Taiwan Toxic Chemical Import Permit 2026
When import rules list 553 (toxic or concerned chemicals), apply with the Chemical Administration, Ministry of Environment and obtain a review number through the FLORA system. The process: confirm control status, log in to FLORA, prepare SDS and disaster prevention data, then attach the approval for customs after review. If the content is below the controlled concentration, you may apply for a 533/553 review number instead.
🔴 Goods listing 550 are ozone-depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases controlled under the Montreal Protocol (such as HFC refrigerants and Halon fire extinguishing agents), governed by regulations authorized under the Air Pollution Control Act. They are handled by the Department of Atmospheric Environment or the Climate Change Administration, Ministry of Environment, through a separate e-permit system, and imports are prohibited in principle — this is not the same matter as 553.
Last updated: 2026-05-27 · HowBridge Logistics editorial team · Reviewed by an AEO customs broker partner
1. Toxic and concerned chemical controls
Taiwan controls listed substances as toxic chemicals or concerned chemicals. Import operations require prior approval documents from the authority.
What do you need for chemical imports and exports? Start with the import rule code
For the same bottle of chemicals, whether the import rules list 553, 550, 801/837 or 508 determines entirely different authorities and filing systems. When the import rule column has none of these codes, clearance usually will not require this kind of permit document; but if an ingredient is a toxic or concerned chemical listed by the Ministry of Environment, a new chemical substance, or an existing chemical substance with an annual import volume of 100 kg or more, operating permits and registration obligations are determined by the substance, not by the tariff code.
| Import rule | What it covers | Apply to whom / which system | Official processing time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 553 | Toxic or concerned chemicals; goods below the controlled concentration or not listed must still apply for a non-listed certificate (import/export review number) | Chemical Administration, Ministry of Environment, cross-border chemical goods management system (flora2.moenv.gov.tw); listed substances also need a permit or approval document issued by the special municipality or county/city competent authority | Review number in 7 working days, valid for 6 months from the date of issue |
| 550 | Substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol; the controlled ozone-depleting chemicals among them (halons, CFCs, carbon tetrachloride, etc.; HCFCs and methyl bromide are not covered by these regulations) are prohibited from import under Article 5 of the Regulations Governing Montreal Protocol Controlled Chemical Substances, with exceptions only for permitted uses such as halons for aircraft fire suppression and academic research or laboratory use | Ministry of Environment, Montreal Protocol Controlled Substances E-Permit System (mop.moenv.gov.tw) | Import/export permit applications reviewed within 30 days (Article 20 of the regulations) |
| 801／837 | Chemical goods that are not pesticides, veterinary drugs, environmental health agents or toxic chemical substances (837 also excludes feed and feed additives) | Apply for a certifying document through the Chemical Administration, Ministry of Environment, cross-border chemical goods management system | Review in 10 working days; if corrections are not made within 2 working days from the day after notification, the case may be returned |
| 508 | Goods in the food additive category require import inspection (e.g. acetaldehyde and pyridine, which also list 553) | Taiwan Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, food import inspection | According to the TFDA import inspection rules |
The Chemical Administration's announcement lists that pesticides (405), veterinary drugs (406), environmental health agents (552), toxic chemical substances (553) and feed or feed additives (404) each follow their own dedicated code and do not go through 801/837. For agricultural goods, see import permits for agricultural inputs; for how to look up a tariff code, see the CCC Code explained.
HowBridge key figures: tariff items with chemical import rules in our tariff database
The HowBridge tariff database contains 12,699 11-digit tariff items (Customs Administration data retrieved up to 2026-04-22). Comparing the import rule column item by item, the 5 chemical codes covered in this article are distributed as follows:
| Code | Number of tariff items | Main chapters | Also listing MW0 (import from mainland China is prohibited) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 553 | 360 | Chapter 29: 250, Chapter 28: 64, Chapter 32: 21, plus scattered items in Chapters 25/27/31/34/38/68/81 | 4 |
| 550 | 87 | Chapter 29: 43, Chapter 38: 43, Chapter 84: 1 | 17 |
| 801 | 34 | Chapter 38: 33, Chapter 13: 1 | 11 |
| 837 | 2 | Chapter 38: 2 | 0 |
| 508 | 348 | Chapter 29: 182, Chapter 28: 77, the rest spread across 12 chapters | 4 |
Chapters 28, 29 and 38, where chemical raw materials are concentrated, have 1,654 tariff items in total, of which 442 (about 26.7%) carry at least one of 553, 550, 801 or 837 — roughly 1 in every 4 tariff items requires a chemical permit document first. In addition, 7 tariff items list both 553 and 508 (e.g. m-cresol, acetaldehyde, butyraldehyde and pyridine); if such goods are used as food additives, both the Ministry of Environment and TFDA rules must be dealt with. The statistics were compiled by HowBridge from Customs Administration tariff data; the real-time data on the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window prevails. MW0 = import from mainland China is prohibited; exception: small quantities in Chapters 25–97 need no import permit if the whole declaration is within CIF NT$32,000 and each single product is within 24 pieces, with a 40 kg limit only for goods that cannot be counted; electric motorcycles, electric bicycles and their controllers are excluded, and Chapters 1–24 do not qualify.
2. Difference between 553, 550, and 533
| Code | Applies to | Authority | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| 553 | Listed toxic chemicals | Ministry of Environment | Permit through FLORA |
| 550 | Montreal Protocol controlled substances: ozone-depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases (HFC refrigerants, Halon fire extinguishing agents, etc.) | Department of Atmospheric Environment, Ministry of Environment (general controlled substances) / Climate Change Administration (HFCs) | Consent document, filed through the Montreal Protocol e-permit system; imports are prohibited in principle, with exceptions only for specific uses |
| 533 | 553 tariff item but below controlled concentration or not listed | Ministry of Environment | 533/553 review number |
3. Two filing routes: permit vs. review number
Route 1: full permit or approval
For substances confirmed as listed toxic or concerned chemicals.
- Operator and site data
- Responsible person ID documents
- Safety Data Sheet with component total at 100%
- Disaster prevention data and layout drawings
Route 2: 533/553 review number
For 553 tariff items where concentration is below the control threshold or the substance is not listed.
- Company or business registration
- Product catalog
- Safety Data Sheet
- Declaration that other laws do not control the product
- Import declaration
Common cases are issued in about 7 working days, and validity is usually 6 months from the issue date. Also note this is two layers of documents: the central authority (Chemical Administration, through FLORA) issues the import/export review number, while the operation permit (Classes 1-3) or approval document (Class 4) for toxic or concerned chemicals is issued by the municipal or county (city) authority — these are not the same document, and you need both to clear customs.
4. Four FLORA filing steps
The 4 steps below apply to 553 (toxic or concerned chemicals). Filing system: FLORA registration system, flora2.moenv.gov.tw. Montreal Protocol controlled substances listed under 550 do not go through FLORA — use the authority and system described in the previous section instead.
1Confirm substance status
Search by CAS number or substance name and choose the full permit or review-number route.
2Create company account
Use the company certificate to log in to FLORA and register operation site data.
3Fill application and upload files
Enter CAS number, name, import quantity, use, and upload SDS, prevention data, layouts, and ID files.
4Review and issuance
After review, the authority issues the permit or approval document for customs use.
When importing new chemical substances, do you also need chemical substance registration first?
It depends on the substance and the quantity: new chemical substances must be registered 90 days before import and can only be imported after approval; existing chemical substances with an annual import volume of 100 kg or more must complete phase-one registration within 6 months.
Article 30 of the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act provides that anyone manufacturing or importing a new chemical substance must apply for registration 90 days before manufacture or import, and may manufacture or import only after the registration is approved. Under Article 5 of the Regulations Governing the Registration of New and Existing Chemical Substances, issued under paragraph 5 of the same article, new chemical substances are divided into three tiers by estimated annual manufacture or import volume: standard registration (1 tonne or more), simplified registration (100 kg or more but under 1 tonne) and small-quantity registration (under 100 kg); once approved, a registration code is issued, valid for 5 years (Articles 11 and 12). Anyone whose annual manufacture or import of an existing chemical substance reaches 100 kg or more must apply for phase-one registration within 6 months of the date this occurs, and if approved registration has not been obtained by the deadline, may not manufacture or import it (Article 15).
Registration and permits are two different things: registration covers “this substance”, while 553 and 801/837 permits cover “this shipment”. The Chemical Administration's permit application form also asks “Is this a new chemical substance?”, so the data on both sides must be consistent. In addition, under Article 4, mixtures themselves, finished articles, and pesticides, drugs, cosmetics, food additives, Montreal Protocol controlled substances and other items already governed by dedicated laws are not subject to these regulations; but individual chemical components within a mixture must still be assessed. Announced toxic and concerned chemical substances themselves are also not subject to the registration regulations (Article 4, paragraph 2, subparagraph 16), and instead follow the permit rules described above on this page. Applications are made on the Ministry of Environment Chemical Substance Registration Platform.
5. Safety Data Sheet requirements
SDS is a key document for toxic chemical import approval. Common review points include:
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Component total | Component concentrations should add up to 100%; avoid vague remainder wording. |
| Issuer | Prefer documents issued by the manufacturer or qualified professional body. |
| Language | Chinese or bilingual Chinese-English version is recommended. |
| CAS numbers | Each component should show CAS number for list matching. |
6. Special rules for hazardous industrial waste
Hazardous industrial waste imports are handled by the Resource Circulation Administration and require specific permits and international documents.
- Waste clearance, treatment, or reuse permit
- Exporting government consent under the Basel Convention
Do not disguise hazardous waste as ordinary chemicals. Violations may result in heavy penalties and criminal liability.
7. How to confirm whether a substance is controlled
- Toxic chemical quick lookup: search by CAS number or substance name on the chemical authority website.
- FLORA substance search: log in to flora2.moenv.gov.tw and check the controlled category.
- CCC import rule: check whether the tariff item lists 553, 550, or 533.
- HowBridge Logistics tool: enter product name in customs documents to see possible permit alerts.
Quick glossary for chemical imports and exports
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Import rule code | The “import rules” field of each tariff item in the CCC tariff, indicating which authority you must obtain which document from when importing, e.g. 553, 550, 801, 508 or MW0. |
| 553／533 | The import (553) and export (533) rules for toxic or concerned chemicals, handled by the Chemical Administration, Ministry of Environment. |
| 550 | The import rule code for substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol; the controlled ozone-depleting chemicals among them (except HCFCs and methyl bromide) are prohibited from import under Article 5 of the regulations, with exceptions only for specific permitted uses. |
| 801／837 | Chemical goods that are not pesticides, veterinary drugs, environmental health agents or toxic chemical substances, for which a certifying document must be obtained from the Chemical Administration. |
| Import/export review number | A non-listed certificate issued by the Chemical Administration for substances below the controlled concentration or not listed, valid for 6 months from the date of issue. |
| Chemical substance registration | Registration of substance data with the Ministry of Environment, required before importing a new chemical substance, or when the annual import volume of an existing chemical substance reaches 100 kg or more. |
| MW0 | The import rule code meaning import from mainland China is prohibited (exception: small quantities in Chapters 25–97 need no import permit if the whole declaration is within CIF NT$32,000 and each single product is within 24 pieces, with a 40 kg limit only for goods that cannot be counted; electric motorcycles, electric bicycles and their controllers are excluded, and Chapters 1–24 do not qualify); it appears together with codes such as 553, 550 and 801. |
- Chemical Administration
- FLORA registration system
- Montreal Protocol Controlled Substances E-Permit System (550)
- Resource Circulation Administration
- Taiwan import permit guide
- Ministry of Environment Chemical Substance Registration Platform (new/existing chemical substance registration)
- Food additives: 508 import inspection (TFDA)
- Import permits for agricultural inputs such as pesticides, feed and veterinary drugs
Chemical Administration hotline: +886-2-2325-7399
8. FAQ
This page is a general guide. Actual import rules, review codes, and application procedures are subject to the latest Ministry of Environment and Taiwan Customs notices.
Not sure whether your goods need chemical approval?
Use HowBridge Logistics tools to enter the product name, match the 11-digit tariff code, and see import rule alerts before preparing broker data.
Check import rules