Did the regulator’s announcement add typhoon coverage to existing policies?

No. The announcement calls for prompt claims handling under the insurance contract. The policy and its endorsements determine whether the particular typhoon or flood loss is covered.

Does the five-day notice period start when the typhoon warning is issued?

Article 58 generally starts the period when the policyholder, insured or beneficiary learns of an event for which the insurer is liable, unless the Act or contract provides otherwise. It does not use the warning or landfall date as a universal starting point.

Does late notice automatically cancel an insurance claim?

Article 63 makes a policyholder or insured responsible for loss the insurer suffers because of late notice under the specified provisions. That is not an automatic forfeiture rule. The notice terms, cause of delay and any resulting loss still matter.

Typhoon Champi: Taiwan insurance notice and payment deadlines

Written in response to a news report. Facts and law may have changed since the publication date.

After Taiwan issued a land warning for Typhoon Champi, financial regulators asked insurers to identify policyholders’ losses and process claims promptly under their contracts. CNA reported the request on October 22, alongside insurers’ announcements of expedited claims services and other assistance.

Coverage still depends on the policy. The Financial Supervisory Commission’s release says ordinary vehicle damage insurance in classes A, B and C does not cover typhoon or flood damage without the relevant additional cover. It also distinguishes basic residential typhoon and flood compensation from additional protection. Its request for faster service does not expand what every policy insures.

Notice begins with knowledge of the covered event

Under Article 58 of the Insurance Act, the policyholder, insured or beneficiary generally must notify the insurer within five days of learning of an event for which the insurer is liable. Another provision of the Act or a different contractual term can change that rule. The starting point is knowledge of the relevant event; the date of a weather warning or landfall does not supply a universal claim deadline.

Does that require a complete repair estimate within five days? Article 58 addresses notice of the event. Payment and supporting documents are addressed separately in Article 34. A notification record can show when the insurer first learned of the loss, while photographs, estimates and later correspondence help explain what is being claimed and which documents remain outstanding.

Late notice can have consequences. Article 63 makes the policyholder or insured liable for loss the insurer suffers because notice was not given within the periods specified in Articles 58 or 59, paragraph 3. The causal link matters. This provision does not say that every late notification automatically forfeits the entire claim. A dispute over delay therefore needs to address the applicable notice requirement and the loss allegedly caused to the insurer.

Payment has a separate timetable

Article 34 first requires the insurer to pay within the agreed period after the policyholder or insured has submitted all supporting documents. Where no payment period has been agreed, the statute specifies payment within 15 days after receipt of notice. That wording needs to be read together with the provision’s document requirement; it is not a promise of payment 15 days after the typhoon, regardless of the claim file.

Delay interest is also conditional. The same article requires interest at 10 percent annually where the insurer misses the applicable payment deadline for a reason attributable to it. An elapsed period alone does not settle responsibility for delay. The agreed payment clause, notice date, document submissions and the insurer’s explanation are relevant to that assessment.

For an English-speaking policyholder, a translated service announcement may be easier to read than the policy itself. The announcement describes assistance the insurer may offer, while the issued policy and endorsements identify the cover purchased. A general promise of expedited handling leaves the scope of the particular claim to be established.

Before a payment disagreement can be assessed, the file needs a reliable chronology: when the damage became known, when the insurer received notice, what supporting documents were supplied and what it says is still missing. Those dates allow the notice issue and the payment issue to be examined on their own terms, even when both arise from the same storm.

A fictional apartment scene illustrating storm damage and insurance paperwork; it does not show an actual loss or claim.

Sources

Sources checked: October 24, 2026. This is general information on Taiwan insurance law; coverage of a particular loss depends on the policy and the facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the regulator’s announcement add typhoon coverage to existing policies?: No. The announcement calls for prompt claims handling under the insurance contract. The policy and its endorsements determine whether the particular typhoon or flood loss is covered.
Does the five-day notice period start when the typhoon warning is issued?: Article 58 generally starts the period when the policyholder, insured or beneficiary learns of an event for which the insurer is liable, unless the Act or contract provides otherwise. It does not use the warning or landfall date as a universal starting point.
Does late notice automatically cancel an insurance claim?: Article 63 makes a policyholder or insured responsible for loss the insurer suffers because of late notice under the specified provisions. That is not an automatic forfeiture rule. The notice terms, cause of delay and any resulting loss still matter.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice on any individual matter.