Since it is the peak of the summer vacation season, many tourists may purchase medications and cosmetics with specialized uses before leaving for Taiwan. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reminded the public that imports of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and special-purpose cosmetics are restricted and that they can only be used for personal use, not for resale.
Read more: Be careful when buying souvenirs abroad during the summer vacation
Be cautious while purchasing cosmetics overseas because doing so might result in a NT$2 million penalty.Photo provided by FDA
According to the FDA, vitamins and eye drops are the most often imported over-the-counter medications. There is a cap of 12 bottles per type for special-purpose cosmetics including sunscreen, hair color, hair perms, antiperspirants, deodorants, teeth whitening products, etc. There is a cap of 36 bottles for all such products.
Be cautious while purchasing cosmetics overseas because doing so might result in a NT$2 million penalty.Photo provided by FDA
According to FDA statistics, from 2021 to 2022, a total of 474 cases were imposed, and the amount of fines reached NT$8.71 million; the case with the highest amount of money was that people sold vitamins, collagen tablets, and other health foods purchased from abroad on the internet which resulted in multiple infractions and a NT$180,000 penalties. The FDA also described two common violation scenarios, one of which is to bring food from abroad and sell it after returning home, and the other is to buy food imported from abroad and then resell it online.
They can only be used for their personal purposes and cannot be resold, whether it is to purchase medications, medical supplies, or specialty cosmetics. They risk a NT$30,000 to NT$2 million penalties if they sell pharmaceuticals or medical supplies.
