Taipei: Transit passengers from Toronto and Vancouver airports will soon be exempt from security screening at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) announced Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the new policy will take effect on September 1. It will exempt not only transit travelers but also their carry-on luggage from security checks, expediting the process for connecting flights. Citing 2024 data, the CAA stated that approximately 220,000 passengers, or 6 percent of transit passengers at Taoyuan International Airport, originate from Canada.

The policy is part of the One-Stop Security (OSS) initiative by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) aimed at enhancing airport efficiency. CAA officials, led by Director-General Ho Shu-ping, have engaged in discussions with Canadian authorities concerning OSS functions and security measures at Vancouver and Toronto international airports.

Since 2018, checked luggage for transit passengers from Canada has been exempt from screening in Taiwan. The extension of this policy to include transit passengers and their carry-on baggage is expected to streamline the transit process, benefiting airlines, Taoyuan Airport, and the Aviation Police Bureau.

One-Stop Security can be implemented if the security measures of the origin country pass a written review and on-site inspection, meeting or exceeding the transit country’s standards, as outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Convention and the ICAO Aviation Security Manual. With OSS, transit passengers and their luggage may be exempt from screening.

The CAA has been gradually implementing OSS provisions, already exempting transit passengers from the United States and all their luggage, as well as checked luggage for transit travelers from New Zealand’s Auckland Airport.