The short version
The drinking age is 18, but the smoking age is 20, and e-cigarettes are banned outright: using one is fined NT$2,000 to NT$10,000. Riding a scooter with breath alcohol of 0.15 mg/L or more is fined NT$18,000 to NT$120,000, the scooter is impounded and your licence suspended. At 0.25 mg/L it is a crime, with up to three years in prison. Riding a bicycle or YouBike over the limit is fined too. Cannabis is a Category 2 drug: possession can mean up to two years in prison, and selling it, life or at least ten years. A prison sentence of a year or more can cost you your resident certificate and lead to deportation. University campuses are smoke-free by law.
Going out
Official sources say little about nightlife. The Taiwan Tourism Administration describes night markets as the place to find Taiwan's snacks, and lists them by region, from Shilin and Raohe in Taipei to Fengjia in Taichung, Garden in Tainan, Liuhe in Kaohsiung and Luodong in Yilan. NightMarket.tw shows which night markets are open tonight and explains how night markets work.
For bars and clubs, three city guides have nightlife pages: Inside Taipei on Taipei cocktail bars, clubs and the last MRT, Inside Tainan on Tainan's old-house bars and live music, and Inside Kaohsiung on Kaohsiung shows, nightlife and bars.
Good to know: KTV (karaoke), restaurants, bars and nightclubs are smoke-free indoors by law, apart from enclosed, separately ventilated smoking rooms.
The drinking age
- Age 18. People under 18 may not drink alcohol (Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act, 兒童及少年福利與權益保障法, art. 43).
- Selling to under-18s Selling, handing over or supplying alcohol to anyone under 18 is fined NT$10,000 to NT$100,000 (art. 91).
- In shops Alcohol may not be sold by vending machine, mail order, online or any other way that can't check the buyer's age. Shops must display warnings: don't drink and drive, under-18s may not drink, and the shop doesn't sell to under-18s (Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act, arts. 30 and 35).
On campus and in dorms
Schools set their own rules on top of the law:
- NCKU (Tainan): its EECS exchange handbook says drunkenness and drugs are not tolerated, the whole campus is non-smoking, and the dorms are non-smoking.
- NCHU (Taichung): its international student FAQ says cigarettes and alcohol are banned throughout the campus.
- Tunghai University (Taichung): having tobacco, e-cigarettes, alcohol or drugs in the dorms costs 1 to 3 dorm points, and using them 3 to 6.
- NDHU (Hualien): drinking is banned in principle in teaching and office areas. At approved student events, only drinks of 5% alcohol or less, at most 330 ml a person, and the event must end by 22:00.
- NIU (Yilan): heavy drinking or gambling in the dorms costs 6 dorm points.
If a drink tastes wrong
After a university student felt dizzy from a drink in New Taipei, police advised people (September 2026) to stop drinking anything with an odd smell, color or taste, to get medical care right away if they feel dizzy, a racing heart or confused, to keep the drink and its container, and to call the police (110) if needed.
Drink driving, scooters and YouBike
In Taiwan's traffic law, "motor vehicles" include scooters. Bicycles, YouBike included, are "slow vehicles" (慢車) with their own fines.
| Who | Limit | Over the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Scooter rider | Breath 0.15 mg/L (blood 0.03%) | NT$18,000 to NT$120,000, scooter impounded, licence suspended 1 to 2 years |
| Car driver | Breath 0.15 mg/L (blood 0.03%) | NT$36,000 to NT$150,000, car impounded, licence suspended 1 to 2 years |
| Any motor vehicle, as a crime | Breath 0.25 mg/L (blood 0.05%) | Up to 3 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$300,000 (Criminal Code, art. 185-3) |
| Bicycle or YouBike | Breath 0.15 mg/L (blood 0.03%) | NT$2,400 to NT$12,000, and you are stopped from riding on the spot |
| Passenger aged 18 or over | Driver at 0.25 mg/L or more, or on drugs | NT$6,000 to NT$15,000 |
- Refusing a test, or not stopping at a signed police checkpoint, is fined NT$180,000 for a scooter or car (NT$24,000 on a bicycle), with impoundment and licence revocation.
- Carrying a child under 12 or causing injury means a suspension of 2 to 4 years.
- Causing a death while over the criminal limit: 3 to 10 years in prison. Causing serious injury: 1 to 7 years.
- A second offense within ten years is fined at the maximum, each later one adds NT$90,000, and your name, photo and offense may be published.
- Driving on drugs is fined at the maximum and the licence revoked.
Licence rules for scooters are in → Getting around. Prepare.one has unofficial practice questions for the scooter licence written test.
Drugs
The Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) sorts drugs into four categories. Category 1 includes heroin, morphine, opium and cocaine. Category 2 includes cannabis (大麻), amphetamine and coca. Category 3 includes secobarbital, amobarbital and nalbuphine, and Category 4 includes allobarbital and alprazolam. A government committee reviews the lists every three months and can add substances with similar chemical structures.
| Category 1 | Category 2 (cannabis) | |
|---|---|---|
| Using (art. 10) | 6 months to 5 years in prison | Up to 3 years |
| Possessing (art. 11) | Up to 3 years, or a fine of up to NT$300,000; 1 to 7 years for 10 g or more | Up to 2 years, or a fine of up to NT$200,000; 6 months to 5 years for 20 g or more |
| Making, transporting or selling (art. 4) | Death or life imprisonment (with a fine of up to NT$30 million alongside life) | Life, or at least 10 years, and a fine of up to NT$15 million |
- Category 3 and 4: having or using them without good reason is fined NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, with a 4 to 8 hour course. Having 5 g or more: up to 2 years (Category 3) or up to 1 year (Category 4). Selling them: at least 7 years (Category 3) or 5 to 12 years (Category 4).
- Treatment: for use, the court can order observation and treatment of up to two months, then, if a continuing tendency to use is found, compulsory treatment of six months to a year.
- CBD: Taipei Customs says CBD is regulated as a medicine, and importing it needs approval from Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration. The Ministry of Health and Welfare says products with THC above 10 µg/g (10 ppm) are Category 2 drugs. Cannabis may not be used in food. Kaohsiung Customs lists cannabis seeds as prohibited.
What a conviction means for your stay
- Resident certificate The National Immigration Agency (NIA) revokes the residence permit and ARC of anyone sentenced by final judgment to a year or more in prison, except for negligent offenses or suspended sentences (Immigration Act, art. 32).
- Deportation A foreigner whose residence is revoked this way may be deported or ordered to leave within ten days (art. 36).
- Entry ban Someone a court ordered into observation or treatment for drug use is banned from entering Taiwan for 5 years, or 3 years if prosecutors do not prosecute. A sentence of 5 years or more means an 8-year ban.
Smoking and vaping
- Smoking age 20. Shops must ask for ID if they can't tell your age. A smoker under 20 is ordered to attend a cessation course, and skipping it is fined NT$2,000 to NT$10,000 each time (Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, 菸害防制法, arts. 16, 17 and 42).
- E-cigarettes Banned: no one may make, import, sell, supply, advertise or use them. Using one is fined NT$2,000 to NT$10,000 (arts. 15 and 40).
- Bringing them in Travellers may not bring in e-cigarettes or their parts. Heated tobacco is allowed only if approved, and Keelung Customs says foreign products generally are not. Carrying unapproved heated tobacco can be fined NT$50,000 to NT$5 million.
- Duty free Since February 1, 2026, travellers aged 20 or over may bring one of: 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars, 1 lb of loose tobacco or 200 approved heated tobacco sticks.
- Where not to smoke Schools at every level, universities included, are fully smoke-free, as are indoor bars, restaurants, nightclubs and KTV. Smoking there is fined NT$2,000 to NT$10,000.
- Reporting The Health Promotion Administration's line is 0800-531531.
Schools add their own rules. NSYSU (Kaohsiung) bans tobacco and e-cigarettes indoors and outdoors on campus. Tunghai students caught smoking must attend a 2-hour course, and can get a formal warning if they don't.
Questions
What is the drinking age in Taiwan?
18. The law says people under 18 may not drink, and selling or giving them alcohol is fined NT$10,000 to NT$100,000. The smoking age is different: 20.
Can I bring my vape to Taiwan?
No. E-cigarettes are banned in Taiwan, and travellers may not bring them or their parts in. Using one is fined NT$2,000 to NT$10,000.
Can I ride a YouBike home after drinking?
A bicycle, YouBike included, has the same alcohol limit as a scooter: 0.15 mg/L breath alcohol. Riding over it is fined NT$2,400 to NT$12,000 and you are stopped from riding on the spot. Refusing a test is fined NT$24,000.
Is cannabis or CBD legal in Taiwan?
Cannabis is a Category 2 drug: using it can mean up to three years in prison, possession up to two, and selling it life or at least ten years. CBD is regulated as a medicine and needs Food and Drug Administration approval to import. Products with THC above 10 µg/g count as Category 2 drugs.
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Sources (25)
Checked November 2026.
Laws (Ministry of Justice database): Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act, Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act, Criminal Code, Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, Road Traffic Safety Rules, Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, Immigration Act. Government: NIA entry ban directions; Health Promotion Administration, 2023 amendment; Customs, Keelung Customs on e-cigarettes and allowances (2026), heated tobacco fines, Taipei Customs on CBD, Kaohsiung Customs prohibited items; Ministry of Health and Welfare on CBD; Taiwan FDA on cannabis in food; Police Broadcasting Service (September 2026); Tourism Administration, night markets. Schools: NCKU EECS handbook, NCHU FAQ, Tunghai tobacco rules, Tunghai dorm code, NSYSU smoke-free campus, NDHU alcohol at events, NIU dorm rules.