Phones

Taiwan is 12-13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time depending on the time of year.

For dialing direct to Taiwan:
011: U.S. International Dialing Code
886: Country code for Taiwan
7: City code of Kaohsiung
Example: 011+ Country code+ city code + local phone number

People in Taiwan communicate primarily via the Line app (iOS) (Android). It is important to have a local smartphone number so that people can reach you. (Line is a bit more developed than messaging services in the US. It incorporates Line Taxi for rides, Line Pay [similar to Venmo and maybe more widely used], Line Wow for food delivery, Line Today for news, Line Shopping, even Line Doctor for finding physicians.)

It is highly recommended that students obtain a local Taiwanese phone number upon arrival. A Taiwanese phone is necessary for certain public transportation services that require phone registration, as well as for making restaurant reservations and other local communications.

Most students choose to bring their US phone to Taiwan and purchase a local SIM card upon arrival. A local SIM card is a suitable option as long as your phone is unlocked and compatible with Taiwan’s telecom frequencies, which may differ from those used in the US. Please research your phone’s compatibility before departing the US. (Newer iPhones won’t let you swap out a physical SIM card, and require you to use an eSIM instead, though eSIMs are more expensive.)