I’m a European girl. I came to Taiwan this week and will be here for a bit under 2 months.
I tried to buy a pre-paid Taiwanese SIM card for my phone, but they told me in every store that I have to be 20 years old to get a card. I’m 19
They told me that even if my parents in Europe write a letter, they still can’t give it to me. So in all the stores I went, they told me to find a friend to register the SIM card for me. But I don’t have any friends here because I’m traveling… and I can’t make any friends until I have a phone haha!
Is there anyone nice out there who would be able to help me get a pre-paid SIM card? I pay for everything myself obviously. There’s no contract, so there’s no way that it can have any big bills or cause any problems for you. I could meet you anywhere in Taipei that is convenient to you… hopefully the sooner, the better haha! And to thank you, I’d love to buy you a nice meal or drinks or just give you the money so you can go yourself and have fun!!
I don’t know but I think the being 20 is bullshit, every little prick in Taiwan has a smart phone, they just don’t care selling you one as it needs to be registered, yes they need passport and all the ID details. Not like in Europe or the US where you just get the card and you start calling. They do this in Taiwan to prevent gangsters from using anonymous prepaid cards to do their dealings.
Did you try at the airport when you arrived, they have counters set up for travelers that need prepaid cards.
I used to have one and I don’t remember how many times they called me to get my ID confirmation … over and over again, then I just decided to get a post paid account.
So, even if someone buys you a card they need his/her ID details.
Apparently there’s now a limit of 1 pre-paid SIM card per person (per provider I think, don’t believe they can cross-check). I imagine the gangsters and assorted scammers were devastated to find out how merciless the government has become against them…
Careful… at the airport they wouldn’t sell me the plan I wanted to buy (台灣大哥大3G 一口價卡), only some more expensive options I had no need for. And of course it’s not mentioned anywhere there are cheaper alternatives if you get your SIM card later in town.
Unfortunately, the 20-year old age limit is a real restriction by the government and applies to all phone companies.
To get a new prepaid SIM card, you need to present ID. For some companies (e.g., Chunghua, Mifon) you need only a passport with a valid visa. For others (e.g., Far Eastern, 7-Eleven), you need two forms of IDs, for example a passport plus a driver’s license or ARC. That was no problem for me obviously. But in all the stores, their system will block the sale if you’re under 20 years old, and that’s my problem.
The price of the prepaid card varies depending on the company and the plan you want. For plans with internet, I found that the SIM card usually is “free”, i.e., included in the price of the monthly data plan.
You can get one SIM card per company, so you can get a SIM card with any company which is different than the one you’re using right now. I have my own phone. It’s unlocked, so I can just put the SIM card in and start using it.
No, and haven’t been for many years … you can not just ‘pick-up’ one as in the west. It’s a tool to commit crimes in Taiwan and therefor restricted. But I don’t get the age limit, you can smoke and drink from age 18. Chew Beetelnut from the time you get teeth. :loco:
I can vouch for the age restriction. Buddy’s tour guest who arrived in Taiwan tried to get one at the airport and was denied because of his age. I thought they even told him it was 22.
So in all the stores I went, they told me to find a friend to register the SIM card for me. But I don’t have any friends here because I’m traveling… and I can’t make any friends until I have a phone haha! 
