TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will roll out new rules for the regulation of drones in December, the Civil Aviation Administration said on Friday (Sept. 27).

The new regulations will come into force on Dec. 1 and will require drones under 2 kilograms in weight to undergo product inspections and those over that to undergo flight safety inspections, the administration’s Director Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) said, per CNA. Ho said the regulations will be in line with international standards to help promote Taiwan’s drone technologies abroad.

Ho spoke at a forum discussing drones and aircraft inspections in Chiayi that was attended by government agencies, universities, and a delegation from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Representatives from the EU and Japan’s FAA were also in attendance to discuss future regulations for aircraft in Taiwan.  

Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁) expressed optimism that Chiayi’s drones will find success in both domestic and international markets. Chiayi is home to the government’s Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center which was opened in 2022.

Weng said the forum featured talks on inspection standards in the US for small electric aircraft in the ”AAM (advanced air mobility)” category, and EU drone inspection methods. He said there would also be a panel on the internationalization of Japan’s drone industry, and that these topics would all assist in the internationalization of Taiwan’s drone makers.

In addition to inspection regulations, Ho said that the aviation administration will develop drone education to give middle school students the opportunity to operate the aircraft.