Bank account and phone

What needs a Taiwan phone number

A Taiwan mobile number comes up before many other steps:

• Talent Taiwan, the National Development Council's site for foreign professionals, says banks will likely ask for a Taiwan mobile number.
• YouBike membership uses a Taiwan mobile number as the account ID. Without one, you can only use Single Rental. → Getting around

Opening a bank account

The FSC's Banking Bureau (金管會銀行局) sets out what foreign students, including students from mainland China, need to open a deposit account:

• A foreign passport with a valid entry visa or entry stamp, or an Overseas Chinese identity certificate from the Overseas Community Affairs Council.
• An ARC, or a Unified ID Number record (統一證號基資表).
• If you have limited legal capacity under your home country's law, a parent or guardian consent form verified by a Taiwan (ROC) mission abroad, or signed by your guardian in Taiwan.

Foreign students can open any account type except a cheque account, in NT dollars or foreign currency. A foreigner with an ARC gives the ARC plus a second ID, such as a passport, health insurance card, driver's licence or student ID.

What banks ask on top

Talent Taiwan says:

• Banks will likely ask for a Taiwan mobile number and the address on your ARC, and most may ask for proof of address.
• Each bank's anti-money-laundering checks differ and change often. It suggests booking an appointment, which also tells you that bank's own document list.
• Most banks now accept a signature based on the name on your ARC instead of a seal (印章).
• Without an ARC, you apply for the Unified ID Number record in person at the National Immigration Agency, and you "may find it more difficult to open an account".

Online accounts

In 2019 the FSC allowed foreigners with a chip ARC, aged 20 or over, who pass an identity check to open an account online. The account type depends on how your identity is verified.

Banks with English service

• A list of bilingual bank branches (as of December 31, 2025), linked by Talent Taiwan, counts 2,340 branches, with each bank's bilingual phone line.
• Since June 2026, six banks (E.Sun, Taipei Fubon, Taishin, Mega, First Commercial and CTBC) take appointments at named branches for foreign residents opening accounts, under Talent Taiwan's one-stop banking initiative.
• Deposits are insured up to NT$3 million per depositor at each insured bank.

A post office account (郵局)

• With an ARC: go in person with your ARC, a second ID (such as passport, health insurance card or driver's licence) and a seal. No one can apply for you. You can open with NT$10 or more.
• If your ARC shows only an English name, use an English-name seal, your signature, or both.
• With a passport and Unified ID Number record only: suspended until further notice. Talent Taiwan says this followed a rise in phone scams and fraud.
• The exception: foreign students who need an account to receive a scholarship can still open one with a passport and the Unified ID Number record, if they show a Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship certificate or a MOFA Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarship certificate, plus a letter from their school.

→ Huayu Enrichment Scholarship

SIM cards and phone plans

Operators ask foreigners for two IDs. The first is a passport or ARC.

• Chunghwa Telecom: the second ID can be an ARC, health insurance card, driver's licence, passport or student ID. For a new (non-prepaid) line, the ARC must be valid for at least six months, or one year for some promotional plans.
• Taiwan Mobile prepaid: bring your original passport or ARC plus a second original ID such as an ARC, Taiwan driver's licence, health insurance card or visa, to a myfone store. Prepaid cards are valid six months from activation.
• Tourist SIMs on arrival: Taiwan Mobile sells 3, 5 and 7 day unlimited data cards at airport counters, as a SIM or eSIM. Chunghwa Telecom sells tourist SIMs and eSIMs at service centres at four major airports, for NT dollar cash only.
• Replacing a SIM: the NCC (National Communications Commission) says that to replace a number or SIM you give an explanation and documents; a police report is not needed. An eSIM is one-time and is not reissued.

→ Inside Hsinchu's first 30 days page has sections on a bank account and a phone, written for residents; Inside Taipei's practical basics covers SIM cards and eSIMs for visitors.

Questions

Can I open a bank account without an ARC?

The Banking Bureau's rules allow it with a passport showing a valid entry visa or stamp plus a Unified ID Number record, which you apply for in person at the National Immigration Agency. Talent Taiwan says it may be more difficult and services may be limited. The post office has suspended passport-only accounts, except for some scholarship holders.

Do I need an ARC for a phone contract?

For a new Chunghwa Telecom line that is not prepaid, the ARC must be valid for at least six months (one year for some promotional plans). Prepaid and tourist cards can be bought with a passport plus a second ID.

Can I open a post office account with my ARC?

Yes. Go in person with your ARC, a second ID and a seal, and deposit at least NT$10. If your ARC shows only an English name, use an English-name seal or your signature.

→ Money: currency, ATMs and cards · Paying bills · Arrive and live

Sources (13)

Checked November 2026.Show

FSC Banking Bureau FAQ, FSC order on overseas students' accounts (2010), Banking Bureau, opening a deposit account, FSC, online accounts for foreigners (2019), Chunghwa Post, opening an account, Talent Taiwan, opening a bank account, bilingual bank branches list, Talent Taiwan, one-stop banking, Chunghwa Telecom, ID rules, Chunghwa Telecom, tourist SIM, Taiwan Mobile, prepaid, Taiwan Mobile, tourist card, NCC, SIM replacement (2026).