TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Legislative Yuan on Friday (Dec. 25) approved a government proposal to lower the age of majority — the legal threshold of adulthood — from 20 to 18, but the change will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2023.
For years, activists have been demanding that the Civil Code be amended in order to bring the country in line with a wide range of other nations. The age of majority is 18 in most Western countries, and Japan fixed the threshold of adulthood at 18 in 2018.
Legislators from both the ruling and opposition parties, the Cabinet, and the Judicial Yuan agreed to merge their proposals on Nov. 25. The Legislative Yuan on Friday officially passed the document after its third reading, CNA reported.
The minimum age of marriage remains 18 for men but has been raised from 16 to 18 for women in the name of equality.
Lowering the age of majority also means that once they reach 18, young people will be able to apply for a smartphone account and credit card, open a bank account, sign a rental contract, buy sports lottery tickets, and even serve on the board of a company.
Other laws, including those involving taxation, will be amended to define the age limit in more general terms, referring to the age of majority.
