Hi I’m going from Taiwan to Indonesia by transitting singapore
I’m carrying dried Ginseng from Taiwan to Singapore and then to Indonesia, I will be carrying this Ginseng on my carry bag, are there possible problems with the custom or laws i should know about?
Is it like packed, in a box, with proper health code seals or is it one piece your Granny gave you wrapped in newspaper?
Packed in a box that have been air vacuumed with no proper health code seals
Then no, can’t go. Probably will be stopped/confiscated/fined.
No fruits/vegetables unless manufactured/sealed/under code.
Like if you bought from a store, and it is wrapped in plastic and is Taiwan’s government approved, fine. Even if sealed in plastic but no codes: fishy.
Oh and BTW no meat of any kind, like Pao mien/instant noodles, sauces, etc.
Edit
Seems Singapore allows some veggies for personal use, no more than one kilogram. However, I’d say dried ginseng falls under processed food: SFA | Conditions for Specific Types of Food for Import
Taiwan lists ginseng as protected???https://etaipei.customs.gov.tw/singlehtml/3396?cntId=1c1ab06901934524b5c7494c42251bf7
Not my own experience.
A friend insist on bringing a TW famous sausage brand to SG.
It seems entering SG is OK.
Entering TW with stuff is different story.
My friend bought the dried Ginseng from 正官庄 store around Luzhou, is it even possible to ask the shop owner to put a product label?
Sure. That’ll be great. It seems it won’t be an issue but better cover all bases.
And buy some extra ginseng tea from an organic store, too.
Taking things out of Taiwan isn’t going to be a problem, but for the Indonesian end you’ll just have to check their rules. My general experience - and this includes bringing things into Taiwan - is that they don’t care about things that are not “alive” - i.e., things that can theoretically grow or carry disease. So things that are processed, freeze-dried, cooked etc are generally OK (exception: Taiwan’s obsession with meat products). But this is rarely spelled out, and it’s just the way customs officials tend to interpret the rules.
Indonesia is the 27th largest exporter of ginseng worldwide. There’s enough there without you needing to take some with you.
It would be like taking betel nuts to Taiwan.
I think there’s only a few major producers though, mostly the US and Korea. I looked and they only exported USD 90k worth in 2021, so maybe not so easy to find there or cheap.