your Taiwan SIM at the Airport

A long hall with slanting white ceiling in Taoyuan International Airport
Arriving at T1 of Taoyuan International Airport

No matter which airport you arrive at in Taiwan (Taoyuan International Airport terminal 1 or 2 in Taoyuan City, Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taichung Airport in Taichung, or Kaohsiung Airport in Kaohsiung), the pick-up procedure will be the same.

However, the opening times for pickup are different at each airport. For Taoyuan Airport, the pick up times for the Klook SIM card on its own are 6 AM to 11:30 PM, so this is good for anyone landing in Taiwan from 5 AM to 10:30 PM.

If you get the EasyCard + SIM card deal on Klook, you can pick it up earlier, from 4:30 AM to 11 PM, suitable if you’re landing from 3:30 AM to 10 PM.

Please note, for the KKday ones, even though the page says pickup starts from 7 AM, one comments on this article said that when they arrived, the counter wasn’t open until 12:00 PM! So maybe stick to the Klook ones until KKDay provides some clarification about that.

If you need to store luggage at the airport, see my Taiwan luggage storage guide.

Step 1: Purchase on Klook

SIM card deal on Klook

Before departing for Taiwan, purchase your SIM card voucher on Klook. You can purchase the voucher anytime before your trip. It has no expiration date. One person can only get a maximum of one SIM card.

Here I’ll be sharing the directions for Klook. For KKday, the process will be similar, but there may be a different pick-up counter at the airport. All the instructions are on the Klook and KKday pages.

After you pay, you’ll receive the voucher by email within a few minutes. Make sure to save it to your phone. If you think your phone might run out of battery before reaching Taiwan, also print a copy.

Note that there is free WiFi at Taoyuan International Airport, so you’ll also be able to access the email when you get there.

Also note that your phone must be unlocked (most phones made after 2017 are) and must have a SIM card slot.

Step 2: Go through Normal Airport Arrival Procedures

Find out which budget airlines fly to Taiwan and book them here.

When you first land in Taiwan, you’ll need to exit the plane, follow the signs to Arrivals, go through immigration, collect your check-in luggage from the conveyor belt, and go through customs and into the Arrival Hall.

Under normal conditions, it usually takes about 1 hour to get through Taoyuan International Airport, while other airports may be a little faster. If several airplanes land at once or there is any other delay, it could take up to 2 hours.

Note: If you’ve already submitted your arrival form online, you don’t need to fill in a paper arrival card before going through immigration. There’s no QR code – they will just see it in their system when you present your passport.

Step 3: Find the Chunghwa Telecom Counter

A Klook and SIM card counter at Taoyuan International Airport
Chunghwa SIM card counter at T2

For each airport, there is a specific counter you’ll need to find to pick up the SIM card. You can find this information on the Klook page by choosing the Airport under “Pick-up Location” and then reading the “Package Details”.

For example, for Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1, the pick-up counter is Counter number 6 and for Terminal 2 it is Counter number 2. Klook even provides a map of the pick-up counters for each airport.

Chunghwa provides even more detailed maps here.

Step 4: Present Your Voucher & Passport

At the counter, simply present your email voucher and passport for identification. For certain passports of types of visas for Taiwan, you may have to provide secondary identification. See the Klook page for details about that.

The clerk will provide you with the SIM card that you ordered and even insert and activate it for you. The clerk should also test that it works. Don’t worry, they do this hundreds of times every day, so they know what they are doing!

Want to make a test call? Try dialing 0800-011-765. This is Taiwan’s 24-hour tourist hotline. They have service in English, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin. You can ask them any question you have about traveling in Taiwan! Also try doing a quick Internet search to test your connection.

Step 5: Use Until the Activation Period Ends

The day you activate the SIM card will count as your first day. The card will stop working at 11:59 PM on the last day of the validity period (3 to 30 days, depending on which one you purchased). You’ll receive a text message reminder in the last few days of your SIM card period.

However, you cannot extend the time of these tourist SIM cards in Taiwan. Once the days run out, the SIM card can no longer be used. So make sure to get one that will cover your whole trip.

If the ones on Klook are not long enough, you can get longer ones at the airport (up to 6 months).

How to Buy a SIM Card at the Airport

A hand holding up a white paper SIM card holder that says Chunghwa telecom on it
The clerk wrote my new number inside this SIM card holder

You don’t HAVE to buy your SIM card on Klook. You can also just show up at the airport and buy a SIM card when you get there.

The main benefits of buying on Klook are that you can pay for it online before you arrive and Klook sometimes offers small discounts. You can also save money by using credits that you get in your account (for example if you sign up with my referral link) or by referring your friends to Klook

The benefit of buying at the airport is that you can compare the prices (and line-ups!) at different providers at the airport. Here are the different mobile phone centers at Taoyuan Airport, with their locations and opening hours.

The earliest mobile phone counter at Taoyuan International Airport (T1 and T2) opens at 4:30 AM and the latest one closes at midnight (the Klook/Chunghwa one by comparison is only open from 6 AM to midnight. Click to find opening hours for Songshan Airport, Taichung Airport, and Kaohsiung Airport.

You may need to have Taiwanese cash to buy the card (read about what currency Taiwan uses). Most of them accept credit cards, but international cards don’t always work in Taiwan.

Another reason to just buy your SIM card at the airport is if you need it for a longer period than the ones available on Klook. In Klook, the maximum one is for 30 days, and even that is sometimes not available. At the airport, you can get SIM cards which are valid for up to 365 days.

Taiwan SIM Card Prices

The prices at the airport are going to be pretty similar to the ones on Klook, but it’s worth shopping around if you care. There will be more plan options at the airport that what you can find on Klook.

Here are some photos I took of different price plans by different providers at the airport:

Price list for SIM cards and WiFi device from Chunghwa at Taoyuan Airport
Chunghwa (if you buy at the airport instead of Klook), T Star, and Far EasTone
Price lists for mobile SIM cards from two different providers at Taoyuan Airport
Taiwan Mobile (left) and Far EasTone (right)

How to Get a SIM Card in the City

If you want to buy the Chunghwa SIM card on Klook but your flight arrives in the middle of the night (from around 11 PM to 5 AM), you can either wait at the airport for the Chunghwa counter to open at 6 AM, or just go to the city and pick it up from a Chunghwa shop later in the day.

See my guide to getting from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei and Taoyuan International Airport to Ximending.

There are many Chunghwa shops across Taiwan (just search 中華電信 on GoogleMaps), such as this one across from Taipei Main Station, this one near Dongmen, or this one in Zhongshan.

You can also go to any of these shops to buy a tourist SIM card for Taiwan if you’re already in the city and didn’t buy the Klook deal.

How to Get a Monthly SIM Card Plan

If you’re planning to live in Taiwan, you may want to sign up for a phone plan. You’ll need an ARC (Alient Resident Card) to do this. You can get an ARC through employment, marriage, coming over as a student, etc. It may take several weeks or even a few months after landing in Taiwan to get your ARC.

Most plans are for two years, with fines if you want to break the contract early, and will include a new phone.

These plans aren’t much cheaper than the tourist SIM cards offered at the airport, so if you’re planning to stay for only a year or less, consider to just buy the longest plan you can at the airport.

18 thoughts on “How to Get a Taiwan SIM Card at the Airport When You Arrive”

  1. Hi,
    Thanks for your website it’s Anazing. So many information and so precise ! WHaou !
    We are leaving in few days and I have 2 questions
    – I would like to follow your advice and buy my sim card and easy cards on Klook. COuld you tell me how to get your your referral link if it helps you ?
    – What amount do you think is correct to charge. We will use MRT few times a day and we will stay 3 days inTaipei at the begining of our trip, ans 4 days at the end…
    Thanks for your help.
    Kind regards.

  2. Hi, sorry about my late reply, you’ve probably already gone to Taiwan. If you click any of my Klook links on the site, the referral will my automatic for anything your book on Klook after that. But the amount is so tiny, so don’t worry about it! For EasyCard, if you buy on Klook, just put the max amount (400 + 100 deposit = 500). You will probably use that up during your trip and need to reload one more time. For example, Airport MRT alone is 150 each way.

  3. On the Klook site I see options for local and international calls. For example if I purchase a SIM card good for 15 days it includes TWD credit for local and international calls. That means nothing to me. Is that adequate or should I purchase more? How much does it cost to make a local call or an international call?

    Thank you for your help!

  4. Basically that is some credit which will be used for any kind of phone calls and obviously international ones will cost more. But when I visit Taiwan, I rarely make phone calls, so I never use this up. The only calls I make are maybe to reserve a restaurant or to call the 24-hr Taiwan tourist hotline. For communicating with locals, hotel owners, or my friends there, everyone uses the LINE app, which does use any data. And for international calls, well I never need to make any. So if you are like me, then this small amount they offer is most likely enough. Local calls are very cheap, international definitely quite a bit more expensive, but I don’t know the exact rates.

  5. Hi I was wondering, how long does it take the staff to set up the new sim card on your phone? As I am planning for a taxi to pick me up after I arrive and want to plan it so the taxi isn’t waiting too long for me!

  6. It only takes like 5-10 minutes maximum, including waiting in the line (if there is one), paying or redeeming your voucher, and setting it up.

  7. If I send a note with my signature for a 17 year old, will they be allowed to have a chungwha sim card installed for them at the airport? Thanks so much for your help!

  8. I’m sorry, I don’t know for sure, but if I had to guess, I would say this is probably not OK, given how easy it would be for any teen to fake a note. Only my guess, though!

  9. My daughter is going to stay for 9 months to study, do you know if there are SIM card plans available for this length? I see you mentioned 6 months.

  10. If you check the images in the “Taiwan SIM Card Prices” section of this article, you will see one of them says “Special Offer for Students” and includes up to one year SIM card. She may need to show some proof of being a student to get it. When she reaches the airport’s arrival hall, then she can find that mobile counter (FET), which should be easy, as the arrivals hall is not so big and most of the mobile counters are all together. If she has any issue, then she can just get a six month one from any of them, then she’ll have plenty of time to figure out what to do for the final 3 months.

  11. Really great site Nick. Good work! I’ve got SIM/eSIM/EasyPass situation I can’t quite figure out. Hoping you can help, We already bought eSIM’s on Holafly but after reading thru your website I’m wondering if I should get a refund and go with old-school SIM cards. It’s a bit complicated. I have time to sort this out as we don’t fly from Seattle to TPE until Nov 8.

    OK here goes:

    Trick #1: A 12-day gap in the middle of the trip
    9 days total coverage in Taiwan needed, BUT, it is over a 22-day period. 4 days Taiwan, then 12 days Vietnam, then 5 days Taiwan.

    Trick #2: We plan on using YouBike and EasyCard quite a bit in both Taipei and Kaohsiung
    It sounds like eSIM’s would be inconvenient for this – according to your site, due to the local Taiwan phone number thing. How hard (or inconvenient) is the eSIM work-around?

    Trick #3: If going with reg SIM will still have to buy a separate SIM for Vietnam, plus then what about our final 5 days in Taiwan after that? So we’d have to buy a 30-day SIM package?
    Our Holafly eSIM works in both countries supposedly, and covers the entire trip. The activation process is intimidating for sure, but I like the idea of 1-time programming.

    Trick #4: Cost – best total package?
    Currently we’ve paid $115 USD / 3600 TWD for 2 eSIMS with unlimited data and cover the whole trip for both countries…but we still need 2 EasyCards also.
    Is there a way we can still buy a combo package of EasyCard and SIM that makes $$ sense for Taiwan, and then buy 2 stand-alone Viettel Tourist SIMs for Vietnam in Hanoi? Those will cost about $10 USD (316 TWD) total for both with plenty of data/days. If so we have time to get a refund from Holafly.

    Trick #5: Landing at 9:15pm (21:15) in Taipei.
    I think we fly into Terminal 2. Is this too late to reliably get to an airport store that is still open (Klook, etc.)? I like to prepay before traveling for as much as I can usually. Looks like we might be cutting it close.

    Help!

  12. Definitely a lot to consider here. Personally, in this exact situation, I’d buy a 30-day SIM on arrival in Taiwan. That will cover both your visits. And the Vietnam one you mentioned is so cheap. Having the proper SIM means you can register for YouBike and connect your EasyCard for much easier renting each time. It will also mean you’ll get a number in Taiwan if you ever need to make actual calls. And at TWD 1000 for a 3o-day SIM on arrival plus 316 for your Vietnam SIM, that’s quite a bit cheaper than your Holafy one. eSIMs are *usually* pretty easy to set up, but recently had a lot of trouble with one in Japan and it’s making me rethink how much I should recommend them. The only downside here is that you’ll have to buy them on arrival instead of buying in advance. Most of the Klook SIMs seem to only up to 15 days, but there are definitely 30 day ones when you get there. It takes like 5-10 minutes to get one, that’s it. And for EasyCard, you can pre-order on Klook if you prefer (pick up kiosk is open till 11 PM so you are good). But it’s also so easy to just buy one at any MRT station on convenience store in Taiwan. Hope this helps!

  13. Hi Nick,
    Thank you for such an informative website and articles — I really appreciate the clear information.
    Question about SIM cards — I will be traveling to Taiwan with my wife. I noticed this statement: “if you are traveling with 2 or more people, you could even just buy one SIM card and share data with your companions.” How does this work? Do you give the Chunghwa counter staff member your companion’s phone #, and it syncs up with your SIM card?
    Thank you!

  14. No, it’s just like at home, you turn on the hot spot function on your phone. Then the other person searched for your phone, which will appear in the WiFi hotspots list, and you probably need to create a password on your phone which they will use to access your hot spot.

  15. Hi Nick, just to mention I got into taoyuan at 9am planning to pick up a SIM card/easy card purchased via KKday, at the chunghwa desk as you mention above, but they sent me down to the MRT ezfly counter (and this is what it said on the voucher when I checked the small print) Problem is, that counter doesn’t open till 12:00 noon!

  16. Hi Nick, thank you so much for your website. I have followed your link to Klook to buy an EasyCard and a SIM card. Can I please check one thing? I’m due to land in Taipei on 5 April at 5pm and depart on 10 April at 2pm. This technically is 5 days (in 24 hour periods) but your info above suggests that the SIM is activated on the first day regardless of how late I arrive. Does this mean that I’d need a 7 day SIM card to cover my trip (as it ends up being counted as 6 days under the SIM card system)?

  17. I think the way it works is that the first day counts as day one, and it will end at midnight of day 5 (they don’t count it as five 24-hour periods). However I’m not 100% sure, so you could try to ask Klook’s online chat support to see if they know for sure.

  18. Thank you for mentioning this and sorry you had that experience. The KKday page still stays it’s open from 7 AM, while GoogleMaps says EZfly is open from 4:30 AM…I’ve removed the KKday links from my article and added a warning about them. I’m also going to make a post in my Facebook group in two days asking if anyone else has had this negative experience. I also suggest your forward a complaint to KKday about it.

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