You do not need a Taiwan national ID number to book a health screening. You need a passport, a card that works abroad, and a confirmed appointment slot. That is the whole answer, and the rest of this article is the paperwork behind it.
The confusion is worth clearing first. The medical examination a residency applicant must pass is a different product with a different purpose, and it is not sold as a health screening by anybody.
What is the residency medical examination, and why is it not a health screening?
It is a communicable-disease clearance for an immigration file. Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control publishes the required items for a health certificate for residence, and the list is short and specific.
| Required item | What it screens for |
|---|---|
| Chest X-ray | Tuberculosis |
| Stool examination | Intestinal parasites |
| Serological test | Syphilis |
| Antibody titers or vaccination certificates | Measles and rubella |
| Examination | Hansen's disease |
That list contains no imaging beyond a chest film, no cancer markers, no endoscopy and no cardiac work. It is not designed to tell you anything about your own health. It is designed to tell an immigration officer that you do not carry a notifiable disease.
The trigger is a residency application, not a visit. Taiwan's National Immigration Agency requires a "Health examination certificate issued within the last three (3) months, proving the applicant's fitness" from foreign nationals converting a visitor visa to residency.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs takes the same line. It lists a "Health Certificate if applicable" among resident visa documents, and defines a resident visa as being for people who "intend to stay in Taiwan (ROC) for more than six months".
Where the exam is done is also regulated. Taiwan's CDC publishes a list of designated hospitals permitted to perform it, and the immigration guidance requires an overseas examination to be verified by an embassy or representative office.
If you are flying in for a week, none of that applies to you.
Can a visitor use Taiwan's National Health Insurance?
No. Enrollment in Taiwan's National Health Insurance requires a valid residency document, and a visitor on visa-exempt entry does not have one.
The National Health Insurance Administration states the rule affirmatively. Foreign nationals "with Valid Alien Resident Certificate or Resident certificate for the Taiwan area" must register "upon living in Taiwan for 6 months", while those employed with an ARC are enrolled by their employer from the day they start work.
The waiting period has a defined shape. The NHIA publishes worked examples, including a person who arrives on 1 February, does not leave, and becomes eligible on 1 August. A single trip abroad of more than 30 days resets that clock.
Taipei Veterans General Hospital restates the same rule for its own international patients. "Foreign residents having resided in Taiwan for more than 6 months, or Taiwanese citizens are both eligible to apply and enroll in the Taiwan NHI program and being issued a NHI card."
So a visiting patient is a self-pay patient. We wrote separately about what the insurance system explains about your care even though you cannot use it.
What identification does a Taiwanese facility ask a foreign patient for?
A passport, in every published instruction we could find. Hospitals differ in what else they will take, and they say so on their own pages.
| Hospital | What its own page asks for |
|---|---|
| Taiwan Adventist Hospital | "passport or Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) to set up account" |
| Taipei Veterans General Hospital | "a copy of your passport" for new patients |
| Taipei Medical University Hospital | "passport or photograph ID", NHI card only "if you have it" |
Taiwan Adventist Hospital also publishes the mechanics of the first visit. It asks new patients to arrive ten minutes early "to allow for registration paper works and vital sign screening", and its online booking issues a reference number you hand to the counter.
Taipei Medical University Hospital asks overseas patients to email ahead, and lists what it wants: "A photocopy of your passport", "Photocopies of your medical records", and the name of the physician you want to see.
No hospital we could reach publishes how a medical record number is generated. Treat the passport as the key, and expect the number to be issued at the counter.
How do you pay, and does that differ between hospitals?
It differs sharply, and this is the single most useful thing on this page. Two large Taipei hospitals publish opposite policies on foreign insurance.
| Hospital | Payment accepted | Private insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Adventist Hospital | Visa, MasterCard, American Express, cash in New Taiwan Dollars | Direct billing with over 40 insurers |
| Taipei Veterans General Hospital | "cash, foreign and domestic credit cards, and bank transfers" | "does not directly accept private insurance" |
Taiwan Adventist Hospital is explicit about the card it will not take. "Excepts Diners Club, we accept major credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express) and cash (New Taiwan Dollars only)."
Even where direct billing exists, it is conditional. Taiwan Adventist's own page warns that "You may be required to make payments upon discharge, then submit the claim on your own", and asks patients to confirm the arrangement with their insurer first.
Taipei Veterans General Hospital publishes its self-pay outpatient price. A consultation or follow-up visit for a non-NHI patient is NT$2,000, made up of an NT$500 registration fee and an NT$1,500 consultation fee. A teleconsultation of up to thirty minutes is NT$7,000. The page adds that fees may change and should be confirmed at booking.
That is one hospital's published rate for one kind of visit. It is not a screening price, and it is not ours.
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare runs a medical travel portal through the Taiwan Task Force for Medical Travel. It lists hospitals by region and describes physical examination services, but it publishes no prices and no booking procedure, so it will not answer this question for you.
Do you need a medical visa to come for a screening?
Not for a short trip on visa-exempt entry. The Bureau of Consular Affairs lists the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and EU states among nationalities eligible for visa-exempt entry with a duration of stay of up to 90 days.
| Route | Who it is for | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-exempt entry | US, Canada, UK, EU nationals | Passport valid six months, confirmed return ticket |
| Visitor visa for medical treatment | Patients coming specifically for treatment | Diagnosis and treatment proposal from a Taiwan institution |
| Resident visa | Stays over six months | Health certificate if applicable |
The medical treatment visa is real and current. Its BOCA page, last updated on 7 August 2026, asks for a "diagnosis, proposal of treatment from Taiwan Medical institutions, letter for visa application" plus a bank statement or an agreed payment plan.
Two cautions. The BOCA visa-exemption page itself carries a 2022 update date, so confirm the current duration for your nationality before you fly. And at least one hospital's own FAQ states that a medical visa is required for extended treatment stays, which is a stricter reading than the visa rules themselves. For a screening trip of a few days, the visa-exempt route is the one that applies.
How does booking with New Dawn Health actually work?
Not quite like booking a hotel. A hotel confirms the moment you pay. Here the deposit opens a request that the clinic still has to accept, and the written confirmation is what tells you the date is real. Here is the sequence from first inquiry to walking in.
- Tell us your dates, your city of departure and what you want covered.
- We come back with which packages are bookable on those dates, at which clinic.
- You pick a package and a time window on the booking calendar.
- You reserve the slot with a deposit, which is $100 on our screening packages.
- You get a written confirmation naming the clinic, the date and the window.
- Only then do you book the flight.
- Preparation instructions, including any fasting, come in English before you travel.
- The remaining balance is due before you travel, not at the clinic. Our own reminder goes out two weeks ahead with a payment link, and the deposit letter says full payment is due 14 days before the service where it applies. You arrive with your passport.
The calendar offers a Morning window of 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and an Afternoon window of 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, but the screening tiers are booked into the morning only. That is a rule in the booking system, not a preference. The window is when you arrive, not how long you stay: several packages run longer than four hours, and one runs a full day.
| Package | Price | Time at the clinic |
|---|---|---|
| Convenient | $299 | 1.5 hours |
| Essential | $699 | 3.5 hours |
| Standard | $1,199 | Full day |
| Light | $1,399 | 2 hours |
| Complete | $1,699 | 2.5 hours |
| Premium | $1,699 | 5 hours |
| Plus | $3,099 | 3.5 hours |
| Advanced | $3,499 | 6 hours |
Those are our published prices and the current list sits on the packages page. Your digital report follows two to three weeks after the screening, and an English physician debrief is available on request.
How far ahead should you book?
Far enough that the slot is confirmed before the flight is paid for. That is the only rule that never fails.
Most screenings need a few weeks of notice. Some need longer, because a particular clinic or a particular scan has less capacity. Some can be arranged quickly.
We do not publish a fixed notice period, because it is not a fixed number. Arrangements are made case by case, and the team routinely works around tight dates. The live booking calendar always shows the true earliest available date, so check it there and ask us if the dates are tight.
What should you bring on the day?
Less than people expect, but the passport is not optional. Bring these.
- Your passport, the same one you entered on.
- Your written booking confirmation, printed or on your phone.
- A card that works overseas, and some cash in New Taiwan Dollars as a fallback.
- A list of your current medications, with generic names.
- Any prior imaging or reports you want the physician to see.
- Your insurer's claim form, if you intend to claim later.
If you plan to request records afterward, know the cost and the wait. Taiwan Adventist Hospital charges a minimum NT$100 handling fee for five pages or fewer and NT$5 for each additional page, with a complete file taking three working days.
The bottom line
A Taiwan ID number is not the gate. A confirmed appointment is, and so is a card your bank will not decline in Taipei.
Sort the visa question by nationality on the Bureau of Consular Affairs pages, confirm the payment method with the facility rather than assuming, and put the slot in writing before you buy a ticket.
If you want the wider picture of how outpatient care works here, read our guide to seeing a doctor in Taiwan as a foreigner. For one hospital's specifics, see what foreign patients should know about Taiwan Adventist Hospital.
Sources
- Taiwan Centers for Disease Control - Items Required for Health Certificate for Residence in Taiwan, updated 22 May 2026 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taiwan Centers for Disease Control - The list of designated hospitals in Taiwan, updated 31 July 2026 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- National Immigration Agency - Guidelines for Residency Applications for Foreign Nationals Entering Taiwan on Visitor Visas, updated 14 April 2026 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Bureau of Consular Affairs - Resident Visa, updated 13 August 2026 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Bureau of Consular Affairs - Visa-Exempt Entry, updated 21 June 2022 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Bureau of Consular Affairs - Visitor Visa for Medical Treatment Purpose, updated 7 August 2026 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- National Health Insurance Administration - Foreign Nationals Who Reside in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (accessed 2026-09-09)
- National Health Insurance Administration - FAQ, Non-Taiwanese Citizens, 24 April 2025 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- National Health Insurance Administration - Examples for foreign nationals to calculate their length of stay, 12 August 2022 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taipei Veterans General Hospital International Medical Service Center - Clinic Visit, International and Non-NHI Patients (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taipei Veterans General Hospital International Medical Service Center - Frequently Asked Questions, Insurance and Payment (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taiwan Adventist Hospital - Frequently Asked Questions, registration and payment (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taiwan Adventist Hospital - Direct Billing Service (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taiwan Adventist Hospital - Medical Record and Documents (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taipei Medical University Hospital - New Patients (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taipei Medical University Hospital - International Patients (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Taiwan Task Force for Medical Travel - Medical Travel World Wide Web (accessed 2026-09-09)
US / UK terms and the closest Taiwan context
Read this first: These are comparison aids, not claims that coverage, credentials, or care pathways are equivalent. Europe is not one health system; UK examples below refer specifically to NHS England.
Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), annual physical, health checkup
- What it means there
- Medicare describes the AWV as a prevention-planning conversation and explicitly says it is not a routine physical exam.
- Closest Taiwan context
- Taiwan HPA adult preventive services (成人預防保健) include defined history, measurements, examinations, laboratory items, and counselling for eligible age groups. Private self-pay checkups are a separate service whose contents vary.
- Do not treat as equivalent
- AWV, a US routine physical, Taiwan government-funded preventive care, and an executive self-pay package are not interchangeable names or benefit sets.
- What to ask
- Request the exact item list, eligibility rule, physician consultation, follow-up plan, and whether each item is NHI-funded or self-pay.
Screening vs diagnostic work-up
- What it means there
- Screening generally concerns people without recognized signs or symptoms. A symptom, abnormal examination, or positive screen can require a separate diagnostic assessment.
- Closest Taiwan context
- Taiwan uses 篩檢 for defined screening programs and 診斷／進一步檢查 for evaluation of symptoms or abnormal findings.
- Do not treat as equivalent
- Calling a scan a “screening” test does not establish that it is recommended for every asymptomatic person, covered by insurance, or sufficient to diagnose or exclude disease.
- What to ask
- Tell the clinic about symptoms and risk factors, then ask whether the proposed test is screening or diagnostic and what follow-up is planned for normal, unclear, and abnormal results.
