In Taipei, if you call 119 for an emergency illness or injury and are taken to the emergency room of an emergency responsibility hospital (急救責任醫院), you are not among those charged. Only people who are not taken to the emergency room of an emergency responsibility hospital for treatment are billed by the fire department (消防局) afterward, by payment slip in the mail, NT$1,800 (base fee NT$800 + emergency medical technician fee NT$1,000). Registration and medical costs at the hospital are paid by you. This article did not find a separate fee announcement from the New Taipei fire department. Private ambulances called for a transfer between hospitals or for going home after discharge are charged under each county or city's fee standard.
Reminder: if a life is in danger, call 119 directly and do not delay because you are worried about cost. This article summarizes fee rules; it is not a basis for judging a medical condition. Whether to go to hospital should follow the assessment of the 119 dispatcher and the ambulance personnel. Fee rules are subject to the latest announcements of the Taipei and New Taipei city governments.
What the law says about ambulance fees
- Article 20 of the emergency medical rescue law (緊急醫療救護法): when an ambulance carries out duty, it must charge according to the fee standard set by the health authority of the special municipality or county (city) where it is located. So the standard differs between counties and cities.
- Article 29: rescue personnel must go to the scene to give first aid as directed by the disaster and rescue command center, and take the emergency patient to a nearby appropriate medical institution.
- Article 5 of the emergency rescue regulations (緊急救護辦法): emergency patients are to be taken to an emergency responsibility hospital or a nearby appropriate medical institution.
- Article 6 of the emergency rescue regulations: admission procedures and medical costs for an emergency patient are the responsibility of the patient or family; if the identity cannot be established, or the patient is from a low-income household, medical costs are handled under the social assistance law (社會救助法) and similar rules.
- Article 7 of the emergency rescue regulations: if the patient or family refuses transport, they must sign the rescue record form, and the rescue personnel then do not transport the patient.
Article 3 of the emergency rescue regulations defines an "emergency patient" as including: people urgently needing rescue because of a disaster or accident, people who have collapsed on the road and cannot move, women in labor, and other emergency illness or injury cases.
Taipei: when the NT$1,800 charge applies
The basis is Taipei's plan for charging people who misuse fire department ambulances (臺北市民眾濫用消防局救護車收費計畫), an administrative rule set by the Taipei health department (衛生局); the current version amended item 3 on July 27, 2015, with retroactive effect from November 21, 2012. The plan itself states that it rests on Article 20 of the emergency medical rescue law and on Taipei's ambulance fee standard for agencies and institutions that operate ambulances (臺北市救護車設置機關（構）救護車收費基準); the NT$1,800 is calculated from the base fee and the fee for 2 EMT-2 technicians in that standard. Its stated purpose is to charge for non-emergency rescue cases in order to curb misuse of rescue resources and shorten response times.
| Item | Rule |
|---|
| Who is charged | People who are not taken to the emergency room of an emergency responsibility hospital for treatment |
| Exceptions (no charge) | Psychiatric patients taken to a designated psychiatric medical institution, and women in labor |
| Amount | NT$1,800 per trip: base fee NT$800 + technician fee NT$1,000 (2 EMT-2 technicians) |
| How it is charged | Ambulance squad members tell you the reason and amount on the spot; the fire department then sends a payment slip afterward |
| Payment deadline | Within 14 days starting the day after you receive the payment slip |
| Where to pay | 7-ELEVEN, FamilyMart (全家), Hi-Life (萊爾富) and OK Mart (OK 超商) convenience stores; branches of Taipei Fubon Bank; online banking and ATMs; the fire department's emergency medical services section (緊急救護科) (3F, No. 1 Songren Road, Xinyi District) |
| If you dispute it | Referred to the Taipei City Government emergency rescue review panel (made up of fire department and health department representatives, medical direction physicians and emergency-medicine specialists from emergency responsibility hospitals) |
| Overdue | Late fees and interest are charged under Article 20 of the fees law (規費法); if still unpaid after 30 days, referred for compulsory enforcement as provided by law |
This article reads it as: whether you are charged depends on "where you were taken and whether it was an emergency room visit", for example asking the ambulance to take you to an outpatient clinic, or to a place that is not an emergency responsibility hospital. Which hospitals are emergency responsibility hospitals is designated by the health department under Article 37 of the emergency medical rescue law; you can ask the 119 dispatcher or the Taipei City Government health department.
New Taipei: how the fee standard is written
Under Article 20 of the emergency medical rescue law, New Taipei has an ambulance service fee standard (新北市救護車執行勤務收費標準, issued September 25, 2013). It applies to agencies and institutions that operate ambulances as the law provides, and they may not exceed the items and amounts in its schedule:
| Item | Fee ceiling |
|---|
| Ambulance base fee | NT$700; a one-way trip within 5 km is charged the base fee only |
| Beyond 5 km | NT$20 per km, calculated as base fee + [(one-way km − 5) × 2 × NT$20] |
| Physician fee | NT$1,500 per hour |
| Nursing staff fee | NT$600 per hour |
| Emergency medical technician fee | EMT-1 NT$400 per hour, EMT-2 NT$500 per hour, EMT-P NT$600 per hour |
| Bridge and road tolls | Actual amount paid |
| Medical supplies and drugs | Cost price plus at most 15% |
Hours are counted from arrival at the designated pickup location until leaving the destination, using one-way time; less than 1 hour counts as 1 hour, and from the 2nd hour, less than half an hour counts as half an hour; waiting time is not counted. If the on-board rescue record form lacks the signature or seal of medical staff or the emergency medical technician, no fee may be charged. This article did not find an announcement from the New Taipei fire department of a separate fee, or a misuse-charging plan, for 119 emergency rescue; whether a charge applies in practice should go by the explanation of the New Taipei City Government fire department.
Private ambulances: transfers and going home after discharge
For non-emergency transport (for example going home after discharge, or a transfer between hospitals) you can contact the hospital or a private ambulance operator yourself, and fees follow each county or city's standard. The ceilings in Taipei's ambulance fee standard for agencies and institutions that operate ambulances (effective July 31, 2015) are as follows:
| Item | Taipei fee ceiling |
|---|
| Base fee | NT$800 per trip |
| Mileage fee | NT$25 per km; total distance = distance from the location designated by the client to the destination × 2 |
| Nursing staff fee | NT$700 per hour |
| Emergency medical technician fee | EMT-1 NT$400 per hour, EMT-2 NT$500 per hour, EMT-P NT$700 per hour |
| Bridge and road tolls | Actual amount paid, borne by the patient or family who hired the ambulance |
The notes to the Taipei standard also provide that an ambulance driver who is not a qualified emergency medical technician may not charge a technician fee; if the on-board record form lacks a signature from medical staff, no medical staff fee may be charged; and the patient or family must be told the charges before they are collected and be given a receipt. Anyone who overcharges is fined NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 under Article 42 of the emergency medical rescue law, and anyone who does not refund the overcharge by the deadline has all their ambulance operating permits revoked under Article 49. If you meet improper charging in Taipei, you can complain to the health department at 02-2720-5270, or call 1999 (02-2720-8889 from other counties and cities) and ask for extension 7122; in New Taipei, complain to the New Taipei City Government health department.
To recognize a legitimate ambulance, the following legally required appearance is this article's summary: Article 17 of the emergency medical rescue law provides that an ambulance body is white, with a red cross painted on both sides along with the name of the agency or institution, the permit number painted on the rear of the body, and a siren, video cameras inside and outside the cabin and red flashing lights fitted; the siren and red flashing lights may not be used in non-emergency situations.
What you can prepare at home before calling an ambulance
The following are this article's suggestions, not official rules:
- When the call connects, give the address and floor first, then the patient's condition; in an old building without an elevator, say the floor and how wide the stairs are.
- Have the National Health Insurance (NHI) card, ID card, and the medicine the patient normally takes or its packaging ready to hand to the ambulance personnel.
- Open the front door and the iron gate downstairs, and if needed ask a family member to go down and guide them.
- During typhoons and heavy rain, you can first use the real-time disaster map to see whether nearby roads are flooded or closed.
For how to report an emergency and how to use 112, see what 110, 119, 112 and other numbers are for; to see what the Taipei and New Taipei fire departments are currently responding to, see how to check real-time incidents from each county and city fire department.
FAQ
If I call 119 in Taipei and am taken to an emergency room, will I be charged?
Under the Taipei charging plan, people taken to the emergency room of an emergency responsibility hospital are not among those charged. The people charged are those who are not taken to the emergency room of an emergency responsibility hospital for treatment; psychiatric patients taken to a designated psychiatric institution and women in labor are not charged either. Medical costs after arriving at the hospital are paid by you.
I received an NT$1,800 payment slip and it seems unreasonable. What can I do?
The Taipei charging plan provides that anyone who disputes a charge has the case referred to the city government's emergency rescue review panel, and the payment slip is sent only after it is confirmed the person was not an emergency patient. You can first ask the Taipei City Government fire department's emergency medical services section about the result of the review.
Can I ask the ambulance to take me to the hospital I usually go to?
The regulations provide that rescue personnel are to take an emergency patient to a nearby appropriate medical institution, or to an emergency responsibility hospital. Whether they can redirect at the family's request should be discussed with the rescue personnel on the spot; in Taipei, if you end up not going to an emergency room at an emergency responsibility hospital, you may be charged.
What happens if a family member refuses to get into the ambulance?
Article 7 of the emergency rescue regulations provides that if the patient or family refuses transport, they must sign the rescue record form, and the rescue personnel do not transport the patient.
Last updated: 2026-10-31
This article was compiled by SOSfix editors from public information and is for general reference only. For individual cases, contact the Taipei City Government fire department, the Taipei City Government health department, the New Taipei City Government fire department or the New Taipei City Government health department.
Sources
- Taipei City law and regulation lookup system: plan for charging people who misuse fire department ambulances (臺北市民眾濫用消防局救護車收費計畫; amended July 27, 2015; verified 2026-10-31) (in Chinese): basis, who is charged and who is excluded, NT$1,800 breakdown, on-the-spot notice and payment slip by mail, payment within 14 days, where to pay, makeup of the review panel, late fees under the fees law and referral for compulsory enforcement after 30 days.
- Taipei City law and regulation lookup system: ambulance fee standard for agencies and institutions that operate ambulances (臺北市救護車設置機關（構）救護車收費基準; amended July 16, 2015, effective July 31, 2015) (in Chinese): base fee NT$800, NT$25 per km and how mileage is calculated, hourly rates for nursing staff and EMTs, tolls, cases where no fee may be charged, fire department ambulances under the misuse-charging plan, penalties for overcharging, complaint line 27205270 or 1999 ext. 7122.
- New Taipei City law and regulation lookup system: ambulance service fee standard (新北市救護車執行勤務收費標準; promulgated September 25, 2013) (in Chinese): set under Article 20 of the emergency medical rescue law, applies to agencies and institutions that operate ambulances, may not exceed the schedule, no fee without a signature or seal.
- New Taipei City law and regulation lookup system: schedule to the ambulance service fee standard (新北市救護車執行勤務收費標準附表) (in Chinese): base fee NT$700 and 5 km, NT$20 per km formula, hourly rates for physicians, nursing staff and EMTs, how hours are counted, medical supplies at cost plus 15%, complaints to the health department.
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): emergency medical rescue law (緊急醫療救護法; amended January 16, 2013) (in Chinese): Articles 16, 17, 20, 29, 37, 42, 49.
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): emergency rescue regulations (緊急救護辦法; amended March 26, 2012) (in Chinese): Article 3 definition of emergency patient, Article 5 transport to an emergency responsibility hospital or nearby appropriate medical institution, Article 6 medical costs paid by the patient, Article 7 signing when refusing transport.
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