New driver's test, minimum wage, cat rules to take effect in 2026

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) Taiwan will implement a series of new regulations in 2026, including higher minimum monthly and hourly wages, stricter driver's license tests, and fines for cat owners who fail to microchip their pets.

CNA has compiled some of the more notable changes below:

￭ Driver's license tests

Starting in 2026, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) will begin phasing in 17 rule changes, including making written scooter tests fully multiple-choice starting in January and applying the same change to car tests beginning in June. The tests have previously consisted of Yes/No questions.

The age for senior license renewals will also be lowered from 75 to 70 starting in May.

In terms of traffic violations, drivers who run a red light or commit similar violations three or more times in a year will be required to attend a three-hour lecture starting in 2026.

￭ Long-term care 3.0

The care plan will be expanded to include people under 50 with dementia-related disabilities and patients in the post-acute care (PAC) program. Subsidies for institutional residents will be increased, including raising annual support for those with moderate to severe disabilities from NT$120,000 to NT$180,000.

The program also aims to promote the adoption of smart health care technologies in care facilities and improve coordination between medical and long-term care services, including completing home care plans before hospital discharges.

￭ Social safety net 2.0

Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has earmarked NT$81.9 billion over five years to roll out "Social Safety Net 2.0."

The program, aimed at preventing "solitary deaths" and child abuse, will focus on outreach to elderly people living alone, parenting guidance services, the use of AI technologies, and community support for people with substance addiction.

￭ Minimum wage hike

Taiwan's minimum monthly wage will increase by 3.18 percent, from NT$28,590 to NT$29,500, starting on Jan. 1, 2026, while the minimum hourly wage will be raised from NT$190 to NT$196.

This marks the 10th adjustment since 2014, setting a record of 10 consecutive years of increases.

￭ Flexible parental leave

Workers with children under the age of three may apply to their employers for parental leave without pay on a daily basis, depending on their needs.

To encourage employers to support this system, the government will offer a subsidy of a fixed amount for the absences to businesses with fewer than 30 employees. Eligible employers only need to register an account online, after which the Bureau of Labor Insurance will disburse the subsidy quarterly.

￭ Workers' sick leave rights

Following amendments to the Regulations of Leaves for Workers, employers are prohibited from taking adverse actions against workers who take no more than 10 days of sick leave in a year, including actions that affect performance evaluations or work schedules.

The amendments also stipulate that employers can no longer deny full attendance bonuses to employees who take sick leave, as was the case in the past.

Under the new rules, employers shall deduct the number of sick days in a month from the bonus on a proportional basis (if the attendance bonus is NT$3,000, and the employee takes one day of sick leave, then the deduction is 1/30th of the bonus).

￭ Programs to enhance transnational workforce

The programs include increasing foreign worker quotas in the manufacturing sector, relaxing limits on the retention of foreign skilled workers, introducing foreign skilled workers in the hospitality and commercial port sectors, and establishing a transnational recruitment center with overseas offices to directly recruit foreign workers rather than have employers go through brokers.

￭ Conditional resumption of food-waste as pig feed

In 2026, Taiwan will allow the conditional resumption of feeding pigs food waste, provided that farms have steam-cooking equipment equipped with thermometers and real-time monitoring systems, and that vehicles transporting food waste are equipped with GPS.

Also, only commercial food waste and certain agricultural byproducts may be used, and local governments must approve and conduct joint inspections.

Starting in 2027, the practice of using food waste as feed will be fully banned nationwide.

Taiwan confirmed its first African swine fever (ASF) in many years in October after being certified as ASF-free in May. There were suspicions that the disease was passed through food waste.

￭ Mandatory microchipping for cats

All cat owners will be required to microchip their pets or face fines ranging from NT$3,000 to NT$15,000 starting in January following the end of a one-year grace period in 2025.

The requirement for all domestic cats to have microchips is aimed at strengthening owner responsibility and management by curbing irresponsible abandonment and prevent illegal breeding.

New measures and policy changes will also be rolled out in specific cities in 2026, as follows:

￭ Taipei

Starting on Jan. 3, bus or metro riders in Taipei and New Taipei will be able to use QR codes to pay fares. City buses in the Greater Taipei area and the Taipei Metro will accept QR code payments generated by five electronic payment platforms -- Easy Wallet, iPASS Money, icash Pay, JKOPay and PX Pay Plus.

People who use QR code payments for fares on the Taipei Metro system will still qualify for the system's frequent rider discounts.

￭ Taichung

1. In January, the Taichung City government will launch a program to support families with newborns, offering NT$20,000 for the first and second child, then NT$30,000 for the third child, NT$40,000 for the fourth, and so on. The goal is to ease the financial burden of larger families.

2. Starting in January, a program will provide fresh milk once a week to public elementary students as well as public and private preschoolers. In collaboration with convenience stores, those children will be easily able to redeem the milk using their student ID cards.

￭ New Taipei

1. Beginning next year, registered low-income and lower-middle-income households in the city will be exempt from fees for columbarium niches costing up to NT$40,000 or ossuary niches costing up to NT$60,000, easing the financial burden of disadvantaged families and promoting equal access to social services.

2. The city will increase incentive payments for newborns. Families will receive NT$40,000 for the first child (an increase of NT$10,000) and NT$45,000 for the second child (an increase of NT$5,000).

3. A program to enhance benefits for local farmers and fishermen beginning in January will provide full coverage of out-of-pocket costs for occupational accident insurance as well as other support measures.

4. Starting in January, the city will expand various benefits to encourage seniors and people with disabilities to go out more, promoting healthy and active aging through greater access to public transport, sports centers, and medical facilities.

5. To reduce the financial burden of disadvantaged groups, the city will raise the maximum subsidies for outpatient and emergency registration fees to NT$150 for outpatient visits and NT$300 for emergency visits.

6. Starting in January, the city will require users to be insured before they can use the YouBike bicycle-sharing service. This is to ensure that all riders are covered while blocking those who continue to fail to get coverage.

￭ Keelung

In 2026, the city will roll out several new measures targeting local families and residents, including subsidies of up to NT$3,500 for the installation of security cameras in their communities and childcare vouchers.

It will also increase fines for illegally dumping garbage, with those who provide tip-offs getting 80 percent of the paid fine as a reward.

￭ Yilan County

Starting in January, the county government will raise maternity subsidies for mothers in the county from NT$18,000 to NT$20,000 per newborn, while the transportation allowance for prenatal checkups will be increased from NT$2,000 to NT$3,000, bringing the total benefit to up to NT$23,000.