A friend of mine is going to bring a zebra hide back from SA for me after CNY. The hide is obviously properly cured and felted, and has the necessary paperwork to prove that it was legally and sustainably harvested.
Has anyone done anything like this before? Will he need to declare it or should he just walk through? Any paperwork I need to prepare from this side?
Thanks in advance!
My advice would be to wrap it up tight in a pair of jeans, and ask no questions.
I second that. The highly non-standard (even if legal) item is going to play hell with the minds of Taiwanese customs officers.
Thanks guys! Does anyone know the relevant authorities to call about this?
Do you have any relevant CITES paperwork for the Zebra hide? I think to export/import them you require paperworks for those.
If you attempt to bring endangered animal parts without CITES paperwork into or out of a country, customs will raise hell with you if they find it.
I don’t think zebras are endangered at all. They’re all over the bloody place back there.
Ah but you have an abundance of pedestrians in Taiwan and they are certainly an endangered group. 
I managed to find the info I was looking for on this website (taiwan.visahq.com/customs/) and by calling the customs office at 02 2550 5500.
Basically, you’re allowed to bring in animal hides, but if they’re from animals listed as endangered/vulnerable by cites, you’ll need extra documentation to prove that they’re ok for import/export.
So I need proof of what species of zebra it is (there are 3 and many subspecies), and if it’s one of the 2 that are classified vulnerable/endangered, another document to prove that it’s been cleared by cites for import/export.
Now let’s just hope they don’t change the rules before my friend gets back!
My friend made me some moccassins he made out of a deer he shot last fall-think they’ll let him mail them to me?
R.O.C customs are certainly amongst the worst in the so-called first world, though without undue cause, as the the current site of the R.O.C is a somehow a 2.5 world country.
I am a licensed customs broker by trade, and I can’t tell you how many instances of outright ineptitude I have witnessed: flagrant ignorance of H.S classifcation numbers, current R.O.C duty rates, proper customs warehouse procedures, as well as the proper conduct of customs officers as defined by the W.T.O.
While one might get proper advice by telephone, the underpaid and ill-educated officials on the ground are an entirely different matter.
Much like anything else on this island, the law written differs entirely from that exercised.
Hi GingerMan: I am importing some food items eg. food colors (not perishable or fresh) but am being given new requirements and restrictions constantly from my broker. Do you have any recommendations for a customs broker that has experience in handling foods? Thanks in advance
A family member is flying in from the Philippines. He wants to bring these 3 things through checked luggage…
I know the machete is forbidden.
How about the other two things?
ALL SHELLS EXPORTED FROM THE PHILIPPINES need a BFAR PERMIT (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) which states the content of the parcel together with an invoice and matching names. No shells from CITES or shells forbidden by Adm. Order 208 can be included in these parcels.
Check the laws. I bring machetes to and from Canada each time I go. For work. Big ones. Always check in, obviously. I buy them in Taiwan, they are cheap and everywhere. They are used and freaky looking, sometimes cracked. I would be surprised if this were not allowed so long as they are clean.
Seashell can be a problem. Provide the species name. Also check CITES. Then check the originating country’s laws on being allowed to harvest it. Then ask Taiwan if it’s OK to import, given the above information you have. If ok, you may need an inspection for disease, pathogens, fumigation etc depending on what it is.
Salt is salt. Seal it in a bag with a label. It falls into food and FDA territory then. If it has a company label on it, should be fine if unopened. When in doubt, declare it and let them look. If they have a problem, you declared it and are no longer liable for smuggling. At worst, you lost your items and some time.
Or, mail those things and chance it through mail customs. At least then, your physical body isn’t liable for anything and wasted less time. Just a lost package if they have issues with it.