Taoyuan Airport Departure Guide: A1/A3 In-Town Check-in, Baggage, Liquids and Power Banks at Security, e-Gate Registration, and When to Leave (2026)

The easiest departure-day option is this: if you are flying Cathay Pacific, STARLUX, China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air or UNI Air and your flight departs at or after 09:00, go first to Airport MRT A1 Taipei Main Station for in-town check-in. Check in and drop your checked baggage there, then travel to the airport with only your carry-on bag. First-time e-Gate users do not need to visit a counter in advance: ROC nationals with household registration in Taiwan who use an ROC passport and are aged 10 or older and at least 120 cm tall can enroll at the gate. The sections below follow the order of departure day and end with a backward-planning table for calculating when to leave home. Information was checked in September 2026 against the official websites of Taiwan's National Immigration Agency, Taoyuan Metro, Civil Aviation Administration and Aviation Police Bureau.

Three things to finish at home

1. Check in online: if your airline offers it, check in through its app or website and choose your seat. Each airline sets its own opening time; follow the airline's app or website.
2. Confirm your terminal: check your e-ticket, airline app or airport flight information. Do not rely on memory.
3. Sort your baggage first: use the security section below to decide whether liquids, power banks and lighters belong in carry-on or checked baggage.

Also decide at home whether you will use an eSIM, physical SIM or pocket WiFi at your destination:

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If you are still choosing departure dates, mark Taiwan's national long weekends and the leave you would need before deciding which days to travel.

Taiwan's 2027 long weekends and leave-planning guide

Airport MRT A1/A3 in-town check-in: drop large bags in the city

In-Town Check-In is a departure check-in area operated by Taoyuan Metro at city stations. A1 Taipei Main Station is on B1 and operates 06:00–21:30; A3 New Taipei Industrial Park is on 1F and operates 09:00–16:00. Both stop accepting passengers three hours before departure and accept only flights leaving Taoyuan Airport that same day. You can use an airline counter, or check in at a self-service kiosk and then hand over your baggage at a self-service bag-drop machine. Once the bag has passed X-ray screening, you may leave. Counter hours depend on flight schedules, and airlines impose their own restrictions, so confirm with the airline before use. The airlines differ by station: Cathay Pacific and STARLUX are available only at A1, while Tigerair Taiwan is available only at A3.

You can enter the Airport MRT with an EasyCard, iPASS or icash2.0.

Check-in and bag drop at the airport

If you did not use in-town check-in, find your airline's check-in counter at the airport. Counter opening and closing times and gate-closing times vary by airline; follow your e-ticket, airline app or airline website. Availability of self-service check-in and bag drop also depends on the airline. If you completed check-in at A1 or A3, take your boarding pass directly to departure security.

Security: liquids, power banks and lighters

For international flights, pack liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on baggage under Taiwan Civil Aviation Administration rules. This quantity limit does not apply to checked baggage:

• Each container may hold no more than 100 mL. The printed capacity of the container counts, not the amount remaining inside.
• Place all containers in one transparent, reclosable bag of no more than one liter, approximately 20 cm by 20 cm. Each passenger may carry one bag.
• Remove the bag at security and place it in a tray for X-ray screening.
• Declare infant food, medication and medical liquids above the limit to security staff. They may pass after approval.
• Put lotion, body wash and canned goods in containers larger than 100 mL in checked baggage.
• Finish or empty water and other drinks outside the restricted area. An empty bottle may be carried through.

• Carry no more than one ordinary lighter with you; it may not be checked. Windproof blue-flame lighters are prohibited in both carry-on and checked baggage.
• Lighters and matches are completely prohibited for passengers traveling to mainland China.
• Passengers traveling to the United States may not bring powder-like substances of 350 mL or more into the cabin.

Automated e-Gate clearance: enroll at the gate on your first use

ROC nationals with household registration in Taiwan who are aged 10 or older and at least 120 cm tall may enroll free of charge with an ROC passport. First-time users do not need to visit a counter. Scan the passport at the gate and consent on screen to storage of your facial image; enrollment plus clearance takes about 30 seconds. Enrollment at a staffed counter takes about one minute. Enrollment is permanent, and renewing the passport does not require reenrollment. Remove sunglasses, hats and masks for clearance. If you want a passport stamp, ask at a National Immigration Agency service counter. Taoyuan Airport's staffed enrollment counters below were last updated by the agency on August 3, 2026. Arrival-hall counters are inside the restricted area; on departure day, use the counter in the departure hall:

• Terminal 1: departure hall, 3F, outside the restricted area, 06:30–22:00; arrival hall document-issuance counter, inside the restricted area, 08:00–23:00.
• Terminal 2: in front of check-in counter 19 in the departure hall on 3F, outside the restricted area, 06:30–22:00; arrival hall document-issuance counter, inside the restricted area, 05:30–23:00.

According to the National Immigration Agency, the following four groups may not use e-Gate:

1. People subject to a legal prohibition on leaving Taiwan or crossing its borders.
2. People whose household registration was moved out after they remained abroad for more than two years.
3. People with limited mobility who cannot operate the gate independently.
4. Men subject to military service and personnel involved in national security or confidential matters who lack approval to travel abroad, or whose approval data has not reached the National Immigration Agency system.

When to leave home: work backward

Work backward yourself. First identify the cutoff you must meet. For in-town check-in, compare three hours before departure with the closing time of the station you will use: 21:30 at A1 or 16:00 at A3. Use the earlier time. If you are going directly to the airport, use the airline's check-in cutoff. Subtract travel time from home to the station or airport, then add a queue buffer. For example, for a 14:00 flight using A1, finish by 11:00. If home is 40 minutes from Taipei Main Station, leave by 10:20, then move that time earlier by your chosen buffer. Decide the buffer based on factors such as a holiday period or traveling with children.

Read the full description

The upper section shows two departure routes. Route A goes from home to in-town check-in at Airport MRT A1 Taipei Main Station (B1, 06:00–21:30) or A3 New Taipei Industrial Park (1F, 09:00–16:00), then by Airport MRT to the airport. Route B goes from home directly to check-in and bag drop at Terminal 1 or 2. The routes meet at security, continue through automated e-Gate immigration clearance and end at the boarding gate. The lower, not-to-scale countdown shows the in-town check-in cutoff three hours before departure and 0 for takeoff; airline-specific airport check-in and gate-closing cutoffs have no fixed numbers. Three information panels add these details: A1 serves China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, UNI Air, Cathay Pacific and STARLUX; A3 serves China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, UNI Air and Tigerair Taiwan; both close three hours before departure, so A1 is calculated to work only for flights at or after 09:00. At security, each liquid container is limited to 100 mL, all containers go in one transparent one-liter reclosable bag per passenger, and no more than two power banks are allowed in carry-on only; power banks may not be checked, used or charged in flight. e-Gate is available to ROC nationals with household registration in Taiwan using an ROC passport from age 10 and 120 cm in height; first-time users may enroll at the gate, enrollment plus clearance takes about 30 seconds, enrollment is permanent, and a new passport does not require reenrollment.

The return trip and after arrival

You can use e-Gate when reentering Taiwan under the same enrollment. The red and green customs channels after baggage claim, duty-free allowances, and rules for meat and fruit are covered here:

Returning to Taiwan: baggage rules, duty-free allowances, red and green channels, and declaring meat and fruit

Entry procedures at your destination, including online arrival cards and electronic visas, can change every year. Before departure, check the destination government's official website or Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs. For transport from the arrival airport into the city:

Narita and Haneda airports to central Tokyo: complete transport guide

Incheon Airport to central Seoul: transport guide

Hong Kong Airport to the city: transport guide

Changi Airport to central Singapore: transport guide

Tokyo destination page: attractions, accommodation and transport

Seoul destination page: attractions, accommodation and transport

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