Where in Mackay did you go to get it? Was it a fairly easy process?
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I will be flying back to Taiwan from the US.
Does anyone know if a PCR test without my passport number on the paper will be accepted at the airport?
Ive been to multiple PCR testing locations and theyâve stated that they usually arenât required to place your passport number in the test result
From https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html:
What information must be included on the test result?
A test result must be in the form of written documentation (paper or electronic copy). The documentation must include:
- Type of test (indicating it is a NAAT or antigen test)
- Entity issuing the result (e.g. laboratory, healthcare entity, or telehealth service)
- Specimen collection date. A negative test result must show the specimen was collected within the 3 days before the flight. A positive test result for documentation of recovery from COVID-19 must show the specimen was collected within the 3 months before the flight.
- Information that identifies the person (full name plus at least one other identifier such as date of birth or passport number)
- Test Result
ETA: I misread your question - the above applies for travel to USA. The TWCDC requirements are similar (Q4 in the FAQ FAQs - Taiwan Centers for Disease Control):
As a rule, the test report must be written in English, Chinese, or both Chinese and English (bilingual version); its format and the signature should be made in accordance with the requirements of the local health authority. The content of the result must include the name on the passport of the traveler, the date of birth or passport number, specimen collection date and test report date, the virus name, testing method, and interpretation of results, etc.
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so international travel is a bit of a hit and miss these days. best not to travel if avoidable.
wifey went to Jakarta on Singapore Airlines special fare LAX to JKT via TOKYO round trip for a bargain of 650.
Add in SFO to/from LAX on southwest for 150 making it 800 which is cheaper than the usual 1200 it costs.
Plane was 1/3 full to TOK and only 5 passengers from TOK to SINgapore.
She transferred immediately to another flight from SIN to JKT.
BUT hereâs the problem. She is due to return later this month but but but SINGAPORE govt just cancelled all TRANSIT . And with an el cheapo ticket SQ only offers one year OPEN ticket or Refund . They will not put it upon themselves to help get you a seat on another carrier that does not route through singapore.
So i had a bit of a problem. Taiwan does not allow transit so cant get her back via taiwan. Korea allows transit but there is a something like a ten hour window of hanging around seoul airport and she cant enter korea so thats a long wait at the airport for 1200 one way.
Was thinking of trying Phillippines and also found a long way back via dubai on Emirates (59 hour journey with two long lay overs at airports for a total travel time that is extremely long) and for about 900 to 1200 depending on day of flight
Luckily Japan still open for transit !!! And got japan airlines , and this is the fastest way home too. 7 hours JKT to TOK and 2 hours on ground and then around 8 hours or so back to SFO. And prices vary from 750 to 1200 depending on day of travel so I got her a 750 ticket. WHEW. saved by Japan airlnes. Shes not back yet so keeping fingers crossed Japan does NOT suddenly stop TRANSIT.
ITs a gamble right nowâŚinternational travel !!
oh and of course you need all the required covid tests which all cost money often 100 bucks each or more.
even though shes fully vaccinated
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Great update. The flight system now is so capricious.
God bless Japan Airlines. I just hope Japan doesnât cancel transfers before your wifeâs flight!
Guy
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Yes keeping fingers crossed
So the el cheapo ticket ended up costing a lot more than normal
So best not travel unless you need to
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Of potential interest to forumosans who plan to fly with China Airlines or with EVA:
Guy
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those hired to help implement Taiwanâs 2030 Bilingual Nation plan are also included, according to the MOE.
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Still hasnât explained where all them foreigners currently chilling out on Kinmen came fromâŚor did they come from the future???
English teachers or assistants who got their ARCs from their visitor visas or visa exemption?
Just completed my first flight and international trip in 18 months.
I took airport express MRT. It leaves every half hour on the top and bottom of the hour, so thatâs something to keep in mind lest you end up waiting 29 minutes for the next train.
In-Town Check-In only works for EVA and China Airlines. And you have to be there 3 hours before your flight. I was flying Asiana through Seoul.
The check-in line was slower than usual, because in addition to everything else, they check your PCR test then.
Faster than usual was security. I was the only person in line at that time.
E-Gate is operational, and I sailed through.
The Food Court is open, but you canât eat in the airport; you have to bring your fine McDonaldâs comestibles onto the plane.
They gave us a health declaration form to fill out for when we transferred at Incehon Airport. Once in the aiport, the Transfer corridor was closed and there was one long line into Arrivals. Thereâs nobody there to tell you to just go to the front to the right of the line and give your declaration form to a guy at a table. All the signs there are for arriving passengers. I had to ask a passing flight attendant about it. She guided me (and consequently, several other confused transfer passengers) to the right place. Have a staff member in attendance and have good signage, please!
On the flight home, they gave us a sheet of paper that says âYou have just visited a country with a high Covid risk. We recommend that you monitor your health and stay home etc. etc.â Oh please! Iâm coming from low-risk Taiwan and am about to enter a country with a high Covid risk!
After we arrived in the US, CDC personnel seemed to be checking people randomly for PCR test reports. There was a bottleneck forming in the jet bridge as we were exiting the plane. (Seriously? Creating bottlenecks during a pandemic?) When I got out to where the CDC guys were (just outside the jet bridge), they saw we were waiting and waved most of us through.
Sailed though immigration (thanks, Global Entry!). Easy peasy. Most other passengers had to wait in the usual immigration lines. No idea of whether any extra documentation was checked due to the pandemic.
Waited forever for my bags, as per usual. Nothing to declare, so I bypassed customs. Outside of customs, there was a table with free home antigen test kits containing two tests. I availed myself of one.
Doubled up my mask and boarded BART to head home. Despite bring rush hour, there was plenty of seating the whole journey. I grabbed a single seat so nobody would sit next to me.
Got home, ate, unpacked, did the antigen test. Negative.
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A special experience, as Asiana have been (or soon will be?) folded into Korean Air!
Guy
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Guy
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Question: still no airline food on the plane? 
Yes, there is limited food on the international flights. The families who wear full clean room suits take off their face shields to eat. Unitedâs planes are very clean and seemed to be at about 30% capacity. Everyone was far apart.
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We were served on-board meals just like in non-pandemic times. You can take your mask off to eat.
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I donât know about Cali but here in Oregon the current Covid case numbers are the worst by far of the entire pandemic. Last yearâs peak number of daily cases was around 1,600. On Monday there were almost 3,000 new cases. Fortunately the mask mandate was reimposed last Friday so we may get lucky and bring the numbers back down to double digits like they were in early July when the mask mandate was foolishly lifted.
My daughter wears masks everyday in Dallas and was diagnosed with Covid yesterday. Masks reduce the risk but they will not make this pandemic go away 100%. Iâm so tired of hearing that Americans donât wear masks.
I send her masks from Taiwan because I believe they are better quality and safer. Sheâs a teacher and has lived in Taiwan so she does understand how to wear a mask. She keeps an extra box in her car, and wears one into the school.
At the end of the day, that nasty mask goes into the trash. Right before she was diagnosed, I sent some to her students.
She is fully vaccinated with Moderna. She had two really bad days and was considering going to the hospital over concerns of dehydration. Today, she is feeling much better.
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