Hi,
Is it possible to get a SIM with only a passport for ID, in Taipei, or will it involve a trip to the airport / not be possible ?
Cheers
S
Was successful at the Taiwan Mobile (MyPhone) by the 101 - Passport stamped with āVisa Exempt 90 daysā was fine.
I need help with my Blackberry and choice of Prepaid Card (contract).
I am using a BB Bold 9790, arrived last week and already bought 2 Prepaid Cards. The language barrier makes it almost impossible to not get screwed over but according to some threads here Taiwan Mobile is ā¦ or used to be the way to go with BB. I was in contact with the customer service who told me I need to get the BB Package 3G instead of the 4G which was the only one they wanted to sell me at the stores. It doesnāt work, besides calling and texting, of course. However, a second phone call from them confirmed that those Packages are off the shelves. So, do I have no use of my BB here in Taiwan or are there any other possibilities that are definitely going to work out. I am not keen on buying another Prepaid Card if its not working and also no keen on buying a new phone, second hand or not (around 3-4k NT usually).
I will be thankful for any kind of help, really! I am lost and desperate right now.
PS. My phone is a german one and branded by Vodafone afaik. Could that mean that is might be locked as well?
Is the advice in the OP regarding short term/no ARC SIM cards still valid?
I spoke to some pinoy street SIM seller today (in my town nobody in official shops speaks English) and he said I canāt get a prepaid one without ARC.
I will be in Taipei soon and will try some official shops there but would like to know in advance, cheers.
I got a SIM at the airport a couple of weeks ago (after coming out of Customs, on the 1st floor) with only my passport, didnāt even want a 2nd form of ID let alone an ARC. They have some that will last 30 days, so choose based on the length of time you need. It can be a pain to extend/buy another one depending on the policy of the particular company.
The most recent occasion I got a SIM in the city was 2016, for circumstantial reasons. I didnāt have an ARC. No problem but they did want a 2nd form of ID (US driversā license as well as passport).
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Yes, thereās no problem after all. I eventually went to FarEastOne shop near Taipei Main and got a SIM upon producing passport+ID combo. I think itās valid for 6 months - or maybe the credit was for 6 months and SIM is forever. Either way, itās fine for short term.
I typically arrive at TPE late in the evening. By the time I clear immigration The ChungHwa Telecom shop is closed so I have been at the mercy other companiesā data only cards which, frankly, sucked.
I need something that will give reasonable coverage in outlying areas, Lishan notably.
- Can anyone tell me if Prepaid cards for foreigners are available anywhere OTHER than the airport?
- Can anyone suggest what carriers provide decent service outside of the usual conurbations?
FWIW I am just a visa on arrival- non- ARC- flavour of foreigner.
Thanks
You might be able to buy a prepaid card at a ChungHwa Office. I know people who did that but they had an ARC, so Iām not sure if the ARC is required.
Do you already have an active Sim from chunghua? If so you can just get a prepaid card from any chunghua store to recharge.
If not, you may have to go store hopping. Many years ago when I didnāt have an arc, i went store to store with many telling me no since I didnāt have an arc, finally one took my passport and foreign license .
What Iād do is go into a real Chunghua store, the ones that look like an ancient looking tall building since they would know the rules better than small stores. I think it can be done.
7-Eleven and other convenience stores have SIM cards but I donāt know the requirements.
As usual, by the time I got through immigration, Chunghwa Telecom was shut. There were other places open, but they all told me that they were sold out of SIM cards
The next day, with the help of a Taiwanese friend, I dropped in to shops around Nangang Exhibition Center. Again the same answer; sold out. Ditto 7-11.
Finally at a FarEasTone shop, a super helpfull guy was able to get me a card provided that I had a passport, 2 other pieces of Government photo ID and a credit card.
He checked that my phone was compatible with the network and gave me (if I remember correctly) 1,3Gb data and NTD100 phone/text credit for NTD300. He said I can top it up as required, but If I didnāt add any funds it would expire in 6 months.
It seemed to take a LONG time to do the application, but finally I had my number. I had great reception everywhere and very fast data.
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The requirement back in 2008, when I got my first SIM card from 7-11, was two forms of photo ID.
I had my passport and US drivers license, but at first the clerk wouldnāt accept my license. I tried to explain in my non-existent Chinese that those were the only forms of ID we had in the US. Finally the 7-11 manager got involved, made a phone call (to his boss, I assume), and I had my SIM.
I have no idea if the process is the same now, though.
Does anyone have tips about getting unlimited data for around a month? I went and asked at a myfone, but they said ę²ęč¾¦ę³ćI donāt want to keep doing pay-as-you go and go to coffee shops for wifi, but the only unlimited data plans I can find are either (a) expensive and only for short-term (1 week max) (b) on contract with ARC.
Where are you? Perhaps go to the Songshan international arrival terminal to get a tourist sim if youāre in Taipei?
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Iām in taipei, and Iām not sure I want to take the time to go to the airport just for a simā¦ based on this link from mystery user 11173 earlier, could I potentially get a contract without an ARC? I do have an ID number.
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Songshan airport is so close thoughā¦
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As in a Taiwan ID? You should have no problem then! Just use your Taiwan ID and NHI card. If you have a Taiwan ID youāll never have a need for an ARC.
No, not a Taiwan ID, nor an NHI. As a foreigner you can go to the immigration office and register for an ID number without any other documents or anything.
@Liub, I guess I donāt want to go to Songshan without being confident I could get what I need. I have a SIM that I got from 大å„大, I pay $1000 for 13GB. Would going to the airport get me an unlimited 1-month card? Is there a reason I couldnāt do it outside the airport (i.e. at one of the stores next door to me)?
I can suggest you pop into a CHT/TWM store and ask, and this page suggest that you can:
I just think Songshan is super close and you just need your passport to buy one of the tourist unlimited data plans, max is 30 days.
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