Taiwan Self-Drive Vehicles Enter Fujian: Xiamen Simplifies Procedures

To facilitate the temporary entry of self-drive vehicles from Taiwan into Fujian via the Xiamen port, Xiamen Customs has streamlined administrative procedures. Taiwanese vehicle owners can now directly apply for record-filing with Xiamen Customs. When the vehicles enter or exit the country via roll-on/roll-off ships, the port customs will handle the inspection and clearance procedures for the vehicles, drivers, and agents. It was revealed that access via Fuzhou will be further opened in the future.

China News Service reported that other simplified procedures include streamlining related record-filing requirements, such as not specifying a background color for record-filing photos and only collecting copies of various documents during the filing process.

Before the reform, self-drive vehicles from Taiwan entering the mainland had to first obtain consent from a mainland receiving unit and apply to customs with approval documents from authorities such as the China National Tourism Administration. Only after approval could they enter the mainland. The process was not only cumbersome and time-consuming but also involved significant fees.

Zhang Xiaohui, deputy director of the Free Trade Office at Xiamen Customs, said, “The new model fully leverages the geographical advantages of the Xiamen area of the Fujian Free Trade Zone, greatly simplifying the record-filing procedures for Taiwan vehicles entering Fujian and providing customs facilitation for the normalization of such entries.” “Currently, we are discussing cooperation with Fuzhou Customs. In the future, Taiwan vehicles entering Fujian may no longer be restricted to entering and exiting through the same port, allowing Taiwanese compatriots who invest, work, live, or travel in Fujian to freely drive their own vehicles across the strait.”

On May 4 of this year, self-drive vehicles from Taiwan made their first landing in Xiamen, where they completed temporary license plate procedures. On May 19, seven Taiwan sedans landed from Pingtan, marking the normalized operation of “Taiwan vehicles entering Fujian.”