Taiwan Hiking Insurance

Some areas of Taiwan require hikers to have insurance. Hiking insurance is a legal requirement for anyone walking trails in Chiayi, Taichung, Hualien, Nantou, and Pingtung that involve getting a permit and/or entering controlled mountain areas. Even in areas where it’s not strictly required, purchasing hiking insurance might not be a bad idea. Unfortunately, navigating the system can be a bit of a pain in the arse if you’re unfamiliar with it. So, in order to help myself (and you) remember what to do, I have written this step-by-step guide to purchasing hiking insurance via Fubon Bank (there are other companies that offer hiking insurance, but this is the one I’m familiar with).

Note: This policy is only available to foreigners who are legally residing in Taiwan and have either an ARC or APRC. For anyone who doesn’t have Taiwanese ID, I’ve heard that World Nomads offers international hiking insurance, but I haven’t had personal experience with that.

From the hiking insurance home page select ”爆自己一人“.
Fill out the basic personal information. You need to select whether you’re Taiwanese or foreign, then enter your name (family name, first name, middle name), ARC, APRC, or Taiwan ID number, and birthdate (year, month, day).
Choose the number of people you’re trying to insure. I’ve only ever done this one by one for my partner and me because it seems simplest. To do this, select “一人“. Next you’ll be asked whether you’re insuring yourself or someone else. Choose the “自己投保” option. Under that, you need to type in the location of where you will be hiking.
Insert the planned time and duration of your hike. The software will only accept precise 24-hour periods. So, if you’re planning a day hike, you should start from, for example, 6:00 on July 1, and the end time will be 6:00 on July 2. It doesn’t matter that you’ll be finished long before the stated ending time. The software will automatically calculate the number of days you need insurance for.
Agree to the terms and conditions (you have to click into each then scroll down to the bottom before it’ll let you check them). Then check “下一步” to move on to the next step.

Check that all your details are correct before moving on to the next step. 

You’ll be shown the total price of the insurance (in Taiwanese dollars). If you’re OK with that, check “下一步” to proceed.
We’ve used this company before, so it already remembers our phone and e-mail address, but if it’s your first time, you’ll be asked to enter your contact details so that you can receive a confirmation code.

You will be sent a code to your phone. Enter it in the first box. Then select “同意” to consent to your address, email and phone number being saved. After that check the button to say that you agree to the terms and conditions, then click “下一步“ to move onto the next step.

If you have used the software before, it will know your information, but if not, you’ll have to type in your mobile number, then select your city, select your district, type in your address (road, lane, alley, building number, floor), and email address.

This next step is about your work. It’s divided into three categories, we both fall into the first category, “一般職業/行業”, which is just “general”. The second category includes things like lawyers, gem dealers, and issuers of virtual currency, while the third category is for people who work in multiple industries. There are a list of specific jobs that fall into category 2, and a note below that says that if your occupation isn’t there, then you’re just a category 1 person.
Indicate whether or not you’re a banking/finance/insurance professional.
Select whether you’re Taiwanese or foreign.

If you’re foreign, it’ll give you a pop-up box in which you need to choose your specific nationality. You can either search for your country by adding the Chinese name into the search bar, or else choose by selecting from a drop-down menu for the relevant continent.
Select “否“ to indicate that the person being insured is not subject to a guardianship.
After checking the information again, you will be asked to select the relationship between you and the beneficiary of your insurance in the event of your death. As far as I can tell, only blood relatives and partnerships that are legally recognised in Taiwan count. It should be easiest to just select “legal heir”.
If you select “legal heir”, you won’t be asked to fill in a name, but if you select any of the other options, you will need to input a name in the space below. Then check the button to say you consent to storing the information online (again).
Choose whether you want the insurance documentation to be sent to you via email or snail mail. Then proceed by clicking “下一步”.
Choose ”保障” (for your own peace of mind) as the reason for wanting to purchase insurance.
Select your annual income from the drop-down menu. (Categories are: under NTD250,000, NTD260,000-500,000, NTD510,000-750,000, NTD760,000-1,000,000, and over NTD1,010,000.)
Select where the majority of your annual income comes from. I’m guessing that for the vast majority of people who have to use this site to figure out how to purchase hiking insurance, the answer will be the first one, “薪資” (salary).
Select “是“  to indicate that you agree with the designated beneficiary receiving the insurance payout in the event of your death. Then check “下一步“ to proceed.
The page will then show you the total to pay once more.

Choose your payment method, click “下一步“ to confirm your chosen method. It will ask you to double-check all of your information one more time before taking you through the payment process. 
Wait for your policy to be emailed/mailed to you.

While I love hiking and enjoy writing about hiking, I loathe this kind of fiddly paperwork and I loathe writing about it even more. So, if this has helped alleviate some of the pain of your hiking preparation, feel free to let me know by visiting the support page of this site.