Taiwan to allow travelers to bring in heated tobacco products duty-free

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) People entering Taiwan will be allowed to bring up to 200 heated tobacco product sticks into the country duty free starting Feb. 1, but they will have to be bought in duty-free areas in Taiwan airports due to existing health approval rules.

The only heated tobacco products -- electronic devices that heat processed tobacco sticks at a lower temperature than conventional cigarettes -- currently approved for sale in Taiwan are not currently sold overseas, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW).

Therefore, travelers who try to bring in unapproved heated tobacco sticks from abroad after Feb. 1 hoping to avoid paying duties on them will still violate the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act and be subject to a fine ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$5 million, the ministry said.

Lo Su-ying (羅素英), head of the Tobacco Control Division at the MOHW's Health Promotion Administration (HPA), told reporters on Monday that only two companies operating in Taiwan currently have designated heated tobacco products and component combinations approved by the MOHW.

Lo said travelers may not bring other heated tobacco products purchased overseas into Taiwan but may buy approved products at duty-free shops in Taiwan airports or in outlying islands and bring them in under the new duty-free rules.

Lo said the HPA sent information on approved heated tobacco product items that passed health risk assessments to the Customs Administration on Oct. 1 last year to serve as a reference for inspections upon entry.

The HPA said it will strengthen public communication and education efforts to help travelers understand the rules in advance and avoid violating the law.