Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Taiwan: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Nursing, and Catastrophic Illness Coverage

   • National Health Insurance palliative care benefits: Under the National Health Insurance system administered by the National Health Insurance Administration (Ministry of Health and Welfare), eligible patients have access to inpatient hospice wards (Anning Bingfang), hospital-based shared palliative care teams (Anning Gongzhao), and home-based palliative nursing and physician visits (Anning Jujia Liaohu) across accredited medical centers and regional hospitals [1] [3].
   • Catastrophic Illness Card (Zhongda Shangbing Ka): When a physician confirms a qualifying life-limiting diagnosis (such as advanced malignancy, end-stage organ failure, or motor neuron disease), the treating hospital can submit an electronic application to the National Health Insurance Administration for a Catastrophic Illness status annotation on the patient's NHI IC Card [1]. This exempts the ill person from statutory copayments for outpatient, inpatient, and home palliative care related to the certified condition [1].
   • Long-Term Care 2.0 (Changzhao 2.0) community services: Families caring for an ill person at home can call the national Long-Term Care hotline (1966) overseen by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and municipal health departments to arrange an in-home functional assessment for subsidized home care aides, assistive medical equipment rental, respite care, and medical transport [1] [2].
2. 2

   Record Advance Healthcare Directives and Appoint a Healthcare Agent

   • Patient Right to Autonomy Act (Bingren Zizhu Quanli Fa): Under the Patient Right to Autonomy Act overseen by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, any person with full legal capacity may complete a statutory Advance Care Planning (ACP, Yuli Yiliao Zhaohu Zishang) consultation at an accredited hospital together with at least one relative of the first or second degree of kinship [2]. Following consultation, the ill person signs an Advance Decision (AD, Yuli Yiliao Jueding) specifying whether to accept or refuse life-sustaining treatment and artificial nutrition and hydration under five statutory clinical conditions (including terminal illness), which is then notarized or witnessed by two persons and registered onto their NHI IC Card [1] [2].
   • Hospice Palliative Care Act (Anning Huanhe Yiliao Tiaoli): Specifically for terminal illness certified by two specialist physicians, the Hospice Palliative Care Act allows a mentally competent patient to sign a Letter of Intent for Hospice Palliative Care and Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR, Bu Shixing Xinfei Fusu Shu) directly with the medical team (with two witnesses), without requiring a formal ACP clinic fee, and have that directive recorded on their NHI IC Card [1] [3].
   • Designating a Healthcare Agent (Yiliao Weiren Dailiren): Under both statutes, while capacity is intact, your family member may execute a written medical proxy appointing one or more trusted adults as their Healthcare Agent to express treatment wishes and give medical consent if the patient later becomes unconscious or unable to communicate [2] [3].
3. 3

   Execute Financial Mandates, Trusts, and Adult Guardianship Agreements

   • Mandate contracts and bank powers of attorney: Under the Civil Code (Part II, Mandate), a mentally competent person may authorize a trusted relative to manage financial affairs and property [5]. However, Taiwanese commercial banks and Land Registration Offices require explicit, notarized special powers of attorney (Shouquan Shu) or branch-verified third-party mandates executed in person while the account holder has full capacity [5].
   • Adult Guardianship by Agreement (Yiding Jianhu): Because ordinary powers of attorney face practical banking restrictions if the principal later loses mental capacity, the Civil Code (Articles 1113-2 to 1113-10) overseen by the Ministry of Justice allows an adult with full capacity to enter into a notarized Adult Guardianship by Agreement contract appointing one or more chosen guardians [5]. The notary public notifies the District Court within 7 days, and the chosen guardianship takes legal effect automatically if a court later declares the person subject to guardianship due to incapacity, avoiding court-appointed guardianship disputes [5].
   • Preventive property and medical care trusts: While your family member retains full legal capacity, they may also establish a self-settled health and living care trust (Anlaoxintuo) with a Taiwanese commercial bank so deposited funds are automatically disbursed to hospitals, nursing facilities, and caregivers even if cognitive capacity later declines [5].
4. 4

   Activate Disability Benefits, Insurance Claims, and Caregiver Support

   • Labor Insurance and National Pension disability benefits: If the ill person is insured under Labor Insurance or the National Pension Program and their illness results in permanent clinical impairment after treatment stabilizes, they may apply to the Bureau of Labor Insurance for a statutory Disability Pension (Shinen Nianjin) or lump-sum disability benefit using an official Disability Diagnosis Certificate completed by an NHI-contracted hospital [4].
   • Disability Identification (Shenxin Zhangai Zhengming) and municipal allowances: Through the local district office and hospital assessment teams supervised by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the ill person can apply for an official Disability Identification card, which unlocks municipal disability living allowances, assistive device subsidies, and tax deductions [1] [2].
   • Family caregiver leave and support: Under the Gender Equality in Employment Act and Labor Standards Act, employed family members in Taiwan may request statutory family care leave (Jiating Zhaogu Jia) and unpaid parental or family care leave adjustments through their employer, alongside caregiver respite services funded under Long-Term Care 2.0 [2] [4].
5. 5

   Review Wills, Beneficiary Designations, and Civil Status Records

   • Five statutory forms of wills under the Civil Code: Under Article 1189 of the Civil Code administered under the legal framework of the Ministry of Justice, a will in Taiwan is legally valid only if it strictly follows one of five statutory forms: a Holographic Will (Zishou Yizhu, handwritten in full by the testator with the exact year, month, day, and personal signature), a Notarial Will (Gongzheng Yizhu, dictated before a notary public and two witnesses), a Sealed Will (Mifeng Yizhu), a Dictated Will (Daibi Yizhu, before three or more witnesses, one of whom writes it down), or an Oral Will (Koushou Yizhu, restricted to imminent crisis) [5]. We suggest executing a Notarial Will before a District Court or private notary public while capacity is medically documented to minimize future probate challenges [5].
   • Respecting statutory Compulsory Portions (Teliufen): When drafting a will under Civil Code Article 1223, keep in mind that Taiwanese law guarantees a statutory compulsory share (typically one-half of the intestate share for lineal descendants, parents, and the surviving spouse) that cannot be eliminated by will unless statutory disinheritance grounds apply [5].
   • Beneficiary designations and household registry records: Review designated beneficiaries on private life insurance policies and check Labor Pension accounts with the Bureau of Labor Insurance [4]. Ensure the family member's National ID Card, Household Certificate Booklet, and property title deeds (Quanli Zhuangshu) are organized, and note that any power of attorney or estate document involving assets or relatives abroad must be authenticated through Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs or a Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   National Health Insurance Services - Catastrophic Illness Coverage and Palliative Care — National Health Insurance Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan
2. [2]
   Patient Right to Autonomy Act - Advance Care Planning, Advance Decisions, and Healthcare Agents — Ministry of Justice Laws & Regulations Database, Taiwan
3. [3]
   Hospice Palliative Care Act - Terminal Illness Directives and Do-Not-Resuscitate Rules — Ministry of Justice Laws & Regulations Database, Taiwan
4. [4]
   Labor Insurance Disability Benefits and National Pension Insurance Administration — Bureau of Labor Insurance, Ministry of Labor, Taiwan
5. [5]
   Civil Code - Mandate Contracts, Adult Guardianship by Agreement, and Statutory Wills — Ministry of Justice Laws & Regulations Database, Taiwan