Photography & Drones — Taiwan
What travelers need to know about photography & drones in Taiwan. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Photography & Drones in Taiwan: prohibited — what is legal at home can be a serious crime here.
Photographing inside a designated fortress or fortified zone in Taiwan is a criminal offence, not a fine. The Fortress and Fortified Zone Act bars surveying, photographing, sketching, describing and other acts of military reconnaissance in the First Zone without a specific order from the Ministry of National Defence (Art. 4(1)), and in the Second Zone without the fortress commander's permission (Art. 5(1)). The zones are designated by the military and may not be signposted in English, so obey any no-photography sign near a military site. Ordinary photography elsewhere in Taiwan is not restricted by this Act.
Fortress and Fortified Zone Act Art. 8: unauthorised surveying, photography, sketching or description inside a restricted zone carries 1 to 7 years' imprisonment. A violation committed through negligence carries up to 1 year's imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to 500 yuan as written in the Act (last amended 17 April 2002).
§ Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Ministry of Justice — Fortress and Fortified Zone Act (要塞堡壘地帶法), arts. 4, 5, 8Verified Sep 23, 2026