Complete Guide to SF Express Shipping from Mainland China to Taiwan

Can SF Express ship directly from Mainland China to Taiwan?

Yes.SF Express is one of the most common legitimate express couriers for cross-strait shipping, offering both personal and commercial shipping services from Mainland China to Taiwan. Delivery times are generally reliable when flights operate normally and customs clearance proceeds smoothly. However, there are several important points to know first:

• The recipient's identity must be verified: For personal packages shipped to Taiwan, the recipient must first download the EZ WAY app on a mobile phone and complete identity verification by linking their mobile number and national ID number.
• Declared value and proof of purchase: Under Announcement No. 43 of 2010 of the General Administration of Customs of China (adjusting the management of inbound and outbound personal postal items, effective 2010-09-01), items sent by individuals to or from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are limited to CNY 800 per shipment; where a parcel contains only one indivisible item and customs verifies that it is genuinely for personal use, it may be cleared above the limit (interpretation published by the Shenzhen Municipal Port Office on 2010-08-10). SF Express's actual acceptance standards are governed by the “Acceptance Standards Search” on its website and by its acceptance review, and in practice you may be asked for proof of purchase (an electronic invoice or an order screenshot).
• Licensed express service, inspection and real-name rules required by law: Under Article 32 of China's Interim Regulations on Express Delivery (快递暂行条例), express companies must inspect the contents of items they accept and may not accept items from senders who refuse inspection; Article 23 of the same regulations also provides that items may not be accepted if the sender refuses to provide identity information or provides false information. These are legal obligations of every express company, not something unique to SF Express.

What services does SF Express offer for shipping to Taiwan?

SF Express primarily offers two cross-border delivery tiers, distinguished by whether they use air or ocean freight:

Is SF Express Standard Express ocean freight? Explained

How long does SF Express take from Mainland China to Taiwan? The timeline broken into three stages

How long does SF Express take to ship from Mainland China to Taiwan?

Track progress in stages: pickup and transfer, cross-border transport, customs clearance and delivery in Taiwan. When checking the official quote, first confirm where the reference transit time starts and what it covers, so you do not add processing time that is already included. Holidays, weather, capacity or clearance issues can all affect delivery. If tracking stays at the same step, ask the carrier whether the shipment is waiting for transfer, for supplementary documents or for inspection.

How long is the voyage when SF Express ships by sea from Fuzhou or Pingtan to Taiwan?

The 2016 doctoral dissertation by Chao Kai-kang (趙凱康) of the Department of Management Information Systems at National Chengchi University, “A Study on Sea Express Delivery Assisted by Information and Communication Technology amid Regional Economic Competition and Cooperation: The Case of Taipei Port and Pingtan Island”, records that sea express delivery from Taipei Port to Pingtan Island takes only three hours. The study also notes that clearance speed is shaped not only by information and communication technology, automated inspection-position systems and the presence of fourth-party logistics providers, but also by cross-strait border controls, information exchange, sea express volume, and sailing frequency, stability and the normalization of the route. In other words, when you see “ocean freight takes a week”, most of that week is not spent floating at sea but waiting for goods to be consolidated into a container, waiting for a sailing, and waiting for customs clearance — which is exactly why consolidated-shipping operators can shorten ocean-freight transit times through more frequent container consolidation.

Is there a weight limit for sea express delivery, and what happens if it is exceeded?

Article 3 of the “Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Sea Express Consignments” (海運快遞貨物通關辦法) provides that the following three categories of goods may not be cleared in the sea express consignment area: (1) goods that may not be imported under the Customs Act, controlled items, goods infringing intellectual property rights, imported fresh agricultural, fishery and livestock products, live plants, and protected wildlife and products made from them; (2) goods with a gross weight of more than seventy kilograms per piece (bag); and (3) goods imported in non-enclosed containers. The same regulations also provide that “all imported and exported sea express consignments must pass X-ray inspection”, unless the nature of the goods makes them unsuitable for X-ray and customs has approved an exception. The regulations were promulgated on November 29, 2013 and were most recently amended on February 23, 2026, revising Articles 12, 18 and 32, with Article 18, Paragraph 2 (pre-authorization) taking effect on March 1, 2026. A single piece over 70 kilograms cannot be cleared in the sea express area; ask the carrier or a customs broker which declaration method and documents apply instead, and confirm the weight before buying heavy goods. Note also that the penalty in Article 24 of the same regulations (NT$6,000 to NT$30,000) applies to sea express operators, not to individual recipients.

How much does SF Express shipping from Mainland China to Taiwan cost, and how is it calculated?

SF Express cross-border shipping fees consist of several components. The actual amount is based on the current quote shown on the SF Express website or app (cross-strait rates may vary by weight, destination, and time, and direct shipping rates are usually higher than consolidated shipping rates):

• The greater chargeable weight applies: Actual weight and volumetric weight are compared, and charges are based on whichever is greater.
• Volumetric weight formula: Length(cm) × Width(cm) × Height(cm) ÷ 6000 = volumetric weight(kg) — shipments from Mainland China to Taiwan fall under SF Express's “Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan shipments”, which use ÷6000; only “international express” shipments use ÷5000, so do not mix the two up (see the billing notes on the SF Express website Shipping Rate and Transit Time Search). Bulky but lightweight goods, such as clothing and toys, can result in a much higher volumetric weight.
• Base weight + additional weight: The first weight tier has one price, with an additional charge for each subsequent weight increment. Conversions vary by route.
• Possible surcharges: Fuel surcharges, remote-area fees, oversized-item fees, and others.

How do you use the SF Express shipping cost calculator? Three steps with the official “Shipping Rate and Transit Time Search”

There are only three steps: ① enter the origin (sender address in Mainland China) and destination (recipient address in Taiwan); ② enter the weight (kg) and length×width×height (cm), and choose the shipping time; ③ run the search, and the system lists the available products, estimated transit times, shipping fees, and fuel surcharges. For shipments where “either the origin or the destination is in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan”, the SF Express website adds three reminders: prices and transit times are for reference only and must be confirmed by calling SF Express customer service; shipping fees include the fuel surcharge but not customs clearance taxes and fees or special handling fees; and transit times to remote areas of Taiwan require an additional 3-6 business days. Measure the outer carton before running an estimate—once the volumetric weight exceeds the actual weight, charges are based on volumetric weight, which is why estimates for light, bulky goods such as clothing and toys often come out higher than expected.

SF Express Direct Shipping vs HowBridge Consolidated Shipping

Neither option is always better; the right choice depends on your needs:

＊HowBridge ocean-freight transit times are based on actual testing of 774 consolidated packages billed 2026-08-01 to 2026-09-30 and shipped from China to final delivery in Taiwan: median 6 days, 76.9% delivered within 7 days, 96.4% within 10 days, and 99.9% within 14 days.

Customs Clearance and EZWay Pre-Authorization (2026 New Rules)

1. The recipient must first complete EZWay identity verification

   Download the EZ WAY app and link the recipient's own mobile number and national ID number to complete identity verification. See the complete EZWay tutorial.

2. Receive the app notification before arrival and tap “Declaration Matches”

   Starting 2026/3/1, “pre-authorization confirmation” must be completed before the customs declaration is filed. After the app sends a push notification containing the declaration details, verify that they match the actual purchase and tap “Declaration Matches” before customs will release the shipment. Customs clearance cannot proceed unless you respond.

3. Taxes and duty-free allowance

   Under Article 49, Paragraph 2 of the Customs Act and Ministry of Finance rules, express consignments with a customs value of NT$2,000 or less are duty-free; if the same taxpayer uses this exemption more than 6 times within a half-year period (January 1–June 30 and July 1–December 31 each year), it no longer applies from the 7th time, and the count resets on January 1 and July 1 each year. The text of Article 49, Paragraph 2 reads: “Where the aggregate customs value of the same consignment falls below the limit publicly announced by the Ministry of Finance, the goods shall be exempt from duty; however, this shall not apply where imports occur frequently…”, and how “frequent” is determined is set by the Ministry of Finance under Paragraph 3 of the same article. Shipments above the limit, or containing taxable or regulated goods, are subject to tax or inspection. To estimate taxes in advance, use the Taiwan tariff lookup guide. For clearance times, see how long Taiwan customs clearance takes.

What cannot be shipped with SF Express?

Whether you use SF Express direct shipping or consolidated shipping, the same goods prohibited or restricted by Taiwan Customs cannot be shipped. Common examples include:

• Strictly prohibited: meat, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, live animals and plants, firearms and ammunition, illegal drugs and counterfeit goods. Meat includes pork products such as mooncakes, meat floss, jerky and ham. According to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, importing pork products by post in violation of the announcement under Article 28 of the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases is fined NT$200,000 for a first violation and NT$1,000,000 for a second or later violation under Article 43, Subparagraph 8; the statutory fine under Article 43 is NT$50,000 to NT$1,000,000, and importing by express without applying for quarantine falls under Article 43, Subparagraph 11 (also NT$50,000 to NT$1,000,000). According to a TVBS report of 2026-09-10 citing Ministry of Agriculture figures, 588 illegal pork products had been seized in 2026 as of September 9 (413 from travelers, 134 by post and 41 by express), about 50% of them from Mainland China.
• Inspection required / regulated: whether electrical products such as power banks, Bluetooth speakers and LEDs are subject to mandatory inspection by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) should be checked item by item in the BSMI regulated product list; HowBridge usually ships goods containing lithium batteries via sea LCL consolidation with declaration (contact customer service for a quote based on the goods; this is HowBridge's operational arrangement, not a legal requirement).
• Frequently disputed: imports of medicines, dietary supplements, perfume and alcohol-based products are subject to separate rules; for quantities and items, follow announcements by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (Ministry of Health and Welfare) and the Customs Administration (Ministry of Finance). This page does not list figures.

See the complete list of goods prohibited from import into Taiwan.

Frequently Asked Questions About SF Express Shipping to Taiwan

Glossary for this page

Sea Express Delivery

Express consignments that are imported or exported by sea and cleared in the sea express consignment area. Under Article 3 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Sea Express Consignments (海運快遞貨物通關辦法), goods with a gross weight of more than 70 kilograms per piece (bag), controlled items, and goods carried in non-enclosed containers may not be cleared in the area, and all imported and exported sea express consignments must pass X-ray inspection (except goods unsuitable for X-ray with customs approval).

Pre-Authorization Confirmation (EZWay)

The authorization confirmation that all simplified-declaration express imports must complete before the customs declaration is filed, effective 2026/3/1: after the recipient's name and mobile number submitted by the customs broker pass identity verification, the EZ WAY app pushes the declaration details, and the recipient verifies them and taps “Declaration Matches”; if pre-authorization is not completed, the shipment cannot be declared to customs.

Volumetric Weight (Dimensional Weight)

The chargeable weight calculated as Length(cm) × Width(cm) × Height(cm) ÷ 6000 (shipments from Mainland China to Taiwan fall under SF Express's “Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan shipments”, which use ÷6000, while “international express” shipments use ÷5000). It is compared with the actual weight and charges are based on whichever is greater; bulky but lightweight goods can result in a much higher volumetric weight.

Related Articles

• Mainland China-to-Taiwan shipping cost calculator (including SF Express comparison + online calculator)
• How long does Taiwan customs clearance take? Ocean freight / air freight / Sea Express clearance times
• Complete EZWay tutorial: identity verification and pre-authorization
• How are Taiwan import tariffs calculated? Duty-free allowance and CCC code
• Goods prohibited from import into Taiwan
• Complete guide to shipping from Taobao to Taiwan
• Taiwan dedicated-route consolidated shipping: cheaper than SF Express direct shipping and faster than standard ocean freight