Staying safe in Taiwan: emergency numbers, earthquakes, roads and drug laws

Call 110 for the police and 119 for an ambulance or fire; both are free. In an earthquake, drop, cover and hold on. Watch for turning traffic at every crossing, and leave all drugs, including CBD, at home.

Who do you need?

• Police, for a crime or a road crash: call 110.1Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)eng.taiwan.net.tw
• An ambulance or the fire brigade: call 119.
• Emergency, but weak signal: call 112. All three emergency numbers are free.
• Help in English at any hour: call 1990, the government’s line for foreigners. It answers in English, Chinese and Japanese 24 hours a day, including on healthcare, personal safety and legal questions.2National Immigration Agency (opens in a new tab)immigration.gov.tw
• Travel questions: call the free 24-hour travel information line, 0800-011-765.3Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)eng.taiwan.net.tw
• A suspicious call asking for money: hang up and call 165, the police anti-fraud line.4National Police Agency (opens in a new tab)npa.gov.tw If the caller claimed to be police, give 165 their number and name, and share no personal details.5Criminal Investigation Bureau (opens in a new tab)cib.npa.gov.tw

Before you go

1. Check your phone supports VoLTE. Without it, you can’t call 110, 119 or 112, because Taiwan has switched off 3G.6Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)eng.taiwan.net.tw See Getting online in Taiwan.
2. Take travel insurance that covers medical care. National Health Insurance covers only residents.7National Health Insurance Administration (opens in a new tab)nhi.gov.tw
3. Pack medicines in their boxes, with the prescription. Some, such as alprazolam (Xanax), are controlled drugs in Taiwan.8Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (opens in a new tab)law.moj.gov.tw See the medicine rules.

If it doesn’t go to plan

• No signal for an emergency call? Dial 112.
• Nobody speaks English? Call 1990.
• Lost your passport? Report it at an immigration office, not a police station. How.
• Sirens in summer? It may be an air-raid drill. What to do.
• Typhoon coming? See what to do.

If there’s an earthquake

• Drop, cover and hold on until the shaking stops. Official alerts give the same instruction.9Taipei Times, September 2025 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com
• Phones get an alert. The Central Weather Administration sends earthquake alerts to phones across Taiwan by cell broadcast.10Taipei Times, September 2024 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com
• The shaking can come first. Alerts for a deep quake in July 2026 went out about 17 seconds after it struck.11Taipei Times, July 2026 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com Near the epicentre, no warning arrives in time.12Central Weather Administration (opens in a new tab)cwa.gov.tw
• For a second alert, install the CWA Earthquake App (opens in a new tab). It warns users where shaking above intensity 3 is forecast.
• On the coast: if a tsunami alert comes, go to higher ground at once.13Taipei Times, September 2025 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com

Crossing the road

366 pedestrians died on Taiwan’s roads in 2025.14Taipei Times, September 2026 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com

• Look for turning cars and scooters before you step out, even on a green man. Drivers failing to give way caused 21% of pedestrian deaths, the transport ministry found in 2024.15Taipei Times, September 2024 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com
• Stand well clear of turning buses and lorries. Turning large vehicles cause about 2,000 crashes a year, many from blind spots.16Taipei Times, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com In September 2026, a bus turning right killed a Singaporean tourist on a Taichung crossing.17Focus Taiwan, September 2026 (opens in a new tab)focustaiwan.tw

Drugs and medicines

• Trafficking heroin or cocaine: death or life in prison. Cannabis or amphetamines: life, or at least 10 years.18Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (opens in a new tab)law.moj.gov.tw
• Using cannabis: up to three years in prison. Possessing it: up to two years.
• CBD: cannabis products with more than 10 ppm of THC are banned.19Taipei Customs (opens in a new tab)web.customs.gov.tw Leave CBD oils and sweets at home.
• Prescription medicines: customs lets you carry controlled drugs only with the prescription.20Taipei Customs (opens in a new tab)web.customs.gov.tw For limits and permits, see Taiwan entry rules.

If you’re hiking or swimming

• Swim only where lifeguards are on duty, at the coast or in rivers.21Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)eng.taiwan.net.tw
• Wear a life jacket on boats, and don’t board one that’s overloaded or unlicensed.
• Stay on marked trails and watch for falling rocks.
• Hornets nest from April to November.22Taipei Times, June 2026 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com Wear a hat, light colours and long sleeves, and skip perfume. Don’t swat; if they attack, cover your head, keep low and walk away calmly.23Taipei Times, August 2026 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com If stung, move away, then call 119.24Taipei Times, June 2026 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com
• Snakes: avoid known snake areas at night, at dawn and after rain. If bitten, stay calm, note what the snake looked like, keep the bite below your heart and get to hospital.25Taiwan CDC (opens in a new tab)cdc.gov.tw
• Monkeys: don’t feed or touch macaques. Contact with wildlife can be fined NT$3,000 in national parks, and NT$5,000 to NT$10,000 in Kaohsiung.26Taipei Times, January 2024 (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com

If you get sick or hurt

• Emergency: call 119.
• You’re not covered by National Health Insurance, which is for residents with a resident certificate.27National Health Insurance Administration (opens in a new tab)nhi.gov.tw Keep every receipt for your insurer.
• Hospitals: the Tourism Administration lists major hospitals (opens in a new tab) in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien, with phone numbers.
• Not sure where to go? Call 1990 for healthcare advice in English.

If you lose your passport

1. Report it in person at a National Immigration Agency service centre, or to its border officers if you lost it at an airport or port.28National Immigration Agency (opens in a new tab)immigration.gov.tw If you entered on a foreign passport, the police send you there.29National Police Agency (opens in a new tab)npa.gov.tw
2. Bring another ID document and two passport-size photos. You get a certificate of the loss.30National Immigration Agency (opens in a new tab)immigration.gov.tw
3. Get a new passport or travel document from your embassy or representative office in Taiwan.31National Immigration Agency (opens in a new tab)immigration.gov.tw