Hi!! does anyone know if oversea Chinese get any tax or custom exemption when moving back Taiwan? the import/#&#*$ on the bring in automobile is crazy :raspberry: ; hoping i can find a exemption and keep the car. any info would be appreciated… thanks 
Please see my response in this thread:
[url]Importing car
In short, generally, there are no freebies unless you are a Taiwanese citizen who has been working/studying abroad, and are returning to Taiwan and bringing a used car that they’ve owned for at least 2 years.
Hi Ben; thanks for the link. has the rule been changed? i met these requirement for freebie!! bought a Acura TSX last Jun, thinking of moving back(next yr) Taiwan after married as i want my offsprings to know the tw cultures. i know i can’t drive very fast and it’s pretty crowed in tw, and this move was to save money as car depreciated a lot for the first 2 years. so i definite want to save $$$ on custom. do you think other would buy it from me in tw?
i search the net but non mention the escape route for custom duty you had :help:
thanks!
[quote=“gogozy”]Hi Ben; thanks for the link. has the rule been changed? I met these requirement for freebie!! bought a Acura TSX last Jun, thinking of moving back(next yr) Taiwan after married as I want my offsprings to know the tw cultures. I know I can’t drive very fast and it’s pretty crowed in tw, and this move was to save money as car depreciated a lot for the first 2 years. so i definite want to save $$$ on custom. do you think other would buy it from me in tw?
i search the net but non mention the escape route for custom duty you had :help:
thanks! [/quote]
Sorry, all of this information is what I know off the top of my head from when I wanted to bring my car (also an Acura 
) back in 2002. Things may have changed now. Your best bet is to find out from official sources.
But, let’s assume you are able to get it in. You still have to deal with the parts and service issue. You could find a couple places that might be able to service a TSX, but what about parts? All parts are going to have to be shipped over from North America, and the larger parts will be taxed at entry. So, if some part needs to be replaced, and your car is undriveable in the meantime, You are looking at 1-2 weeks downtime, possibly more. Is that something you are willing to put up with?
As for selling the car, it’s going to be a hard sell because it wasn’t officially imported by a manufacturer/distributor, and there are no parts available. That will hurt the resale value in Taiwan.
Unless you are convinced that the TSX is special enough, and that no other car that is available in Taiwan will do, then it’s best that you sell it there, and buy another car when you come back.
You might try to ask these guys:
Looks like they might have some experience with the TSX.
Hi Ben! once again, thanks for reply!! i will do some search about “once a life time” thing. what Acura did you want to bring in? TSX is just the JDM Accord, and most parts are interchangeable with US Accord. Honda cars are generally trouble free, unless accident or thief. how bad is that in taiwan? is it as bad i heard? thanks in advance
My current avatar (it might have changed for those reading this months later) is the JDM Type-R version of what I wanted to bring 
. I ended up selling it to my friend instead 
.
That may be true, but there are still quite a few parts that are not interchangeable with the US spec Accord. Keep in mind that the Accords sold in Taiwan are built in Taiwan, and actually use different engines than the US spec Accord, so that means that the number of Taiwan spec Accord parts interchangeable with the TSX is probably little to none.
Very true, but you will eventually need parts, for some reason or other. At the very least, you’ll need oil filters, brake pads, rotors, air filters, belts, water pump, etc. Also keep in mind that any warranty you have will be gone once the car gets here.
Theft is pretty bad, but if you have indoor parking at home and work, I think it should be ok. The TSX won’t be a popular target for thieves, because it’s so rare, that if it’s seen on the road, it will stick out, and there is no market for the parts, since there are very few TSXs on the road, if any at all. Huge accidents are rare, but expect a lot of chips, dents, scratches, etc.
Not trying to discourage you from bringing your car, but just letting you know what you’ll be getting yourself into.
how would it work to bring in a motorcycle (600cc or larger). seems they charge about twice the US retail price for big bikes here. parts shouldn’t be hard to come by for japanese bikes.
Not as much available data on this, as big bikes only recently have become legal (within the past 2 years, I think). I looked into getting a Honda CBR600, and it is indeed 2x the US price. Most of that, I’m pretty sure is taxes because it’s imported. Unless there is a provision for freebies, I think it’s better to just buy it here if the model you want is available, that way you don’t have to deal with customs, shipping, etc. I think once customs charges the duty, it will cost as much as or more than buying it here. Plus, if you buy it from an official importer, you get support, warranty, parts, etc, although parts I would imagine are a lot less of an issue for a bike than they would be for a car. A friend of mine brought his Ducati over, so I can ask him.
Hay Ben; thanks!! 
Sorry to burst your bubbles, but all laws changed after Taiwan joined WTO. No more freebies period. Taiwan is not an automotive heaven, so embrace that fact and you will be at peace.
Absolutely, Taiwan is pretty much automotive hell.
Is the no more freebies thing confirmed anywhere on an official site?
Alas, they also said that Taiwan joining the WTO would lead to lower “protectionist” taxes on imported cars, but that has yet to happen. About the only good to come out of it was that big motorcycles and new Japanese cars can now be directly imported, albeit in limited numbers, and subject to the same ridiculous taxes as all other imports.
Personally, I think if the government is going to levy such heavy taxes on imported cars to protect the domestic assembly industry, then there should also be a law that says all government officials (president, legislators, state visitors etc.) on government sponsored/funded functions should only be allowed to ride in Taiwanese built cars, and government agencies (like police) should only be allowed to use Taiwanese cars. That way, they set a good example for everyone else, and have more legitimacy when they tax the general populace. Protectionism also hurts the domestic industry in that they'll never improve, as they've got no incentive to.