Video Tutorials・New Customs Rules・2026-02-02・Last updated:
Since the beginning of 2026, parcels shipped from Shenzhen to Taiwan by ocean express have clearly taken longer to arrive and have been more likely to incur tax. In the video, the founder of HowBridge identifies four changes observed on the front line: customs clearance hours are no longer extended, customs valuation has become stricter, Taobao and Pinduoduo's official consolidation services now clear each parcel separately, and starting March 1, you must tap “Declaration Matches” in EZ WAY first. This guide matches each point with official announcements and regulations, explains which practices are explicitly required by law and which are operational conventions, and shows you how to respond.
30-second summary: ① Customs officers in ocean express zones work 09:15–11:30 and 13:15–16:30, according to an announcement by Keelung Customs. In 2026, the practice of working overtime during peak seasons to clear backlogs is no longer common, placing a ceiling on daily clearance capacity. ② Duty-free treatment depends on whether the customs value (goods plus international freight and insurance) is ≤ NT$2,000. If it exceeds the threshold, the entire amount is taxed. Shipments in the same batch must also be combined for calculation by law, and customs may assess values that appear underdeclared—the video's claim that “a single bag is assessed at no less than 1,000, while each bag in a multi-bag shipment is assessed at 2,000” reflects industry observations, not statutory amounts. ③ Under Article 14 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments, consolidated declarations may not be cleared in combined bags except for documents. Each consignee must also complete a separate identity confirmation, so one bag containing 20 parcels means 20 declarations and 20 confirmations. ④ Starting 2026-03-01, advance confirmation of authorization applies to all personal express imports. If you do not tap “Declaration Matches” in EZ WAY, customs may refuse to accept the declaration.
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Taiwan customs policy changes in 2026 you need to know #TaiwanShippingLine #HowBridge
This video was filmed in early February 2026 and has received the most views of any video on the HowBridge channel. It is not a complaint; it plainly explains the four reasons ocean express clearance became slower and more expensive in 2026: customs officers no longer work extended hours, customs valuation is stricter, bags containing multiple parcels must now be declared parcel by parcel, and new EZ WAY rules take effect on March 1.
Below, we compare each point with official announcements and regulations to distinguish rules stated explicitly in law from operational practices observed on the front line, and we provide practical responses. By the end, you will understand why the same box of goods may take several days longer and incur more tax in 2026 than it did in 2025.
The video's first point: Ocean express clearance used to continue on overtime until 7:30 p.m., but now it ends at 4:30 p.m., eliminating three hours of overtime. According to official information, Keelung Customs has announced that customs officers in ocean express zones work 09:15–11:30 in the morning and 13:15–16:30 in the afternoon, with C1 instrument inspections and C3 physical examinations conducted at fixed weekly times. Keelung Customs has also explained that officers did previously “work overtime to help clear excess cargo,” but due to physical demands and occupational injury risks, customs clearance hours cannot be extended continuously over the long term.
In other words, 16:30 has always been the official end of the workday. The extra volume previously cleared through overtime during peak seasons can no longer be treated as standard practice in 2026. There is a ceiling on the number of parcels that can clear customs each day, so shipments must queue whenever volumes increase. This is the most direct reason ocean express clearance has “slowed down” in 2026, regardless of whether there is any problem with your declaration.
What This Means for You: Adjust Your Expected Clearance Time from 1 Day to 1–3 Days：Queues are especially noticeable for shipments entering the warehouse on Fridays, around long weekends, during the Double 11 shopping festival, and before Lunar New Year. For urgent shipments, consider using air express or ordering one week earlier. For ocean express delivery estimates, see our complete guide to customs clearance times in Taiwan.
The video's second point: Customs has become stricter when assessing the “tax base,” or customs value. Industry operators have observed that a single bag may be assessed at no less than NT$1,000, while shipments with two or more bags may have each bag assessed at more than NT$2,000, resulting in higher taxes. One point must be made clear: these figures reflect valuation practices observed on the front line, not fixed amounts prescribed by law. The applicable legal rules are the following three.
First, the duty-free threshold is a customs value of ≤ NT$2,000, where customs value equals the price of the goods plus international freight and insurance. In addition, NT$2,000 is a “threshold,” not an “allowance”—if the customs value is NT$2,001, the entire NT$2,001 is taxed, not just the NT$1 above the threshold. Second, if the same consignee receives more than 6 duty-free releases within six months, customs may deny duty-free treatment from the seventh shipment onward. Third, under Articles 15 and 30 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments, goods from the same consignor, on the same voyage, and for the same consignee may not be split across separate declarations. Customs must combine their customs values. If the declared value is clearly too low, customs may assess the value under Articles 29–35 of the Customs Act.
Taken together, these three rules explain the phenomenon described in the video. A bag declared at NT$800 might previously have been released duty-free, but customs now reviews goods from the same batch together and assesses values that appear too low. As a result, a single bag may be assessed at more than a thousand dollars, while several bags combined can easily exceed 2,000, eliminating the exemption and causing the entire amount to be taxed.
| Scenario | Customs Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| One bag, accurately declared at NT$1,800 | 1,800 | Released duty-free for the 1st–6th shipment within six months |
| One bag declared at NT$800 and assessed by customs at NT$1,500 | 1,500 | Still within the duty-free threshold, but underdeclared values may be reassessed, and multiple bags are more likely to exceed 2,000 when combined |
| Two bags in the same batch, each declared at NT$1,500 | Combined value of 3,000 | The entire 3,000 is taxed, not just the 1,000 above the threshold |
| The 7th import within six months, with a customs value of NT$900 | 900 | Customs may deny duty-free treatment and impose tax as usual |
What Not to Do: Split Orders, Split Bags or Underdeclare：If you split goods from the same batch into multiple bags or declarations to keep each one below 2,000, their values will be combined under Article 30. False declarations may also result in penalties under the Customs Anti-smuggling Act, based on the total tax evaded after combining the shipments. Any tax saved would be far less than the penalty. To learn how taxes are calculated, see our complete guide to calculating customs duty, commodity tax and business tax. For customs valuation methods, see the six sequential customs valuation methods.
What You Can Do: Declare Accurately, Track Your Import Frequency and Consolidate Shipments：Accurate declaration is the easiest way to minimize tax complications because customs is less likely to reassess a reasonable declared value. Track your limit of 6 duty-free shipments per six-month period: the count resets separately for 1/1–6/30 and 7/1–12/31, and you can check it through the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window. Consolidating shipments already saves freight costs and can also help you manage the number of imports. For the full exemption rules, see Duty-Free Allowance for Overseas Purchases: The NT$2,000 Threshold and 6 Imports per Six Months.
The video's third point: All ocean express shipments entering Taiwan through Taobao or Pinduoduo's official consolidation services are now cleared by “parcel,” not by “bag”. This makes a major difference. If one bag contains 20 parcels, the entire bag might previously have cleared with one declaration. It must now be divided into 20 parcels with 20 separate declarations, lined up one after another, naturally extending the clearance time.
This practice has a legal basis. Article 14, Paragraph 5 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments expressly provides that goods covered by consolidated declarations “may not be cleared in combined bags except for documents”. Express consignments also require real-name authentication of the consignee, and each consignee must separately complete confirmation in EZ WAY. The customs system is inherently designed to process each shipment for each individual consignee as a separate unit. As explained in the video, official consolidation services pack parcels belonging to multiple buyers into the same bag for transport to Taiwan. At customs, the bag must be separated back into individual parcels and each one matched with the buyer's verified identity. This is precisely where customs enforcement became stricter in 2026.
HowBridge operates differently: At our Shenzhen warehouse, we consolidate parcels on a per-customer basis. Your multiple Taobao and Pinduoduo parcels are combined at the Shenzhen warehouse into one shipment belonging only to you, imported into Taiwan under your real-name identity and one declaration. Consolidation saves freight costs and prevents your goods from being held in the same bag and queue as other people's shipments.
Why Is Official Consolidation Especially Slow in 2026?：When one bag contains goods belonging to multiple buyers, every parcel must be separated, matched with the appropriate verified identity, and held until each buyer taps “Declaration Matches” after it reaches Taiwan. If just one person whose parcel is in the bag fails to confirm, the entire bag may be delayed. To learn about HowBridge's parcel-consolidation process, see our consolidation warehouse guide. For a comparison of Pinduoduo consolidation services, see Pinduoduo Shipping to Taiwan 2026.
The video's final point is the strictest of the four changes: starting March 1 this year, you must tap “Declaration Matches” in EZ WAY for every shipment, and customs officers will begin enforcing the requirement. The official version is as follows: On February 23, 2026, the Ministry of Finance promulgated amendments to the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Air Express Consignments and the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments. The amendments provide that starting 2026-03-01, individually imported express consignments subject to simplified declarations and authorized online through real-name authentication will be fully subject to “advance confirmation of authorization”. The legal basis is Article 18, Paragraph 2 of the maritime regulations and Article 17, Paragraph 2 of the air regulations.
“Advance authorization” means that the customs broker first sends the shipment information to you through EZ WAY → you verify the item details and amount and tap “Declaration Matches” to complete the online authorization → only then may the customs broker file the declaration. The sequence has been reversed. Previously, the declaration was filed first and you could confirm afterward. Now, if you do not confirm, the customs declaration process cannot even begin. The Customs Administration has stated this directly: if authorization is not completed, “the goods will be unable to complete customs declaration procedures and may be prevented from importation or face customs clearance delays.”
How HowBridge Helps：When using HowBridge consolidation, the consignee must first complete real-name authentication in EZ WAY. Around the time the goods arrive in Taiwan, watch for app notifications and tap “Declaration Matches” as soon as possible. If you do not have EZ WAY yet or have forgotten your password, see our complete EZ WAY setup guide and EZ WAY forgotten password guide. For a full explanation of the new advance authorization system, see EZ WAY Advance Authorization: Full Implementation on 2026/3/1.
Each of the four changes is supported by regulations or official explanations. The table below summarizes them so you can review the requirements before placing an order.
| Change | Basis | What You Should Do |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean express operations end at 16:30 without relying on overtime | Official operating hours announced by Keelung Customs | Expect clearance to take 1–3 days; use air shipping for urgent goods or order earlier |
| Stricter customs valuation | Regulations: duty-free threshold of ≤2,000, combined valuation of goods from the same batch and customs assessment | Declare accurately, track your 6-import limit every six months, and do not split orders or bags |
| Official consolidation services now clear each parcel separately | Regulations: no clearance in combined bags plus real-name authentication for each consignee | Use a service that consolidates parcels per individual customer instead of sharing a bag with strangers |
| EZ WAY advance authorization from 3/1 | Regulations: Article 18, Paragraph 2 of the maritime regulations; customs may refuse declarations without authorization | Verify the information immediately after receiving the notification and tap “Declaration Matches” |
The slowdown is structural and is not targeted at anyone. Customs officers in ocean express zones officially work 09:15–11:30 and 13:15–16:30. The extra volume cleared through overtime during past peak seasons is no longer standard practice in 2026. In addition, bags containing multiple parcels must now be declared parcel by parcel, and every shipment must wait for the consignee to confirm it in EZ WAY. These factors naturally create longer queues. Adjust your expected clearance time from 1 day to 1–3 days, and use air shipping for urgent goods.
No. These are not statutory amounts; they reflect valuation practices observed by consolidation operators on the front line. The legal rules are that a customs value consisting of the goods, freight and insurance is duty-free when it is ≤ NT$2,000, while the entire amount is taxed if it exceeds the threshold. Goods from the same batch may not be split across separate declarations, and customs combines their customs values. If a declared value is too low, customs may assess it under the Customs Act. Together, these three rules can produce results where “a single bag is assessed at more than a thousand dollars and multiple bags together exceed 2,000.”
No. NT$2,000 is a duty-free “threshold,” not an “allowance.” Once the threshold is exceeded, customs duty, commodity tax and business tax are calculated using the entire customs value of NT$2,100 as the tax base.
Official consolidation services pack parcels belonging to multiple buyers into the same bag for transport to Taiwan. Under Article 14 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments, goods covered by consolidated declarations may not be cleared in combined bags except for documents. Each consignee must also complete a separate real-name confirmation. At customs, the bag must therefore be separated and every parcel declared individually while waiting for each buyer to tap “Declaration Matches” in EZ WAY. If just one person whose parcel is in the bag fails to confirm, the entire bag may be delayed. A consolidation service that combines parcels per individual customer—for example, HowBridge combining your multiple parcels into one shipment belonging only to you at its Shenzhen warehouse—does not have this problem.
It is not a fine. Customs may refuse to accept the declaration, preventing the goods from being imported. Under Article 18, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments and Article 17, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Air Express Consignments, as amended on 2026-02-23, advance confirmation of authorization applies to all individually imported express consignments subject to simplified declarations starting 2026-03-01. The customs broker sends the notification first, you confirm the information and complete the online authorization, and only then does the declaration process begin. If the matter is not handled by the deadline, the express carrier must apply to change the taxpayer of record and return the goods for export.
The regulations state that customs “may” deny duty-free treatment, but in practice you should expect to be taxed starting with the 7th shipment. The count is based on shipments released under the duty-free rules; shipments released after tax was paid do not count. The count resets separately for the first half of the year, 1/1–6/30, and the second half, 7/1–12/31. You can check how many duty-free imports you have remaining through the Customs-Port-Trade Single Window.
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This article is based on public press releases from the Ministry of Finance and Customs Administration, explanations issued by Keelung Customs, and the current Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments, as amended on 115-02-23. It distinguishes between requirements explicitly stated in law and operational practices observed by industry operators. For operating hours, the duty-free threshold, frequency limits and the new authorization system, refer to the latest announcements from the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance. This article is provided for general reference only and does not constitute customs clearance or tax advice for any specific case.
Ship by Ocean Express in 2026 Without Waiting in Someone Else's Queue HowBridge's Shenzhen warehouse consolidates parcels on a per-customer basis and imports them into Taiwan under your verified identity with one declaration. When your shipment reaches Taiwan, watch for the EZ WAY notification and tap “Declaration Matches” to complete customs clearance. Consolidation saves freight costs, accurate declarations reduce the risk of customs reassessment, and your goods do not have to queue in the same bag as strangers' parcels. Register for Free · Get Your Shenzhen Consolidation Warehouse Address