diff --git a/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml
index ef2ec0135..185997bef 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml
@@ -202,16 +202,14 @@ jobs:
     - name: Install MNE (stable)
       if: matrix.mne-version == 'mne-stable'
       run: |
-        git clone --single-branch --branch maint/1.8 https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python.git
+        git clone --single-branch --branch maint/1.9 https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python.git
         python -m pip install -e ./mne-python
 
     - name: Install MNE (previous stable)
       if: matrix.mne-version == 'mne-prev-stable'
-      # Have to install NumPy<2.1 here because of a change in positional arg handling + MNE 1.7
-      # XXX: drop when mne < 1.8 is no longer supported
       run: |
-        git clone --single-branch --branch maint/1.7 https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python.git
-        python -m pip install -e ./mne-python "numpy<2.1"
+        git clone --single-branch --branch maint/1.8 https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python.git
+        python -m pip install -e ./mne-python
 
     - name: Install MNE (main)
       if: matrix.mne-version == 'mne-main'
diff --git a/doc/install.rst b/doc/install.rst
index 08e665072..d32b3291c 100644
--- a/doc/install.rst
+++ b/doc/install.rst
@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ Dependencies
 
 Required:
 
-* ``mne`` (>=1.7)
-* ``numpy`` (>=1.21.2)
-* ``scipy`` (>=1.7.1)
+* ``mne`` (>=1.8)
+* ``numpy`` (>=1.23)
+* ``scipy`` (>=1.9)
 
 Optional:
 
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Optional:
 * ``pybv`` (>=0.7.5, for writing BrainVision data)
 * ``eeglabio`` (>=0.0.2, for writing EEGLAB data)
 * ``pymatreader`` (for other operations with EEGLAB data)
-* ``matplotlib`` (>=3.5.0, for using the interactive data inspector)
+* ``matplotlib`` (>=3.6, for using the interactive data inspector)
 * ``pandas`` (>=1.3.2, for generating event statistics)
 * ``edfio`` (>=0.2.1, for writing EDF data)
 * ``defusedxml`` (for writing reading EGI MFF data and BrainVision montages)
diff --git a/doc/whats_new.rst b/doc/whats_new.rst
index d4ad39cb9..5bf145c15 100644
--- a/doc/whats_new.rst
+++ b/doc/whats_new.rst
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Detailed list of changes
 🛠 Requirements
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
-- Nothing yet
+- MNE-BIDS now requires ``mne`` 1.8 or higher.
 
 🪲 Bug fixes
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^
diff --git a/mne_bids/tests/test_write.py b/mne_bids/tests/test_write.py
index 623c869d3..f57abb6df 100644
--- a/mne_bids/tests/test_write.py
+++ b/mne_bids/tests/test_write.py
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 
 import codecs
-import inspect
 import json
 import os
 import os.path as op
@@ -103,7 +102,7 @@
 
 def _wrap_read_raw(read_raw):
     def fn(fname, *args, **kwargs):
-        if Path(fname).suffix == ".mff" and check_version("mne", "1.8"):
+        if Path(fname).suffix == ".mff":
             kwargs["events_as_annotations"] = True
         raw = read_raw(fname, *args, **kwargs)
         raw.info["line_freq"] = 60
@@ -226,8 +225,7 @@ def test_write_participants(_bids_validate, tmp_path):
     # add fake participants data
     raw.set_meas_date(datetime(year=1994, month=1, day=26, tzinfo=timezone.utc))
     birthday = (1993, 1, 26)
-    if check_version("mne", "1.8"):
-        birthday = date(*birthday)
+    birthday = date(*birthday)
     raw.info["subject_info"] = {
         "his_id": subject_id2,
         "birthday": birthday,
@@ -636,9 +634,7 @@ def test_fif(_bids_validate, tmp_path):
     )
     assert_array_almost_equal(raw.get_data(), raw2.get_data())
     kwargs = dict()
-    # XXX: remove logic once support for mne<1.8 is dropped
-    if "copy" in inspect.getfullargspec(epochs.get_data).kwonlyargs:
-        kwargs["copy"] = False
+    kwargs["copy"] = False
     assert_array_almost_equal(
         epochs.get_data(**kwargs),
         epochs2.get_data(**kwargs),
@@ -727,8 +723,7 @@ def test_fif(_bids_validate, tmp_path):
     # change the gender but don't force overwrite.
     raw = _read_raw_fif(raw_fname)
     birthday = (1994, 1, 26)
-    if check_version("mne", "1.8"):
-        birthday = date(*birthday)
+    birthday = date(*birthday)
     raw.info["subject_info"] = {
         "his_id": subject_id2,
         "birthday": birthday,
diff --git a/mne_bids/write.py b/mne_bids/write.py
index ec4ace2e2..80c25ceea 100644
--- a/mne_bids/write.py
+++ b/mne_bids/write.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 import sys
 import warnings
 from collections import OrderedDict, defaultdict
-from datetime import date, datetime, timedelta, timezone
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import mne
@@ -479,8 +479,6 @@ def _participants_tsv(raw, subject_id, fname, overwrite=False):
 
         # determine the age of the participant
         age = subject_info.get("birthday", None)
-        if isinstance(age, tuple):  # XXX: can be removed once MNE >= 1.8 is required
-            age = date(*age)
         meas_date = raw.info.get("meas_date", None)
         if isinstance(meas_date, tuple | list | np.ndarray):
             meas_date = meas_date[0]
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index a44165931..4c08bd5a2 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ classifiers = [
   "Topic :: Scientific/Engineering",
   "Topic :: Software Development",
 ]
-dependencies = ["mne>=1.7", "numpy>=1.21.2", "scipy>=1.7.1"]
+dependencies = ["mne>=1.8", "numpy>=1.23", "scipy>=1.9"]
 description = "MNE-BIDS: Organizing MEG, EEG, and iEEG data according to the BIDS specification and facilitating their analysis with MNE-Python"
 dynamic = ["version"]
 keywords = [
@@ -64,14 +64,14 @@ full = [
   "defusedxml",  # For reading EGI MFF data and BrainVision montages
   "edfio >= 0.2.1",
   "eeglabio >= 0.0.2",
-  "matplotlib >= 3.5.0",
+  "matplotlib >= 3.6",
   "nibabel >= 3.2.1",
   "pandas >= 1.3.2",
   "pybv >= 0.7.5",
   "pymatreader",
 ]
 # Dependencies for running the test infrastructure
-test = ["mne_bids[full]", "pytest >= 8", "pytest-cov", "pytest-sugar", "ruff"]
+test = ["mne_bids[full]", "pytest", "pytest-cov", "pytest-sugar", "ruff"]
 
 [project.urls]
 "Bug Tracker" = "https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-bids/issues/"