Complete Guide to Shipping Baby Products to Taiwan

2026 baby products shipping guide: formula import rules (under 1 year old requires an application; over 1 year old exempt from inspection up to 6 kg), strollers and car seats, baby food, toys, safety certification — a must-read for parents

⚡ 30-second summary: shipping baby products to Taiwan (last updated 2026-05-31)
  • Infant formula for babies under 1 year old: you must first apply to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) for an import permit (even for personal use); cumulative limit per person per year ≤ 30 kg.
  • Formula for over 1 year old and general food: dutiable value ≤ USD$1,000 (about NT$32,000) and weight per single item ≤ 6 kg are exempt from applying to the TFDA for import inspection.
  • Baby food containing meat (meat purées) is prohibited from import (animal quarantine); pure fruit and vegetable purées are allowed.
  • BSMI mandatory inspection: car safety seats (CNS 11497), infant and toddler toys (CNS 4797), bottle sterilizers, baby strollers, baby walkers, etc.; non-sale personal-use items may be exempt under the Regulations Governing Exemption of Commodities from Inspection, but there are quantity/value limits and the exemption can be used only once per 6 months for the same specification; commercial sale requires BSMI certification.
  • Baby body wash / shampoo are cosmetics (no longer sub-classified since 2024-07); personal use is limited to a reasonable quantity.
  • Tax: dutiable value ≤ NT$2,000 is duty-free; once the same taxpayer has more than 6 duty-free releases in a half-year, they are placed under monitoring.

Sources: Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), BSMI, Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (see “Legal basis and official sources” at the end of this page).

Contents

  1. Buying baby products on Taobao, Tmall, JD.com or Pinduoduo: what to watch out for when shipping them to Taiwan via the Shenzhen warehouse?
  2. Shipping formula: 6 kg inspection exemption + application required for under 1 year old
  3. Shipping strollers and car seats
  4. Shipping baby food and weaning food
  5. Shipping baby toys (CNS certification)
  6. Diapers and baby bath products
  7. Safety certification and pitfalls to avoid
  8. Legal basis and official sources
  9. FAQ

Buying baby products on Taobao, Tmall, JD.com or Pinduoduo: what to watch out for when shipping them to Taiwan via the Shenzhen warehouse?

Taiwanese parents ship baby products for 3 main reasons:

  • Many styles and a wide price range: Taobao, Tmall, JD.com and Pinduoduo offer many styles of bottles, strollers, toys, baby food and more, across a wide price range
  • Wider selection: some styles of baby products are hard to find in Taiwan
  • Parent group experience: many parents share shipping tips on FB / Dcard, and the community is very active

However, baby products involve three regulatory areas — food, safety and chemicals — so they require more care than ordinary goods. This guide explains all the key points.

Shipping formula: 6 kg inspection exemption + application required for under 1 year old

Two situations with very different rules
  • Infant formula for babies under 1 year old: under the regulations, you must first apply to the TFDA for an import permit (even for personal use); cumulative imports per person per year per item may not exceed 30 kg.
  • Over 1 year old (follow-on / toddler formula) and general food: dutiable value ≤ USD$1,000 (about NT$32,000) and weight per single item ≤ 6 kg are exempt from applying to the TFDA for import inspection.

Excess quantities or failure to apply as required will result in the goods being returned; frequent imports (more than 6 times in a half-year) will be placed under Customs monitoring.

3 key points when shipping formula
  1. At least 6 months of shelf life remaining: if the seller offers only 1-3 months, we recommend refusing it
  2. Intact sealed packaging: on arrival, always check that the foil inner seal and lid are undamaged
  3. Use air freight in summer: sea freight containers can reach 50°C, which affects ingredient stability

Shipping strollers and car seats

Baby strollers (Stroller)

Shipping cost: strollers are bulky items (2-5 cai of volume), so we recommend sea LCL consolidation (from NT$25/kg or NT$150/cu ft, quoted per product by customer service).
Note: disassembling it saves 30-50% of the volume; keep the original box to avoid scuffs.

Baby car safety seats (Car Seat)

BSMI certification required: car safety seats are BSMI-regulated products + national standard CNS 11497. Without certification they cannot be sold commercially (personal use must meet the personal-use exemption conditions of the Regulations Governing Exemption of Commodities from Inspection).
Recommendations: ① 1 unit for personal use ② check the product’s certification marks and version ③ to sell on Shopee/momo you must apply to BSMI (NT$30,000-80,000 per model).

Shipping baby food and weaning food

Baby food is regulated more strictly than general food

Baby food must meet the TFDA “Sanitation Standard for Infant Food”; over 6 kg requires an inspection application. Commercial sale also requires TFDA registration. See the complete guide to shipping food to Taiwan.

1. Rice cereal and wheat cereal

Personal use within 6 kg is exempt from inspection. Packaging must be intact, with at least 6 months of shelf life remaining.

2. Baby fruit and vegetable purées

Note: purées containing meat (such as chicken or beef purée) are prohibited without exception; pure fruit and vegetable purées are allowed.

3. Baby biscuits and rice crackers

Ordinary packaged food, exempt from inspection within 6 kg.

Shipping baby toys (CNS certification)

Infant and toddler toys are BSMI-regulated products and must pass the following under Taiwan’s CNS 4797 standard:

  • Mechanical and physical tests (to prevent swallowing of small parts)
  • Chemical testing (heavy metals, plasticizers)
  • Physical performance (sharp edges, grip strength)
  • Flammability (especially stuffed toys)
Shipping toys for personal use

Toys are BSMI mandatory-inspection products: non-sale personal-use items of the same specification and model on the same declaration, USD 1,000 or less and no more than 5 pieces (only 1 piece if over USD 1,000), may be exempt under the Regulations Governing Exemption of Commodities from Inspection, limited to once per 6 months for the same specification. Commercial sale, however, must go through BSMI (LEGO, Disney characters and toys for children under 3 are especially strict). See the list of BSMI-regulated products.

Diapers and baby bath products

1. Diapers (tape diapers, pull-ups)

Shipping cost: diapers are very bulky, so volumetric shipping costs are high. We recommend sea freight for bulk shipments.
Note: diapers are hygiene products and have no TFDA registration issue. There is no rule that “up to a certain number of packs is always released”; Customs decides case by case based on quantity, value and whether the shipment is commercial.

2. Baby body wash and shampoo

Classified as cosmetics (no longer sub-classified since 2024-07); personal use is limited to a reasonable quantity. See the cosmetics shipping guide.

3. Diaper rash cream and skin lotion

Note: products with medicinal ingredients (such as those containing bismuth subsalicylate) may be classified as “drugs” or special-purpose cosmetics, so check the classification; if classified as drugs, they are subject to the personal-use drug limits (12 per item, 36 in total).

Safety certification and pitfalls to avoid

3 things to check before buying
  1. The product itself carries certification from its country of origin, such as CE / CCC / FDA / JIS (not equivalent to Taiwan’s BSMI, but a sign of quality)
  2. Seller rating ≥ 4.5 stars + more than 100 reviews
  3. Avoid “grey-market parallel imports”: cheap goods with vague labelling are mostly counterfeits
3 common pitfalls in parent groups
  • Plastic bottles: BPA (bisphenol A) residues remain in some cheap mainland China versions → choose PPSU or glass
  • Counterfeit strollers: “Aprica and Stokke knock-offs” on Pinduoduo priced at 50% or less of retail are destroyed by Customs
  • Baby walkers: BSMI mandatory-inspection products (CNS safety requirements, inspection rules amended in ROC year 113 (2024)); cheap uncertified versions are easily stopped; paediatricians generally advise against traditional baby walkers

Legal basis and official sources

The rules on this page are compiled from the following current regulations and official government sources, last verified on 2026-05-31:

  • Infant formula foods for under 1 year old: an import permit is required; cumulative limit per person per year per item ≤ 30 kg — Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA).
  • Formula for over 1 year old and general food: dutiable value ≤ USD$1,000 and weight per single item ≤ 6 kg are exempt from applying for import inspection — Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA).
  • Baby food containing meat (meat purées and other animal products) is prohibited from import — Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA).
  • BSMI mandatory inspection: car safety seats (CNS 11497), infant and toddler toys (CNS 4797), bottle sterilizers, baby strollers, baby walkers, etc. — BSMI.
  • Baby bath / skin care products are cosmetics (no longer sub-classified since 2024-07; reasonable quantity for personal use) — TFDA.
  • NT$2,000 duty-free; duty-free treatment does not apply after more than 6 times in a half-year: Article 49 of the Customs Act and the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Postal Articles — Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance.

Official lookups: Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), BSMI, Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance; to look up a product’s tariff code, use the HowBridge 12,000+ tariff lookup tool.

FAQ: shipping baby products

Q1. How much formula can I ship at once? What about formula for under 1 year old?
First, distinguish between: ① infant formula for under 1 year old — you must first apply to the TFDA for an import permit (even for personal use), with a cumulative limit per person per year per item ≤ 30 kg; ② over 1 year old (follow-on / toddler formula) and general food — dutiable value ≤ USD$1,000 and weight per single item ≤ 6 kg are exempt from applying for inspection. If that is not enough: ship in several batches, have each spouse use their own EZWay account, or, for shop sellers, use commercial import (registration required). See the complete guide to importing stock for your shop.
Q2. Will a stroller shipped from Taobao to Taiwan get held at customs?
Strollers are BSMI mandatory-inspection products. Non-sale personal-use items may be exempt under the Regulations Governing Exemption of Commodities from Inspection, but there is a quantity limit (for infant and toddler products, no more than 2 pieces under the same tariff line on the same declaration), limited to once per 6 months for the same tariff line; there is no rule that it is “always released”. Notes: ① disassembling it saves shipping costs ② car seats are strictly regulated by BSMI. Recommendation: when it arrives at the warehouse, add an inspection service to check its condition + ask the warehouse for reinforced packaging (strollers are expensive).
Q3. How do I judge the shelf life of baby food (purées, rice cereal)?
Baby food has a relatively short shelf life (usually 12-18 months). Recommendations: ① make sure the seller gives at least 6 months of remaining shelf life (14 days by sea + 4 months until use) ② ask for vacuum packaging ③ keep each single item under 6 kg to avoid an inspection application. Customs spot checks look at shelf life; expired goods or goods with too short a shelf life will be returned.
Q4. Will Customs stop me if I buy a lot of baby toys?
Under the Regulations Governing Exemption of Commodities from Inspection: toys are BSMI mandatory-inspection products; non-sale personal-use items of the same specification and model on the same declaration with a total value of USD 1,000 or less and no more than 5 pieces (only 1 piece if over USD 1,000) may be exempt, limited to once per 6 months for the same specification; above that, an inspection application is required. There is no rule that “up to a certain number of pieces is always released”; quantities that clearly look like resale will still be treated as commercial imports.
Q5. How can I reduce shipping risk for baby products?
Baby products (strollers, car seats, formula) are expensive and some are hard to replace in Taiwan, but HowBridge’s declared-value compensation standard is: for now, loss or damage is compensated up to three times that parcel’s shipping fee; optional declared-value protection (3% of the declared value, max NT$150; once available, compensation at the declared value up to NT$5,000) is coming soon; fragile items such as glass and ceramics are not accepted for shipping, and items shipped without disclosure are not eligible for compensation (fragile items, liquids, powders, batteries and battery-powered items, dangerous goods and prohibited items are not compensated with or without declared-value protection); the amount for damage is assessed case by case. (The above compensation does not apply to precious metals and jewelry: they must first be insured by an insurance company, and HowBridge bears no liability for their loss or damage in transit; see the Terms of Service.) Recommendations: ① ask the warehouse to reinforce the packaging of strollers and car seats and pack them separately ② split large quantities of formula into several boxes to reduce the risk per shipment ③ glass baby bottles count as fragile items and are not accepted, so choose non-glass ones ④ record a video when you open the parcel on receipt.

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Cited references

This page cites primary government, judicial, and academic sources from HowBridge’s customs reference index (1,171 records). Each item links to its original source.

Reference index data version: 2026-08-16