Moving from Taiwan to Germany (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Germany treats your used household goods as Übersiedlungsgut (transfer-of-residence goods) and lets them in free of import duty and import VAT if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, owned and used the items for at least 6 months, and import them within 12 months of settling.
- The customs paperwork centres on form 0350 (Zollanmeldung für Übersiedlungsgut) plus a full valued inventory; you present it at a German customs office (Zollamt).
- Taiwan is an EU-listed third country, so a dog or cat needs only a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU animal health certificate to enter Germany — no rabies antibody (titre) blood test. You also need a BAPHIQ/APHIA export health certificate to leave Taiwan.
- Sea freight from Kaohsiung or Keelung to Hamburg runs roughly 30–36 days port-to-port; plan 6–10 weeks door to door. Air freight is 3–7 working days for the urgent core.
- After arrival you must register your address (Anmeldung) within 14 days, and Taiwanese nationals — as third-country citizens — need a national visa and residence permit.
- A Taiwan driving licence can be exchanged for a German one without a test because Taiwan is on Anlage 11 (List A) of the German licence ordinance.
1. Leaving Taiwan: what to close out
A clean exit from Taiwan makes the German side far simpler, because German customs and the immigration office will both want proof of how long you lived abroad and that you have genuinely given up your Taiwanese base.
Residence and immigration (NIA). If you hold an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC), decide before you leave whether you are surrendering it or keeping permanent residence alive. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) administers ARC/APRC status; an APRC can lapse if you are outside Taiwan too long without applying for a re-entry endorsement, so if you intend to keep it, sort the paperwork before departure. Taiwanese citizens should note their household registration (戶籍) status, as moving it affects tax residency and National Health Insurance liability.
Labour and pension. Tell your employer your leaving date and confirm your final labour insurance and labour pension position. Under Taiwan’s Labor Pension Act, individual pension accounts are generally paid out from age 60, but foreign workers permanently leaving Taiwan can, in defined circumstances, claim a lump-sum settlement of the employer-contributed portion. Ask your employer’s HR or the Bureau of Labor Insurance how your specific case is treated, and settle any outstanding income tax with the National Taxation Bureau — leavers often need a tax-clearance settlement before departure.
Household goods export (Taiwan Customs). Outbound personal effects are handled through the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance. Prepare a detailed, valued packing inventory in English; keep purchase receipts or photos to show items are used and personally owned. All untreated wood packing (crates, liftvans, pallets) must be heat-treated or fumigated to the ISPM-15 standard and stamped, or the shipment will be held on arrival in Germany.
Pet export (APHIA/BAPHIQ). Taiwan’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA, the former BAPHIQ) issues the government export veterinary certificate. Book an inspection at an APHIA branch or airport quarantine station within 7 days of departure, bringing the animal, its microchip record and the rabies vaccination certificate (dated more than 30 days but less than 1 year before travel). APHIA then issues the export health certificate you need to satisfy both Taiwan and, together with the EU certificate, Germany.
Booking the ship. Kaohsiung is Taiwan’s largest container port and the usual load port for southern and central Taiwan; Keelung serves the north. Both have frequent Asia–North-Europe services calling at Hamburg.
2. How your household goods ship to Germany
Nearly all household relocations from Taiwan to Germany move by sea in a shipping container. A full 20-foot container suits a small house; a 40-foot container suits a larger family home. If your volume is smaller, you can share a container as an LCL (less-than-container-load) consolidation, paying only for the cubic metres you use.
Sea transit, qualitatively. Vessels leave Kaohsiung or Keelung, typically call at other Asian hubs (Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Singapore or Tanjung Pelepas), transit the Suez Canal or route around the Cape of Good Hope depending on Red Sea conditions, and berth in North Europe. Kaohsiung-to-Hamburg port-to-port transit is broadly 30–36 days; with export packing, port cutoffs, German customs clearance and final delivery, a realistic door-to-door window is 6–10 weeks. Build slack into your plans and do not arrange furniture installers for a fixed early date.
Air freight. For a faster core shipment — a few hundred kilos of clothes, kitchen basics, a child’s essentials — air freight from Taoyuan (TPE) to Frankfurt or Munich clears in about 3–7 working days once flown. It costs several times more per kilo than sea, so most people fly only what they cannot live without for two months and ship the rest.
What not to ship. Keep prohibited and restricted goods out of the container: fresh food, plants and seeds, weapons, and anything that would trip German import controls. Alcohol and tobacco in a removal shipment are not covered by transfer-of-residence relief and attract duty.
3. Germany customs & transfer-of-residence relief
Because Taiwan is outside the EU customs territory, your goods are a formal import — but Germany’s Übersiedlungsgut relief removes both customs duty and import VAT when you qualify. Confirm current details on the German customs (Zoll) transferring-residence page before you ship.
The three core conditions. Your ordinary residence must have been outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months; the goods must have been owned and actually used by you for at least 6 months before the move; and you must import them, in principle, within 12 months of establishing your residence in Germany. You must not sell, lend, pledge or otherwise dispose of the relieved goods for 12 months after clearance.
The paperwork. The central document is form 0350, the customs declaration for removal goods, downloadable from the Zoll website. Attach a comprehensive, valued inventory — itemised, not “100 boxes of household items”. You will also typically need your passport, proof of deregistration from Taiwan or evidence of your 12 months abroad, proof of a new German address (rental contract or Anmeldung confirmation), and the bill of lading or air waybill. The declaration is lodged at the competent Zollamt handling your shipment.
Vehicles. A car you have owned and used for at least 6 months abroad can also qualify as Übersiedlungsgut and enter free of duty and import VAT, but importing and re-registering a Taiwan-market car in Germany (TÜV approval, type conformity, emissions) is usually costly and slow; most movers sell the car in Taiwan.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
Address registration (Anmeldung). Every resident must register their address at the local citizens’ office (Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt) within 14 days of moving in. You need your passport, the rental contract and a landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). The registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) is the master key to almost everything else — bank account, tax ID, residence permit and licence exchange.
Residence and visa (third-country nationals). Taiwanese passport holders are third-country nationals for EU purposes. Taiwan passport holders can enter the Schengen area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180 for tourism, but to live and work in Germany you must hold the correct national visa (applied for at the German office in Taipei before travel for most work, study or family routes) and then convert it into a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) at the local foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) after Anmeldung. The EU Blue Card is a common route for qualified professionals with a graduate degree and a qualifying salary. EU/EEA citizens moving from Taiwan face none of this and simply register.
Driving licence. You may drive on your Taiwan licence (with an official German translation) for up to 6 months after establishing residence. Taiwan sits on Anlage 11, List A of the German licence ordinance, so you can exchange it for a German Class B licence without taking theory or practical tests — apply at the Führerscheinstelle with your passport, Meldebescheinigung, biometric photo, eye test and a translation of your licence.
Healthcare. Health insurance is mandatory in Germany. Employees are enrolled in statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) automatically; the self-employed and high earners may take private cover. Arrange insurance from day one, as proof is required for your residence permit.
5. Pets
This is the part where moving from Taiwan to Germany is genuinely easier than most people expect. Taiwan is an EU-listed third country, so a dog or cat entering Germany needs only three things: an ISO-standard microchip, a valid rabies vaccination administered after the chip, and an EU animal health certificate issued by an official veterinarian. There is no rabies antibody (titre) blood test and no long waiting period — a crucial difference from pets coming out of “unlisted” countries.
The rabies vaccine must be given when the animal is at least 12 weeks old, and at least 21 days must pass after the primary vaccination before travel. On the Taiwan side, APHIA/BAPHIQ issues the export veterinary certificate (book within 7 days of departure). On arrival, you must enter Germany through a designated traveller entry point and, for commercial-style transport or more than five animals, follow the stricter import channel. Germany’s federal ministry (BMLEH) publishes the current entry rules; a maximum of five pets may travel under the non-commercial pet rules. Keep the microchip number, vaccination record and both certificates together in hand luggage — do not pack them in the container.
6. Money, banking & tax basics
Banking. You generally need Anmeldung and a tax ID before opening a traditional German current account (Girokonto), though several app-based banks open accounts on an address and passport alone. A German IBAN is essential for rent, salary and direct debits.
Tax residence. Once your home and centre of life are in Germany, you become German tax-resident and are taxed on worldwide income. Taiwan and Germany do not have a comprehensive double-taxation treaty in the usual bilateral form, so plan carefully around any Taiwan-source income, pensions or investments and take professional advice to avoid being taxed twice. Bring your final Taiwan tax settlement documents.
Cost and currency. Move money through a regulated FX service rather than a walk-in exchange, and avoid sending large sums before you have a German account to receive them. Keep an emergency buffer in an accessible account for the deposit (usually up to three cold months’ rent), first month’s rent and initial furniture.
How Flyto handles your Taiwan to Germany move
Flyto Relocation runs the whole corridor as one managed project rather than a series of disconnected bookings. We coordinate export packing and the APHIA-side documentation in Taiwan, book the sea or air freight from Kaohsiung, Keelung or Taoyuan, and — because we operate our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — handle German customs clearance, the form 0350 filing and final delivery to your door in one chain of custody. Your dedicated advisor prepares the transfer-of-residence paperwork, checks your pet’s microchip, vaccination and certificate timeline against the EU-listed-country rules, and keeps a single point of contact across time zones. Get a quote and we will map your dates, volume and budget into a clear plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood titre test to enter Germany from Taiwan?
No. Taiwan is an EU-listed third country, so a dog or cat needs only a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU animal health certificate — no titre test. See European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU.
What is form 0350?
It is Germany’s customs declaration for removal goods (Übersiedlungsgut), submitted with a valued inventory to claim duty- and import-VAT-free entry. See German Customs — Transferring residence.
How long do I have to import my belongings duty-free?
In principle within 12 months of establishing your residence in Germany, and the goods must have been owned and used for at least 6 months. See German Customs — Transferring residence.
Can I swap my Taiwan driving licence in Germany without a test?
Yes. Taiwan is on Anlage 11, List A, so a Class B exchange requires no theory or practical test. See German Missions — Driving licences.
How long does the shipment take?
Sea freight from Kaohsiung to Hamburg is roughly 30–36 days port-to-port; allow 6–10 weeks door to door. Air freight clears in about 3–7 working days. See Customs Administration, Taiwan.
Do Taiwanese citizens need a visa to live in Germany?
Yes. As third-country nationals, Taiwanese passport holders need the appropriate national visa and then a residence permit, arranged through the German mission in Taipei and the local foreigners’ authority. See German Federal Foreign Office — Visa service.
Related moves
Sources
- German Customs (Zoll) — Transferring residence / removal goods
- European Commission (DG SANTE) — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- German Federal Ministry (BMLEH) — Travelling with pets: entry regulation
- APHIA (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency), Taiwan — Quarantine for dogs & cats export
- Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, Taiwan — Travellers and cargo clearance
- National Immigration Agency, Taiwan — Residence (ARC/APRC)
- German Federal Foreign Office — Visa service
- German Missions — Driving licences and Anlage 11 exchange
Hiring an international mover? See our full International removals to Taiwan service — Flyto’s own European hubs, vetted local partners and one English-speaking coordinator, door to door.