What Is the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window? Can Individuals Use It? How Does It Differ From EZ WAY?

What is the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window, and what is its official address?

The Customs-Port-Trade Single Window lets importers, exporters, customs brokers and agencies such as Customs, trade permit authorities and port authorities handle applications and inquiries in one place. The official portal is portal.sw.nat.gov.tw, and its official site name is "CPT Single Window". Other Chinese-language search phrases commonly seen online, which would read in English as "Customs Administration Customs-Port-Trade Single Window" and "Trade-Van (Tradevan) Single Window" (the latter a shorthand), all refer to this portal run by the Customs Administration, which is different from Tradevan, the company.

What is the legal basis of the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window?

The legal basis is Article 10-1 of the Customs Act; the operating rules are the Regulations Governing the Operation and Implementation of the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window (amended on ROC year 108, month 2, day 26), made under paragraph 3 of that article.

• Article 10-1 of the Customs Act: matters may be handled through the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window established by Customs; the regulations on its operation, management, fee standards and so on are to be prescribed by the Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) in consultation with the agencies concerned.
• Article 3 of the Regulations: the operating items include application and inquiry services between participating operators and participating agencies, coordination and data-exchange services among participating agencies, cross-border data-exchange services between countries, and other value-added services.
• Article 7 of the Regulations: an electronic document that a participating operator transmits through the Single Window is deemed to have reached the participating agency that is legally to receive it once it has been entered into the Single Window and recorded by computer; where other laws provide otherwise, those provisions apply.
• International background: Article 10, paragraph 4 of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) requires Members to "endeavour" to establish or maintain a single window (it is not mandatory); UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 33 (2005) defines a single window as a mechanism for submitting standardized information and documents to a single entry point, with electronic data submitted only once. In the WTO database, Taiwan notified Article 10.4.3 as Category A, with a fixed implementation date of 2017-02-22.

Who uses the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window? Can individuals use it too?

Under Article 2 of the Regulations, "participating operators" include domestic import and export businesses, transport, warehousing, customs brokerage, freight forwarding, inspection application, container terminal, financial and express delivery businesses, free trade zone enterprises, and individuals or other operators involved in the import and export of goods; "participating agencies" are government agencies for customs, ports, trade permits, inspection and quarantine. So, within the scope of users the regulations list, individuals are among those who may use it.

• Registration requires a certificate: Article 6 provides that applying through the Single Window by computer connection is limited to registration with a Government Certificate, Citizen Digital Certificate, Industry and Commerce Certificate, or Organization and Group Certificate; those connecting by electronic data transmission may additionally use a customs-dedicated certificate.
• Mobile Citizen Digital Certificate: a Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) press release of 2025-11-04 says that since 2025-10-01 the Single Window lets members of the public register with the Mobile Citizen Digital Certificate; the release also says the Mobile Citizen Digital Certificate needs no card insertion and no password entry, and that statement originally refers to the login function for those already registered.
• The authorities publish no statistics on how many ordinary online-shopping consignees use the Single Window directly. This page found none, so it does not write statements such as "most do not operate it directly."

How does the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window differ from EZ WAY?

People often search for "CPT Single Window ezway" together, but the two differ in who built them, in nature, and in identity verification. The "Correspondence to provisions" row in the table below is this page's own summary based on the nature of the builder: the express cargo regulations do not write out the name "EZ WAY".

If I do not want to use EZ WAY, can I use the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window instead?

Yes. When imported express cargo is entrusted to a customs broker to be declared with a simplified declaration form, Article 18 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Sea Express Cargo and Article 17 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Air Express Cargo (both amended on ROC year 115, month 2, day 23) provide that the customs brokerage authorization must be completed in one of the following ways:

• First item: written authorization: a per-case or long-term authorization made in writing; for a written per-case authorization, the customs broker gives an undertaking when declaring online and then presents the authorization document as Customs requires.
• Second item: Customs-Port-Trade Single Window: an online per-case or long-term authorization made through the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window.
• Third item: real-name verification platform: an online per-case authorization made through a real-name verification platform built by a customs clearance network operator.

How is imported express cargo classified? What limits apply to simplified declarations?

Article 11 of the express cargo clearance regulations divides imported express cargo into express documents and three price categories, and the price categories are set by dutiable value. The Customs Administration FAQ explains that simplified declarations apply to imported express cargo that does not involve import regulations and whose dutiable value does not exceed NT$50,000. The dutiable value is the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the imported goods, so freight up to the Taiwan port of arrival is also included.

What should I do if I get a text message or call about "back-payment of customs duties"?

First identify the official portal: the official address of the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window is portal.sw.nat.gov.tw, its footer credits the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan), and the Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) press release of 2025-11-04 also lists this address.

• Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) press release of 2025-02-12: Customs officers will not proactively notify people by phone, text message, email or instant messaging or other non-written channels to pay taxes or fines, and will never ask them to remit money to a private account.
• Taxes, fees and fines must all be paid through a financial institution directly into the national treasury account; if you receive a similar notice, call the Customs Administration or the relevant Customs office to verify it, and do not remit money as instructed.
• This is a statement by Customs and its scope goes beyond the Single Window; 好運器's own notices will also never ask you to remit money to a private account.

How do I complete the customs brokerage authorization for imported express cargo and track progress?

The following 4 steps apply to parcels bought on Chinese e-commerce platforms and sent to the 好運器 Shenzhen warehouse.

How is a single window defined internationally? What research is worth consulting?

The research below only provides background and cannot prove the actual results of Taiwan's single window:

• WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, Article 10, paragraph 4 (2014): Members shall endeavour to establish or maintain a single window; for data already received through the single window, participating agencies in principle may not ask for it again. This is an obligation to "endeavour".
• Cheng Kuo-Lung, 2011 (master's thesis, Ling Tung University): an interview study from before launch found that customs brokers care most about efficiency, that the single window is not intended to replace existing channels for applications, and that it has little effect on customs brokers.
• OECD, 2013: estimates that the combined improvement of trade facilitation measures could reduce total trade costs by 13.2% to 15.5%, but the study covers developing countries, not Taiwan, and is not the effect of a single window on its own.
• Tosevska-Trpcevska, 2014: enterprises in North Macedonia considered that introducing a single window could save time and labor; a single-country study that cannot be extended to Taiwan.

What are common terms for the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window?

Customs-Port-Trade Single Window

An online portal run by the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan), integrating applications and inquiries for customs clearance, trade permits and port services; official site name CPT Single Window.

What does single window mean?

Single Window: a mechanism that lets operators submit standardized information and documents to a single entry point, with electronic data needing to be submitted only once (UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 33); the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window is Taiwan's single window.

EZ WAY

An online authorization APP that Trade-Van Information Services Co. (Tradevan) built and operates with its own investment; it was not commissioned by Customs.

Customs brokerage authorization

The consignee's authorization for a customs broker to handle import declaration; for a simplified declaration of imported express cargo, it can be completed in any one of the three ways provided in the regulations.

Simplified declaration

A simplified declaration for imported express cargo, applicable to cargo that does not involve import regulations and whose dutiable value does not exceed NT$50,000.

Customs clearance network operator

An operator that runs a customs clearance electronic data transmission network; the real-name verification platform in the third item of the express cargo regulations is built by this kind of operator.

Mobile Citizen Digital Certificate

The mobile version of the Citizen Digital Certificate; since 2025-10-01 the Single Window offers registration with it.

Dutiable value

The basis for calculating tax, being the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the imported goods, which includes freight and insurance up to the Taiwan port of arrival.

What are the sources and the scope of the fact-check?

The sources below were consulted on 2026-09-30; document dates are shown separately from the consultation date, and no update date is invented where none is stated.

Government, agency, international documents and news reports

• Laws & Regulations Database of Taiwan: Customs Act (Article 10-1) | Document date: amended on ROC year 111, month 5, day 11; Article 10-1: matters may be handled through the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window established by Customs; the regulations on the operation, management, fee standards and so on of the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window are to be prescribed by the Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) in consultation with the agencies concerned.
• Laws & Regulations Database of Taiwan: Regulations Governing the Operation and Implementation of the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window | Document date: amended on ROC year 108, month 2, day 26; Article 1 is made under Article 10-1, paragraph 3 of the Customs Act; Article 2 participating operators include individuals; Article 3 operating items; Article 4 handled by the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan); Article 6 registration with certificates; Article 6-1 customs-dedicated certificate fee; Article 7 electronic documents recorded are deemed to have arrived; Article 9 connection 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
• Laws & Regulations Database of Taiwan: Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Sea Express Cargo | Document date: amended on ROC year 115, month 2, day 23; Article 18: the customs brokerage authorization must follow one of three ways, the second item being an online per-case or long-term authorization through the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window; where the authorization was not completed and recorded in the Customs clearance information system, Customs may refuse to accept the declaration; Article 18-1: where the conditions are met, an application may be made to correct the consignee to the taxpayer and return the cargo for export; Article 19, paragraph 3: a person who declares the consignee's real-name-verified mobile phone number need not declare the national identification number (Taiwan national ID number) and similar numbers.
• Laws & Regulations Database of Taiwan: Regulations Governing Customs Clearance of Air Express Cargo | Document date: amended on ROC year 115, month 2, day 23; Article 17: the three ways of customs brokerage authorization are the same as in Article 18 of the sea express regulations; Article 18, paragraph 3: a person who declares the consignee's real-name-verified mobile phone number need not declare the national identification number (Taiwan national ID number) and similar numbers.
• Customs-Port-Trade Single Window (Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan)) home page | Document date: consulted 2026-09-30; the footer credits the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan), as copyright holder; the menu lists customs services, port services, trade permits, tariff and tax rates, and the online authorization system; customer service 0800-299-889.
• Customs-Port-Trade Single Window: no-login inquiry page | Document date: consulted 2026-09-30; lists GC411 Comprehensive Tariff and Tax Rate Inquiry, GC473 Import and Export Regulations Inquiry for Goods, and GC329 End-to-End Status Tracking of Simplified-Declaration Imports.
• Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) press release: Customs-Port-Trade Single Window offers registration with the Mobile Citizen Digital Certificate | Document date: 2025-11-04; since 2025-10-01, the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window offers members of the public registration with the Mobile Citizen Digital Certificate; the release says the Mobile Citizen Digital Certificate needs no card insertion and no password entry (originally referring to the login function for those already registered); it also lists the service address portal.sw.nat.gov.tw.
• Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan), press release: explanation of the EZ Way APP | Document date: 2026-08-03; the EZ Way APP is an online authorization APP that Trade-Van Information Services Co. (Tradevan) built and operates with its own investment; it is only one of the ways to give a customs brokerage authorization, the public may choose a paper per-case authorization or long-term authorization, and regulations do not mandate it; fees are charged to customs brokers, not to ordinary members of the public.
• Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan): supplementary explanation of Customs on public concerns about using the EZ Way APP | Document date: 2026-08-03; current regulations provide that online authorization and paper authorization may be chosen as alternatives; the public may still ask the customs broker to use paper authorization for the declaration; EZ Way was not commissioned by Customs.
• Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan): explanation of real-name verification for imported express simplified declarations | Document date: 2021-04-09; the real-name verification procedure that binds a mobile phone number to a personal national identification number (Taiwan national ID number) or residence certificate number applies to simplified declarations of imported express cargo.
• Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan): FAQ on simplified declarations of imported express cargo | Document date: consulted 2026-09-30 (page updated 2026-09-29); simplified declarations apply to imported express cargo that does not involve import regulations and whose dutiable value does not exceed NT$50,000; online customs brokerage authorization can be confirmed by replying from a real-name-verified mobile-number device or by logging in with a Citizen Digital Certificate; the e-commerce customs clearance platform registers users with a Citizen Digital Certificate; companies and business firms cannot use real-name verification.
• Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan): Express cargo | Document date: 2026-07-08; cargo with a dutiable value of NT$2,000 or less is exempt from customs duty and from the business tax and commodity tax collected by Customs; if the same taxpayer has had duty-free release applied more than 6 times within a half-year period, it no longer applies; the half-year periods are months 1 to 6 and months 7 to 12 of each year; taxes and fees are paid on the person's behalf by the express carrier.
• Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (Taiwan): What taxes and fees are payable on imported goods? | Document date: 2026-07-13; the dutiable value is the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the imported goods.
• Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) press release: Keelung Customs explains the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window online authorization system | Document date: 2023-05-23; when importing and exporting firms and individuals authorize a customs broker, whether per-case or long-term, they can all use the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window online authorization system; the release says the online authorization system is free of charge.
• Ministry of Finance (Taiwan) press release: Fraudsters posing as Customs to cheat people of tax payments; stay alert | Document date: 2025-02-12; Customs officers will not proactively notify people by phone, text message, email or instant messaging or other non-written channels to pay taxes or fines, and will never ask them to remit money to a private account; taxes, fees and fines must all be paid through a financial institution directly into the national treasury account; if you receive a similar notice, call the Customs Administration or the relevant Customs office to verify.
• Central News Agency (CNA): Customs Director-General explains that use of EZ Way is not mandatory | Document date: 2026-08-03; media report: at a press conference the Director-General said EZ Way is only one of the tools for confirming the authorization relationship, that in a single month more than 4,000,000 simplified customs declarations used EZ Way, about 70% of all declarations, with the other roughly 30% using paper authorization and other routes; the report also records Tradevan adding that online authorization can be done with a Citizen Digital Certificate. This is an official's oral statement said to cite statistics, and the Customs Administration website has not been seen to publish a corresponding statistical table.
• World Trade Organization (WTO): Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) (Article 10, paragraph 4, single window) | Document date: 2014; Members shall endeavour to establish or maintain a single window enabling operators to submit documentation and data requirements for import, export or transit to the participating authorities through a single entry point; for data already received through the single window, participating authorities in principle may not ask for it again (with exceptions).
• UN/CEFACT: Recommendation No. 33 (ECE/TRADE/352) | Document date: 2005; a single window is a mechanism that lets parties involved in trade and transport lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export and transit regulatory requirements; electronic data should be submitted only once. The copy read is the mirror PDF on digitalizetrade.org.
• WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Database: Chinese Taipei | Document date: 2017 as shown on the page; Chinese Taipei notified Article 10.4.3, "operation of the single window", as Category A, with a fixed implementation date of 2017-02-22; this is only a notification record and does not describe the system's content or results.
• Customs Administration: CPT Single Window presentation (experience sharing at the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation) | Document date: 2019-10-15; the presentation states that the system integrates the three platforms e-Customs, e-Trade and e-Port and went live in 2013-08; this is the government's own presentation, not a third-party assessment.

Research literature

What are common questions about the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window?

What is the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window?

What is the official address of the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window?

Is it acceptable not to use EZ WAY?

Can individuals use the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window? What is needed?

Are EZ WAY and the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window the same thing?

What happens if the customs brokerage authorization is not completed?

What limits apply to simplified declarations of imported express cargo?

Which kind of customs brokerage authorization does 好運器 support?

Further reading