Moving from Sweden to Taiwan (2026): Complete Guide

Relocating from Sweden to Taiwan means clearing two very different regulatory systems back to back. On the departure side you deal with a European Union member state: Sweden’s customs authority Tullverket, its population register run by Skatteverket, and EU export formalities. On the arrival side you enter the customs territory of the Republic of China (Taiwan), governed by the Customs Administration under the Ministry of Finance and, for pets, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA) under the Ministry of Agriculture (the successor to the former BAPHIQ). This guide covers both halves of the corridor plus a short note on returning to Sweden. It is written for someone registered as a resident of Sweden who is establishing a new life in Taiwan, whether for work, study, family, or retirement.

Key takeaways

• Your Taiwanese immigration status (Alien Resident Certificate holder vs. short-stay visitor) and your date of entry drive how customs treats your shipment — used household effects clear duty and tax free only with full documentation and correct timing (Taiwan MOF).
• Leaving the EU, you (or your mover) must lodge an export declaration with Tullverket using emigrant commodity code 9905 00 00 and procedure code 1000 (Tullverket).
• Goods leaving the EU also require a pre-departure (safety and security) declaration before removal (Tullverket).
• Notify Skatteverket if you will live abroad for a year or more; you are removed from the population register using form Moving Abroad, Notification (SKV 7665b) (Skatteverket).
• Your unaccompanied shipment must arrive in Taiwan before, or within six months of, your entry and be declared in writing on the Customs Declaration Form via the Red Channel (Taiwan MOF).
• Dogs and cats bound for Taiwan need an import permit applied for at least 30 days before shipment, a microchip, rabies vaccination, and a rabies antibody titer of at least 0.5 IU/ml (APHIA).
• Cash limits into Taiwan are strict: more than NT$100,000, foreign currency equivalent to US$10,000, or RMB 20,000 must be declared (Taiwan MOF).
• Deregistering does not end your Swedish tax exposure: SINK still applies to Swedish-source income, and Sweden may retain taxing rights over certain capital gains for years after you leave (Skatteverket).

1. Your immigration status decides the customs treatment

In Taiwan, duty-free clearance of used household goods and personal effects is not automatic — it depends on documentation proving a genuine relocation. Customs will want your passport, your entry stamp dated within the last six months, and a residence document such as an Alien Resident Certificate, together with an English inventory/packing list and the transport document (Taiwan MOF). A short-stay visitor cannot claim relocation relief for a full container. The practical rule: line up your visa or resident status first, enter Taiwan, and time your shipment to land inside the six-month window. Everything downstream — the exemptions, the Red-Channel process, whether you pay duty — flows from that status and that timing.

2. The Sweden export side

The customs authority is Tullverket (Swedish Customs). When you move from Sweden to a country outside the EU, you must notify the export of your personal belongings by lodging an export declaration. You can do this yourself at a customs office at the border or leave it to your removal or forwarding company (Tullverket). Household goods can be grouped under collective terms such as books, household goods, linen and clothing. For an emigrant’s personal property, the declaration uses commodity code 9905 00 00 and procedure code 1000 (Tullverket). Because Taiwan lies outside the EU, the shipment also triggers the EU pre-departure declaration, meaning safety and security data must be submitted before the goods physically leave the Union (Tullverket). Tullverket also flags related steps: de-register vehicles with the Swedish Transport Agency, declare any firearms, and obtain export authorisation for certain cultural goods through the Swedish National Heritage Board (Tullverket).

Deregistration and tax exit. If you plan to move abroad for a year or more, you must notify Skatteverket, which removes you from the Swedish population register. The relevant form is Moving Abroad, Notification (SKV 7665b) (Skatteverket). Deregistration is not the same as ending tax liability. Sweden levies SINK, a flat special income tax on Swedish-source income for non-residents; the rate fell from 25% to 22.5% on 1 January 2026 and is set to drop further to 20% on 1 January 2027 (Skatteverket). Skatteverket also notes that the notification information may be used to assess any continuing obligation to pay tax in Sweden (Skatteverket).

3. Ports & transit times

Sweden’s dominant gateway for containerised export is the Port of Gothenburg (Göteborg) — the largest port in Scandinavia, with deep-sea container services handled by APM Terminals Gothenburg (Port of Gothenburg). Most Sweden-to-Taiwan sea freight consolidates through Gothenburg (or feeders to a Northern European hub such as Rotterdam or Hamburg) and discharges at Keelung, Taipei (Taoyuan), or Kaohsiung. Helsingborg and Stockholm handle smaller volumes.

The following transit ranges are freight-industry estimates, not official government figures, and vary with routing, transhipment, sailing schedules and season:

• Sea freight (FCL/LCL), door-to-port: roughly 6–10 weeks from Sweden to a Taiwanese port, before customs clearance and local delivery.
• Air freight: typically 1–2 weeks door-to-door for the transport leg, again excluding clearance.

Treat these as planning windows only. Build slack around them, because your Taiwan duty-free eligibility hinges on the shipment arriving inside the six-month post-entry window described below.

4. The Taiwan import side

Taiwan’s customs clearance for a relocating resident centres on the concept of unaccompanied baggage. The quantity and principal contents must be declared in writing on the Customs Declaration Form when you arrive, and you must go through the Red (Goods to Declare) Channel (Taiwan MOF). Two timing rules are decisive: the baggage must be imported before your entry or within six months of your entry date, and if you fail to declare it at the Red Channel on arrival, it is treated as regular goods and loses the personal-effects exemption (Taiwan MOF).

Used household goods and personal effects are normally cleared duty and tax free when full documentation is presented. For accompanied personal or household articles, inbound passengers enjoy a duty-free allowance totalling NT$35,000 (raised from NT$20,000 with effect from 26 June 2024), and goods above that must be declared via the Red Channel (Taipei Customs). New items, commercial quantities, and high-value single articles can attract import duty, and where applicable commodity tax and business tax, assessed under Taiwan’s customs tariff (Customs Administration, MOF). All shipments are subject to inspection. Prepare a detailed English inventory, keep your passport and entry stamp handy, and expect customs to cross-check the packing list against the container.

5. Pets

Leaving Sweden. Jordbruksverket (the Swedish Board of Agriculture) is explicit that Sweden’s own export rules are minimal and that the destination country’s requirements govern — it is your responsibility to hold the right certificates and meet Taiwan’s conditions, and you should contact the destination authority or its embassy in good time (Jordbruksverket).

Entering Taiwan. Taiwan is rabies-sensitive and APHIA (the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, formerly BAPHIQ) runs a strict regime. You must apply for an import permit at least 30 days before shipment; each dog or cat must carry a microchip; rabies vaccination must meet the World Organisation for Animal Health standard; and a blood sample tested at an APHIA-designated laboratory must show a rabies antibody titer of at least 0.5 IU/ml, drawn no less than 180 days and no more than two years before shipment (APHIA). A post-entry quarantine/monitoring inspection applies, and animals that do not meet the conditions may be re-exported or detained (APHIA). Because the titer test alone locks in roughly six months of lead time, start the pet process well before the human move — this is the single most schedule-critical part of the relocation. Confirm the current specifics directly with APHIA before booking flights.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles. De-register any Swedish-plated car with the Swedish Transport Agency before export (Tullverket). Importing a motor vehicle into Taiwan is heavily regulated and dutiable, with commodity tax and roadworthiness/emissions compliance on top — for most movers, selling in Sweden is simpler than shipping (Customs Administration, MOF).

Money. Do not carry undeclared cash into Taiwan. You must declare amounts exceeding NT$100,000, foreign currency equivalent to US$10,000, or RMB 20,000; undeclared excess can be confiscated (Taiwan MOF).

Commonly forgotten: obtain an apostille/legalisation for diplomas, marriage and birth certificates before you leave Sweden; settle Swedish subscriptions, Kivra and bank arrangements; keep prescriptions and medication documentation; and retain proof of ownership and use of your goods, which also matters if you ever move back.

How Flyto handles your Sweden to Taiwan move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — so the Swedish collection, export paperwork and consolidation are handled by people we employ and control. For the long-haul leg and the Taiwan side we combine a carefully chosen network of vetted freight partners and subcontractors with trusted local agents in Taiwan for customs clearance and final delivery. We coordinate the whole corridor end to end without pretending we do every mile ourselves.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to bring my shipment into Taiwan?
It must arrive before you enter, or within six months of your entry date, and be declared in writing on the Customs Declaration Form via the Red Channel (Taiwan MOF).

Do I have to file the Swedish export declaration myself?
No. You can lodge it at a border customs office yourself, or leave it to your removal or forwarding company, using commodity code 9905 00 00 and procedure code 1000 (Tullverket).

Will I still pay tax in Sweden after I deregister?
Possibly. Deregistration removes you from the population register, but SINK applies to Swedish-source income and Sweden may retain taxing rights over certain assets — assess your position with Skatteverket (Skatteverket).

When should I start my dog’s or cat’s paperwork?
Immediately — the rabies titer blood sample must be drawn no less than 180 days before shipment and the import permit applied for at least 30 days out, so pets typically set the timeline (APHIA).

What if I move back to Sweden later?
Returning residents can claim relief from Swedish duty and VAT on personal belongings if they lived outside the EU for at least a year, owned and used the goods for six months, and import within 12 months of registering in Sweden (Tullverket).

Can I bring my pet from Taiwan back to Sweden?
Yes, but into the EU it needs an ISO microchip, valid rabies vaccination (with a 21-day wait before travel), and entry via a designated point such as Arlanda or Landvetter; a titer test is strongly recommended (Jordbruksverket).

Sources

• Tullverket — Moving from Sweden to a country outside the EU
• Tullverket — Pre-departure declaration for goods exiting the EU
• Tullverket — Duty and VAT relief when moving to Sweden
• Skatteverket — Civil de-registration
• Skatteverket — SINK special income tax for foreign residents
• Ministry of Finance (R.O.C.) — Inward passengers should declare unaccompanied baggage
• Ministry of Finance (R.O.C.) — Declare excess cash honestly
• Taipei Customs — Duty-free allowance raised to NT$35,000
• Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (R.O.C.)
• APHIA (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency) — Import of dogs and cats into Taiwan
• Jordbruksverket — Bringing dogs, cats and ferrets out of Sweden
• Jordbruksverket — Movement of dogs, cats and ferrets to Sweden from countries outside the EU
• Port of Gothenburg (port authority)