Anonymous HIV and syphilis testing in Taichung: STD screening routes

In short

• There are six routes in Taichung. They differ in four things: whether documents are needed, what is tested, how long the result takes, and whether a health insurance record is created.
• This clinic is listed by Taiwan CDC as an anonymous HIV screening facility (medical institution code 3503241524). The test here is a rapid blood test for HIV, and it can be done at any clinic session.
• Anonymous syphilis screening is a separate service with its own conditions. It is for young people aged 24 or under, or students, and the test kits are supplied in limited numbers.
• No formal report is issued. If you need a written report, use the self-paid route with registration.
• The three routes that carry no charge test for HIV and syphilis in blood. Other infections, and samples from the throat or the rectum, are not included.

What anonymous screening means at this clinic

昭安泌尿科診所 (Morning Urology Clinic) is listed in the register of anonymous HIV screening facilities published by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC), under medical institution code 3503241524. The result is given to you under a code, and no National Health Insurance (NHI) record is created. Nothing appears in your My Health Bank record either, the government app that lists your medical visits.

For this service we do not check your National Health Insurance card or any identity document, so it is open to you regardless of nationality. There is no charge for it. No formal report can be issued, because no identifying information is recorded.

The register lists a morning slot for this clinic, but in practice any clinic session can be used. When you arrive, tell the reception desk that you are here for anonymous screening.

We are required by law to report certain infections to the health authority. Your personal information is protected by the Communicable Disease Control Act, Article 10.

The six routes, side by side

Anonymous screening is a preliminary test. If you need a written report — for work, a visa or insurance — use the self-paid route.

No charge and self-paid: not basic versus complete

There is nothing wrong with the test methods used in the three routes that carry no charge. The difference is the range of infections covered and the sampling sites. They test for HIV and syphilis, and they use blood. Gonorrhoea, chlamydia, Mycoplasma genitalium, trichomoniasis, HPV and hepatitis are not included, and samples are not taken from the throat or the rectum.

So the right way to use them is in sequence, not as an either-or choice. First test for the two infections that worry you most. Then decide, from the kind of sexual contact you actually had and which parts of the body were involved, whether the other tests are needed. Both can be done on the same day.

Each route in detail

1. Taiwan CDC anonymous screening: rapid blood test for HIV

As described above: no card, no document, a result given under a code, and any clinic session.

2. Anonymous syphilis screening for young people aged 24 or under, or students

This clinic is also listed for the Taiwan CDC anonymous syphilis screening service for young people aged 24 or under and students. There is no charge, and any clinic session can be used.

3. The monthly session with Taichung Base

This clinic holds anonymous screening sessions with the Taiwan Base Association (Taichung Base): one session each month, from 18:00 to 21:00, with check-in by 20:30 at the latest. HIV and syphilis are tested. Besides the clinic staff, support workers from the association are present. This suits people who want someone to talk to, and not only a result. Taichung Base is also listed by Taiwan CDC among community health service centres for sexual and gender minorities.

4. The HIV self-testing vending machine, with no need to enter the consulting room

There is an HIV self-testing vending machine outside the consulting room, installed by Taiwan CDC. You pay at the machine and take a test kit home. The preliminary result appears in about 20 minutes. The payment is collected by the clinic and passed to the public health centre; the kit is not a product sold by the clinic. This machine supplies a saliva test kit. Please do not eat or drink in the 15 minutes before you take the sample.

5. Self-paid full screening panel, with registration and a report

Gonorrhoea, chlamydia, HPV and hepatitis are not part of the anonymous routes. They need self-paid testing with registration. Depending on the kind of contact you had, samples may be needed from the throat, the rectum or the urethra. Choose this route if you have symptoms, need a formal report, or want the whole range covered in one visit. See full sexually transmitted infection screening (Chinese). Costs are explained at the consultation.

6. HIV RT-PCR for very early detection

If the possible exposure was very recent, an antibody rapid test may not detect anything yet. RT-PCR detects the genetic material of the virus directly, so its window period is shorter than that of a rapid test. It is self-paid and needs registration. Costs are explained at the consultation. See HIV RT-PCR very early detection (Chinese).

Two ideas that are easy to confuse

The window period

The window period is the time after infection during which a test still cannot detect it. It is not the same as the incubation period, which is the time before symptoms appear. For an HIV antibody rapid test the window period is about one month. For a saliva self-test it is longer. RT-PCR detects the genetic material of the virus directly, so its window period is shorter. When you check in, please tell us the date of your last possible exposure. That date tells us whether this test can be relied on, and whether you should test again later.

A reactive rapid test is not a diagnosis

What a rapid test shows is a reactive result. Reactive means that further testing is needed, not that you have the infection. A preliminary screen produces a certain proportion of false positive results, and a confirmatory blood test is required before anything can be decided. If a reactive result appears, we explain the next steps on the spot and arrange the repeat test and the referral.

Which route fits your situation

• You want to check HIV first, with no cost and no record — Taiwan CDC anonymous screening, at any clinic session.
• You want syphilis tested as well, and someone to talk to — the monthly session with Taichung Base.
• You would rather not enter the consulting room — the self-testing vending machine outside it.
• You have symptoms, want the full range, or need a formal report — the self-paid screening panel.
• The possible exposure has just happened — post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP, medication started after an exposure to prevent HIV infection) is assessed first. It must be started within 72 hours, and the sooner the better. HIV RT-PCR can be considered for an earlier answer. See when to test after a possible exposure (Chinese).
• Your result is negative but the risk keeps coming back — pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, medication taken regularly before exposure to prevent HIV infection) is worth assessing, and the 9-valent HPV vaccine can be discussed at the same visit.

If you are not a Taiwanese national

Anonymous screening here does not check your card or any identity document, so it is open to you regardless of nationality.

Two points about residence, because they worry people more than the test itself. Since 4 February 2015, HIV infection in a foreign national is no longer a ground for restricting entry, residence or stay in Taiwan. One general provision does remain in force: Article 18, subparagraph 8 of the Immigration Act allows entry to be refused on the ground of a communicable disease that endangers public health.

If you are not enrolled in Taiwan’s National Health Insurance, the consultation and tests on the self-paid routes are self-paid. For those routes, please bring your passport or resident certificate; it is needed to create the medical record.

Limits you should know before you choose

• The anonymous routes are a preliminary screen for HIV and syphilis only, with no formal report. Gonorrhoea, chlamydia, HPV and hepatitis need separate self-paid testing with registration.
• Every test has a window period. A single negative result does not prove that you are not infected.
• How a result should be read depends on the timing after the possible exposure, so a doctor or a counsellor decides whether a repeat test is needed.
• A reactive result is not a diagnosis. A confirmatory test is required, and both false positive and false negative results can occur.
• A self-test kit used at home is a medical device. The sampling method, the timing and the reading all affect the result, so follow the product instructions. If you are unsure, or have symptoms, come to the clinic.
• Eligibility, session times and kit supply for publicly funded services follow announcements by the competent authority, so please check before you travel to the clinic.

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

• Syphilis: symptoms, window period and treatment (Chinese)
• Full sexually transmitted infection screening: what is tested and when (Chinese)
• HIV RT-PCR: a shorter window period (Chinese)
• After a possible exposure: when to test for what (Chinese)

Appointments and access

Consultations are conducted in Mandarin, and can also be conducted in English.

If you are not sure which route fits you, send us a message on LINE with your situation and the date of your last possible exposure. We can tell you whether a test now can be relied on, and which route suits you.

昭安泌尿科診所 (Morning Urology Clinic)
No. 98, Boguan 2nd St., West District, Taichung City 403, Taiwan（403 臺中市西區博館二街98號）
Consulting hours: Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday). Online booking is open 24 hours.

This page was produced by 昭安泌尿科診所 (Morning Urology Clinic). Medical content last updated: August 2026 (same as the Traditional Chinese version). English version published: 4 September 2026. Medically reviewed by Dr. Chao-An Chen, urologist.

Sources: Taiwan Centers for Disease Control / Taiwan CDC, English site / Laws and Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Eligibility, session times and test kit supply for publicly funded services follow the announcements of the competent authority.

This page provides general medical information and does not replace an individual diagnosis or treatment plan. Please confirm anything concerning your own symptoms or test results at a face-to-face consultation.