Best Travel Insurance for Taiwan 2024

Travel insurance coverage

Travel insurance is not mandatory to travel to Taiwan as a tourist, but it is still strongly recommended as you never know when you may get sick or meet with an accident. Getting travel insurance helps you to be insured against any possibilities and you may save on costly medical fees overseas, whether associated with COVID-19 treatments or not in Taiwan.

VISA application

There are more than 40 countries on a visa waiver agreement with Taiwan, and unless you’re from one of these countries, you’ll have to apply for a visa via the online application website of Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (ROC) to travel to Taiwan as a tourist. There are several types of visa you can apply for, but if you’re just going there for leisure or business, here are the 3 common visas to consider.

• Single entry visitor visa: If your country is not on the “Visa Exemption Entry” list, you may apply for the single entry tourist visa to enter Taiwan, and it is valid for a maximum of 30-90 days (depending on which country you’re from as maximum duration of stay differs from country to country, refer to this list). The fee payable for a single entry visitor visa is S$65.
• Multiple entries visitor visa: Whether you’re visiting Taiwan for tourism, short term employment or executing a service contract, this form of visa allows you to enter Taiwan more than once and for an intended stay of more than 30 days but less than 6 months. The fee payable for a multiple-entries visitor visa is S$129.
• Business visitor visa: This business entry visa is valid for a longer staying period of more than 30 days but less than 6 months and it costs about S$65 - S$129, depending on whether it is a single entry or multiple-entries visa. An additional 50% is payable on and above the standard visa application fee levied if urgent processing is required.

Coverage for baggage & personal belongings

While many travel insurance policies exclude claims related to natural disasters, Acts of God, or adverse weather conditions such as earthquakes that disrupt travel plans, certain providers like Etiqa and DirectAsia offer plans that reimburse expenses for lost or damaged personal baggage, belongings, and even cover travel delays or cancellations resulting from such events.

These coverage benefits account for the loss of personal belongings due to circumstances beyond the insured individual's control at the intended destination. It's important to note that there are reimbursement limits per item, group of items, or specific types of personal effects, and these limits vary among insurers.

Coverage for trip curtailment, cancellation, or travel delay

In the event of trip curtailment or cancellation due to a travel delay, reimbursements typically cover irrecoverable prepaid transportation and accommodation expenses (excluding administrative charges or fees), provided the cancellations occur within 30 days before the scheduled start of the insured trip.

Medical costs coverage

If you sustain an injury resulting from an accident indirectly or directly caused by a natural disaster, certain travel insurance plans, like those offered by Etiqa and DirectAsia, may cover overseas medical expenses or medical costs incurred upon returning to Singapore.

Compensation is usually disbursed to the overseas or Singaporean medical facility where treatment was received or to designated beneficiaries. Treatment must commence within a specified timeframe from the date of return to Singapore and is subject to the predefined limits of your travel insurance plan, which should be thoroughly reviewed with your insurance provider.