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Title: Regulations Governing Registration of Exporters and Importers Ch
Date: 2021.08.02
Legislative: 1. Promulgated on July 9, 1993
2. Amendment of Article 8 and deletion of Article 11 promulgated on January 7, 1994
3. Amendment of Article 2 promulgated on September 10, 1997
4. Amendment of Articles 2-1, 2-2, 4, 5, and 9 and deletion of Articles 6 and 7 promulgated on August 18, 1999
5. Amendment of Articles 2-1, 2-2, 3, and 4 and addition of Articles 3-1 and 4-1 promulgated on June 20, 2001
6. Amendment of the full text for 11 Articles promulgated on December 11, 2002
7. Addition of Article 10-1 promulgated on April 27, 2007
8. Amendment of the title and Articles 2, 3, and 7, and addition of Article 8-1 promulgated on June 1, 2010 (original title : Regulations Governing Registration and Administration of Exporters and Importers)
9. Addition of Article 7-1 promulgated on March 25, 2013
10. Amendment of Article 7 promulgated on June 10, 2014
11. Amendment of Articles 5 and 11, addition of Article 5-1 and deletion of Article 6 promulgated and implemented on November 1, 2018
12. Amendment of Articles 3, 5-1, and 8 and deletion of Article 7 promulgated on August 2, 2021
Content: Article 1
These Regulations are enacted pursuant to paragraph 5 of Article 9 of the Foreign Trade Law.

Article 2
Except where other prohibitions or restrictions apply, a company or firm that engages in 
export/import business shall apply, in accordance with these Regulations, to the Bureau of Foreign 
Trade (hereafter referred to as “BOFT”) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs for registration as an 
exporter/importer.

Article 3
Application for review of English name availability and registration as an exporter/importer must be 
made by electronic transmission. If the computer systems of the BOFT malfunction, the application 
shall be done either by original hard copy, fax or e-mail.

Article 4
The English name for which the registration is being applied shall consist of the primary name and 
indicate the type of company it is. The English name of a branch of a foreign company must 
indicate the foreign company's national origin and the name of the branch.
The name for which the registration is being applied shall not indicate or suggest that the firm is 
engaged in areas of business other than those indicated on the registration of the company or 
business.
The English name shall not be indicated in such a way that it may likely cause confusion with or 
show similarity to that of any government agencies or non-profit organizations.

Article 5
The English name of an exporter/importer shall not be identical to the English name of another 
exporter/importer, either existing or whose registration has been canceled, revoked or abolished by 
the BOFT within the last two (2) years, unless special approval is granted by the BOFT based on 
justifiable reasons or if the English name of a Taiwan branch of a foreign company is the same as 
the name of the foreign company and the said name indicates both the foreign company's national 
origin and the English name of the Taiwan branch of that company.

Article 5-1
Whether the English name of an exporter/importer is identical shall be determined by examining the 
primary name; if the primary name is different, then the English name shall be deemed different.
When examining the English name of an exporter/importer, if its key words indicate a different type 
of business or distinguishable words are different, then its English name shall be deemed different.
The distinguishable words referred to in the previous paragraph do not include English articles (e.g., 
“a,” “an,” or “the”), abbreviations, spaces, symbols, different lowercase or uppercase letters, or 
different corporate designations (e.g., “Inc.,” “Co.,”etc.).

Article 6
(Deleted)

Article 7
(Deleted)

Article 7-1
The BOFT has made the following information regarding registration as an exporter/importer 
publicly available on its website:
1. Chinese and English names
2. business address in Chinese and English
3. name of representative or person in charge
4. telephone and fax numbers
5. export/import qualifications
An exporter/importer accessing the following information can also log on to the BOFT website for:
1. website address
2. e-mail address
3. exported/imported products
4. other information about commercial trade matters

Article 8
When an exporter/importer changes the business account number, Chinese name, organization, 
representative, person in charge, or address of the company or firm in accordance with the relevant 
laws and regulations, the BOFT will change its exporter/importer registration data based on the 
information provided by the company or the competent authority for business registration.
When an exporter/importer applies to change the English name on the registration, the provisions in 
Article 3 shall apply mutatis mutandis.
An exporter/importer may continue to operate an export/import business only after he/she has 
completed the process of changing the registration as set forth in the previous paragraph.

Article 8-1
After registration as an exporter/importer, the BOFT may revoke the said registration for either of 
the following reasons:
1. The exporter/importer has applied to the BOFT for cancellation of registration.
2. The exporter/importer, after changing the business operations of a company or firm, continues to 
engage in exporting/importing, shall be deemed in violation of prohibition or restriction regulations.

Article 9
Due to business needs, an exporter/importer may apply to the BOFT for an exporter/importer 
registration certificate.

Article 10
The various documents referred to in these Regulations may be submitted electronically in 
accordance with the Electronic Signature Law.

Article 10-1
Pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 10 of the Foreign Trade Law, a juristic person or an organization 
applying for registration as an exporter/importer shall attach the following documentation with the 
said application: a juristic person registration certificate, a cooperative association certificate, and 
any other trade-related legal certificates issued by the competent authorities.
When the juristic person or organization in the previous paragraph applies for registration as an 
exporter/importer, the procedural provisions for registering, changing registration, using an English 
name, or complying with any other stipulations in these Regulations shall apply mutatis mutandis.

Article 11
These Regulations shall enter into force from the date of promulgation.
The articles of these Regulations which were amended on November 1, 2018 shall have entered into 
force on November 1, 2018.