Port of Taipei Customs and Sea Express Clearance Guide
Which agency is Port of Taipei customs? Where is the "Customs Station 4"?
The customs authority stationed at Port of Taipei is the Bali Branch of Keelung Customs, Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, at No. 123, Shanggang Rd., Bali Dist., New Taipei City. Keelung Customs' official structure uses "sections/units"; unit names such as "Customs Station 1–4" cannot be found. Sea express is handled by Sea Express Sections 1 and 2, stationed at 3 sea express zones. To check your own shipment, use the declaration number: the first two characters AX mean clearance at the Port of Taipei sea express zone.
HowBridge provides China→Taiwan consolidated shipping, with warehouses in Shenzhen and Taoyuan only; HowBridge is not customs and does not respond on behalf of Keelung Customs for individual cases. The clearance method, duties/taxes and release time are always subject to Customs' determination.
What sections does the Bali Branch at Port of Taipei have? What does each handle?
Keelung Customs has 4 branches — Wudu, Bali, Taoyuan and Hualien — of which the Bali Branch is in charge of import/export cargo clearance for the Port of Taipei area. Commonly searched terms such as "Port of Taipei Customs Station 2," "Station 3" and "Station 4" are not official unit names published on Keelung Customs' website; the units it does publish are the following sections:
| Unit | Main duties (per Keelung Customs) |
|---|---|
| Business Section | Classification and valuation of import/export cargo, tax collection, inspection, documentation and administrative appeal cases. |
| Sea Express Section 1 | Sea express cargo clearance; stationed at the Port of Taipei International Logistics zone. |
| Sea Express Section 2 | Sea express cargo clearance; stationed at the Taiwan International Ports Corporation Logistics zone and the Taipei Port Container Terminal (TPCT) zone. |
| Inspection Section | Baggage inspection, pier patrol, container supervision and warehouse oversight. |
| Instrument Inspection Section | Container instrument scanning, manifest screening and exemption spot checks. |
Bali Branch address, phone and office hours
No. 123, Shanggang Rd., Bali Dist., New Taipei City; service phone (02)8630-5427; office hours published on the official site are 8:30–12:30 in the morning and 13:00–17:00 in the afternoon. The official site does not list weekend or holiday service — call ahead to confirm before you go.
Why do people say "Customs Station 4"?
This is not an organizational name used on Keelung Customs' official website, and this page does not map it to any particular section. If a document or a carrier mentions a "station," go by the customs office code on the declaration, the section actually handling the case, or the zone name given by the carrier.
How many sea express zones does Port of Taipei have?
According to Keelung Customs, Port of Taipei is the port area with the largest volume of sea express cargo clearance nationwide, clearing about 2,500 containers per month; the Bali Branch has handled sea express cargo clearance since 2015-05.
| Sea express zone | Established | Clearance lanes |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Taipei International Logistics | 2015-04 | 6 lanes |
| Taiwan International Ports Corporation Logistics | 2015-10 | 2 lanes |
| Taipei Port Container Terminal (TPCT) | 2020-05 | 4 lanes |
How can you tell from the declaration that clearance is at Port of Taipei?
For a sea express declaration number, the first two characters AX mean clearance at the Port of Taipei sea express zone under the Bali Branch of Keelung Customs; BY is Kaohsiung Port and DX is Taichung Port. On the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window, use GB321 to check simplified declaration status and GB301 to check formal customs declaration status.
After cargo arrives at Port of Taipei, what stages remain before delivery?
A ship docking only means the ocean-freight leg is complete. Sea express cargo still has to enter the zone to await container unpacking, pass individually through X-ray (with a physical inspection when necessary), be released from the warehouse after duties/taxes are paid, and only then be handed to domestic logistics for delivery.
- After the container is unloaded, it is sent into the sea express zone to await a scheduled unpacking slot; the express carrier must file the customs declaration no later than one day counted from the day after unpacking is completed (Article 17 of the Regulations).
- After unpacking, express cargo passes individually through X-ray inspection; when necessary, Customs will require the customs broker to open the package for inspection.
- Once inspection confirms no issues, duties/taxes are paid and the shipment is released; for simplified declarations, the tax is deducted by the express carrier from its Customs prepaid duty guarantee account.
- After release, the shipment leaves the warehouse and is handed to domestic logistics for delivery to the recipient's address.
Keelung Customs explains: express cargo is X-ray-scanned piece by piece on the conveyor; when the declaration is honest and no violation is involved, release can take about 5 minutes; violations are held for further handling. This is not the arrival time for an entire batch, and it is not a guarantee.
What happens if a container is selected for X-ray inspection (CX), and what about off-hours?
If Customs designates an import container for X-ray machine inspection (CX) at the manifest stage, the container must first be driven to an inspection station and scanned after unloading; only then may it enter a container yard or leave the port area. If it is unloaded outside inspection hours, it is sealed, held temporarily and scanned the next day. This check covers the whole container and is a different stage from the piece-by-piece X-ray after unpacking in the sea express zone described in the previous section. Both full-container and consolidated loads can be designated, and HowBridge's sea LCL consolidation (quote by product — ask customer service) also enters port inside a container.
| Item | What the authorities say |
|---|---|
| Who decides on inspection | Customs decides at the manifest stage. Under the import part of the Pre-Arrival Cargo Clearance Manual, once the carrier receives Customs instruction notice N5170 ("inspection required"), it must present the container for machine inspection at the time and station Customs designates, unless it has a justified reason approved by Customs. |
| Where the container may go before inspection | Only after inspection is complete may the container be stored at the port container yard, or leave the checkpoint for another area or an inland container yard. |
| Off-hours: stored at a port yard inside the same terminal control area | After the carrier seals it, the container is handed to the yard; once the yard verifies the container markings and seal number, it may be stored there and driven to the inspection station as soon as possible the next day. |
| Off-hours: bound for another area or an inland yard | After sealing, it may not leave the port control area directly. It must wait in the holding zone Customs has designated (Keelung east side: open area beside the East 9 sealing station; west side: open area at Pier West 21) and be inspected as soon as possible the next day. |
| Scanning hours (Keelung Port east and west inspection stations) | Monday–Friday 08:00–21:40; Saturday–Sunday 08:00–19:30. The news release does not give hours for the Port of Taipei station. |
| What changed at the Port of Taipei station | The gantry-mounted container scanner at the Bali Branch's Port of Taipei inspection station went into service on 2026-07-01 (Rapiscan Eagle G60). A separate radiation-detection lane, split from X-ray inspection, lets trucks pass without stopping or queuing with containers awaiting inspection. |
- Effect on timing: a CX-designated container adds a leg — drive to the station, scan, image review. If it is unloaded outside inspection hours, it waits until the next day. If the image raises questions, Customs may inspect further: under Article 23 of the Customs Act, Customs may inspect or exempt imported goods ex officio or on application, and may take samples when necessary. The authorities have not published how long each scan takes, so this page does not estimate days.
- Why inspect: Keelung Customs said on 2026-09-15 that while scanning T6 (sea-to-air transshipment) cargo on July 24, the new Port of Taipei equipment helped seize 32,200 disposable e-cigarettes, 32,090 e-cigarette devices, 3,600 empty pods, 205.75 kg of e-cigarette parts and 126 kg of e-liquid. Undeclared or concealed goods show up on the image, leading to penalties and business losses.
- What it means for HowBridge customers: with sea LCL consolidation (quote by product — ask customer service), whether a container is designated for inspection and which port it is unloaded at are decided by Customs and by that batch's sailing schedule and carrier arrangement. HowBridge cannot know in advance or request an exemption. What the recipient can do is declare item names, quantities and unit prices truthfully.
What is “release before duty payment”, and who can use it?
Release before duty payment means that the duty and deposit a taxpayer owes under Article 18 of the Customs Act are covered by a guarantee approved by Customs, in place of paying cash or a deposit, so the imported goods are inspected and released first (Article 3 of the Regulations Governing Release of Imported Goods Prior to Duty Payment). The legal basis is Article 44 of the Customs Act: goods for which an approved guarantee has been provided shall be released first. The guarantee is provided by the taxpayer, the customs broker or its responsible person, either as a “single-office guarantee” (one customs office) or an “all-office guarantee” (all offices), and can be reused within its limit (Article 5). Accepted forms include cash, government bonds, bank time-deposit certificates and a guarantee from a credit institution (Article 4; Article 11 of the Customs Act). If payment is overdue or formalities are not completed on time, Customs recovers the tax and, depending on the case, issues a warning or suspends the use of this scheme for up to one year (Article 8).
What does an electronic bank guarantee save, and can individuals use it?
Taipei Customs explained on 2026-09-04: when a bank guarantee is used, the bank can issue an electronic guarantee and send the data to Customs through the financial blockchain platform, so the paper guarantee no longer travels back and forth between bank and Customs for verification; at expiry or early release, Customs can also notify the bank through the system. The application can be filed online through the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window with an electronic certificate (Article 6(2): applies when the guarantee is cash or a credit-institution guarantee). The legal basis is Article 4(3): a credit-institution guarantee may be submitted electronically to Customs by a credit institution approved by the Customs Administration via a transmission platform, but this does not apply where the guaranteed party is a natural person. So the electronic guarantee is for importers such as companies and for customs brokers. For individual online purchases under simplified declaration, duties are deducted by the express carrier from its prepaid duty guarantee account (see the previous section), and the recipient does not need to apply.
The hours and holding areas come from Keelung Customs' 2026-08-25 news release and refer to the Keelung Port east and west stations; for the Port of Taipei station's hours and holding arrangements, follow Customs' current notices. This section explains procedure only and does not judge whether any goods may be imported.
How is sea express cargo classified? When must it switch to formal customs declaration?
Under Article 11 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Sea Express Cargo, imported sea express cargo is divided into four classes, with amounts calculated on dutiable value; the classification codes follow Point 2 of the Operating Directions for Customs Clearance of Sea Express Cargo, and the high-value X4 class must switch to a general declaration:
| Class | Condition | Classification code (Operating Directions) |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | Imported express documents | X1 |
| Low value, duty-free | Dutiable value of NT$2,000 or less | X2 |
| Low value, dutiable | Dutiable value NT$2,001～50,000 | X3 |
| High value | Dutiable value more than NT$50,000 | X4 |
Cases requiring a general declaration (formal customs declaration)
Under Article 12 of the Regulations, the following cargo must clear via a general declaration (formal customs declaration): high-value cargo with a dutiable value of more than NT$50,000; cargo subject to import/export regulations (except for special circumstances announced by Customs); cases requiring a declaration copy for duty drawback or bonded-goods purposes; cargo taxable under the Commodity Tax Act or the Specifically Selected Goods and Services Tax Act; cargo subject to countervailing duty, anti-dumping duty or retaliatory tariff; cargo subject to a tariff quota; and similar cases.
Duty-free isn't just about the NT$2,000 figure
Keelung Customs' notice specifies: a shipment qualifies as duty-free only when its dutiable value is NT$2,000 or less per shipment AND the same taxpayer has not exceeded 6 such duty-free releases within the same half-year.
Under Article 3, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations, the following may not clear through a sea express zone: items whose import is prohibited under the Customs Act, controlled items, items infringing intellectual property rights, fresh agricultural, fishery and livestock products, live plants, protected wildlife and plants and their products, cargo with a gross weight exceeding 70 kg per piece (or bag), and cargo imported in non-enclosed (open-type) containers.
Cargo sent by the same shipper on the same voyage to the same consignee may not be declared separately (Article 15 of the Regulations); if declared separately, Customs will combine the dutiable values to assess import duty (Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations). Starting 2026-03-01, Customs may refuse to accept a declaration where the customs-declaration authorization has not been completed as required and this is on record in the Customs system (Article 18 of the Regulations).
Where is Port of Taipei, and how large is it?
Port of Taipei is located on the south bank of the mouth of the Tamsui River, spanning Bali District to Linkou District in New Taipei City. In 2004-01, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications designated it an auxiliary port of Keelung International Commercial Port; it is managed by the Keelung Port Branch of the Taiwan International Ports Corporation.
| Item | Figure | Statistical period |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Taipei container throughput | 1,463,657.75 TEU | 2025 |
| Port of Taipei container throughput | 921,080.25 TEU | 2026-01–2026-07 |
| Port of Taipei vessel arrivals/departures | 9,534 vessel-calls | 2025 |
| Container throughput at all Taiwan international commercial ports | 13,546,118 TEU | 2025 |
Who operates the container terminal?
Of Port of Taipei's 23 operating berths, North 3 is a combined container/passenger-cargo berth and North 4–North 6 are container berths. Taipei Port Container Terminal Corporation states that it holds a 50-year exclusive operating right to berths North 3–North 9; its three major shareholders are Evergreen Marine, Wan Hai Lines and Yang Ming Marine Transport. Keelung Customs notes that Port of Taipei ranks 2nd nationwide in container throughput.
What can the recipient do in advance to make clearance smoother?
1Complete real-name authorization via EZ WAY first
Complete real-name authorization following the EZ WAY customs declaration authorization process (paper authorization or authorization via the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window also works). Starting 2026-03-01, Customs may refuse to accept a declaration where the required authorization has not been completed and this is on record in the Customs system.
2Ask the carrier for the declaration number
Check the first two characters of the declaration number; starting with AX means clearance at the Port of Taipei sea express zone.
3Check progress via the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window
Look up GB321 for a simplified declaration and GB301 for a formal customs declaration, to see which stage it is currently at.
4Prepare the invoice and itemized product details
The product name, quantity and unit price must match the actual goods, to make Customs classification and valuation easier.
5Declare truthfully — don't split shipments
Cargo sent by the same shipper on the same voyage to the same consignee may not be declared separately; if declared separately, Customs will combine the dutiable values to assess tax (Article 15 and Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations).
6After release, wait for domestic delivery
Release does not mean delivery; after leaving the warehouse, the shipment still has to go through domestic logistics. See the home-delivery process after clearance for reference.
Common terms for Port of Taipei customs clearance
- Bali Branch
- A branch of Keelung Customs under the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, responsible for import/export cargo clearance in the Port of Taipei area.
- Sea express zone
- A dedicated site within the port area, approved by Customs, for clearing sea express cargo; Port of Taipei currently has 3.
- Simplified declaration
- Express documents and express cargo with a dutiable value of NT$50,000 or less can clear using a simplified declaration form; high-value cargo, cargo subject to import/export regulations (except for special circumstances announced by Customs), or cargo subject to commodity tax and similar items must switch to a formal customs declaration.
- AX declaration
- A declaration number whose first two characters are AX indicates clearance at the Port of Taipei sea express zone.
- TEU
- A standard 20-foot container unit used to measure container throughput.
- CX inspection
- An import container that Customs designates at the manifest stage for X-ray machine inspection; after unloading it must be scanned at an inspection station before it may enter a container yard or leave the port area.
- Electronic guarantee
- When release before duty payment is secured by a bank (credit-institution) guarantee, the bank sends the guarantee data directly to Customs through the financial blockchain platform; not available where the guaranteed party is a natural person.
Sources and scope of verification
The following sources were accessed on 2026-09-26; document dates and access dates are shown separately, and no date is fabricated for sources without an explicit update date.
Government and official primary sources
- Keelung Customs: Organizational structure (branch composition) | Document date: 2022-09-02; Keelung Customs has 4 branches — Wudu, Bali, Taoyuan and Hualien; the Bali Branch is in charge of import/export cargo clearance for Port of Taipei.
- Keelung Customs: Bali Branch duties | Document date: 2025-06-24; division of duties and assigned zones for the Business Section, Sea Express Sections 1 and 2, the Inspection Section and the Instrument Inspection Section.
- Keelung Customs: Bali Branch contact information | Document date: 2026-06-30; address, service phone number and office hours published on the official site.
- Keelung Customs: Agency features (Port of Taipei and sea express zones) | Document date: 2026-05-15; 3 sea express zones, 12 clearance lanes, about 2,500 containers per month, and Port of Taipei's container volume ranking.
- Keelung Customs: Bali Branch launches sea express clearance | Document date: 2024-04-15; the Bali Branch has handled sea express cargo clearance since 2015-05.
- Keelung Customs: Notice on sea express cross-border online shopping | Document date: 2025-12-31; the AX declaration prefix, GB321/GB301 lookup, duty-free conditions, and the conditions behind X-ray release.
- Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Sea Express Cargo | Document date: amended 2026-02-23; Article 3 on cargo barred from zone clearance, Article 11 on the four classes, Article 12 on switching to formal declaration, Article 15 on the ban on splitting shipments, and Article 18 on customs-declaration authorization.
- Operating Directions for Customs Clearance of Sea Express Cargo | Document date: amended 2021-12-20; the X1–X4 classification codes and operating procedures.
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation: Port of Taipei information | Document date: not indicated; location on the south bank of the Tamsui River mouth, spanning Bali District to Linkou District, New Taipei City.
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Keelung Port Branch: History of Port of Taipei | Document date: updated 2026-09-15; designated an auxiliary port of Keelung International Commercial Port in 2004-01.
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Keelung Port Branch: Port of Taipei berth facilities | Document date: updated 2026-09-15; 23 operating berths, with North 3–North 6 as container berths.
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation: Port of Taipei container throughput statistics | Document date: updated 2026-08-25; 1,463,657.75 TEU in 2025; 921,080.25 TEU in 2026-01–2026-07.
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation: Port of Taipei vessel traffic statistics | Document date: updated 2026-08-25; 9,534 vessel-calls in 2025.
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation: International commercial port container throughput | Document date: updated 2026-08-25; combined total of 13,546,118 TEU across all Taiwan international commercial ports in 2025.
- Taipei Port Container Terminal Corporation: Company profile | Document date: not indicated; per the company, it was established in 2003 and holds a 50-year exclusive operating right to berths North 3–North 9.
- Taipei Port Container Terminal Corporation: Shareholders | Document date: not indicated; the three major shareholders are Evergreen Marine, Wan Hai Lines and Yang Ming Marine Transport.
- Ministry of Finance: Keelung Customs offers holding arrangements for CX-inspection containers outside inspection hours | Document date: 2026-08-25 (accessed 2026-10-23); N5170 "inspection required", the two holding options, and Keelung Port east/west station hours.
- Ministry of Finance: Keelung Customs adds gantry-mounted container scanner | Document date: 2026-09-15 (accessed 2026-10-23); Port of Taipei gantry scanner in service from 2026-07-01, e-cigarette seizure in T6 cargo on July 24.
- Ministry of Finance: Keelung Customs holds unveiling ceremony for Port of Taipei gantry-mounted container scanner | Document date: 2026-06-09 (accessed 2026-10-23); model Rapiscan Eagle G60 and a radiation-detection lane separate from X-ray inspection.
- Ministry of Finance: Electronic guarantees for release before duty payment save time — Taipei Customs urges traders to use them | Document date: 2026-09-04 (accessed 2026-10-23); electronic guarantees sent via the financial blockchain platform, release of guarantee by system, online application through the Single Window.
- Customs Act | Document date: amended 2022-05-11 (accessed 2026-10-23); Article 11 forms of guarantee, Article 18 release before assessment and deposits, Article 23 inspection, Article 44 release upon guarantee.
- Regulations Governing Release of Imported Goods Prior to Duty Payment | Document date: amended 2022-05-09 (accessed 2026-10-23); Article 3 definition, Article 4 forms of guarantee and electronic transmission (not for natural persons), Article 5 single-office/all-office guarantees, Article 6 online application, Article 8 handling of overdue cases.
Research literature held in library collections
A Study on the Customs Clearance Management System for Express Cargo
At the time of the research (around 2020–2021), 3 of the 4 sea express zones nationwide were at Port of Taipei; the figures reflect only the time of the research — the current situation follows the 3 zones announced by Keelung Customs.
A Study on Developing Port Logistics at Port of Taipei
The report recommends that Port of Taipei's import logistics target the northern region as its market and leverage cross-strait high-speed ferries and a location about 30 minutes' drive from Taoyuan Airport to promote cross-strait express services; this is a policy recommendation, not a guarantee of actual transit time.
A Study of ICT-Assisted Sea Express in Regional Economic Competition and Cooperation: The Cases of Port of Taipei and Pingtan Island
Using in-depth interviews to study sea express clearance, the study concludes that clearance speed is affected not only by information systems but also by cross-strait border controls, cargo volume and sailing frequency.
Keelung Customs' official website does not publish an annual declaration count or express-shipment count for Port of Taipei; this page only cites the figure "about 2,500 containers per month." The official site does not list weekend or holiday service, and the address and phone number of each zone's carriers are not made public; this page does not fill in that information on its own. Figures from the research literature reflect only the time of that research.
Frequently asked questions about Port of Taipei clearance
Where are "Customs Station 4" and "Customs Station 2" at Port of Taipei?
What are the phone number and office hours for Port of Taipei customs (Taipei clearance service)?
Can I collect my goods as soon as the ship reaches Port of Taipei?
What does it mean when the declaration number starts with AX?
Can I go to the port zone myself to pick up the cargo?
Does HowBridge's sea freight clear through Port of Taipei?
AX means the Port of Taipei sea express zone.How long is the delay if a container is selected for X-ray inspection?
Can an individual online shopper use an electronic guarantee for release before duty payment?
Further reading
Shipping goods from China to Taiwan? Prepare your declaration information first
HowBridge has warehouses only in Shenzhen and Taoyuan, providing China→Taiwan consolidated shipping; before sending, confirm the product name, quantity and EZ WAY authorization.
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