Or get a US license, then an IDP, and have it certified at the local DMV.
Well, you’re going to be here for awhile, so you might as well go through the process.
Otherwise, do you have any relatives in the states that you can use their home as a permanent address? This way you can apply for a local driver’s license then go for the IDP.
I moved to Hsinchu from California (a state that does not allow the US/Taiwan driver’s license conversion) and had to get my Taiwan driver’s license back in September. The process isn’t difficult by any means but confusing if you try to approach it from a “common sense” point of view. Yeah, thats right. It makes no sense. Just take it for what it is and accept the fact that this is how things are done in Taiwan.
First of all, you’ll need to go to the doctor. Not any doctor, it has to be one of the approved doctors from the DMV website. What they’ll do is give you a medical/vision checkup to clear you for operating a motor vehicle. Once you pass, they’ll give you a certificate that you take to the DMV when you do your written/driving test. In Hsinchu, both tests have to be done on the same day. Not sure if that’s the rule in Taipei. If it is, that would explain why the lady told you to practice for three months first. She probably wanted you to practice the driving portion of the test.
Second, you do need to make an appointment, which I believe can be done online. But they can’t force you to practice or study first, you pay at the window and take your tests. First part of the tests is the multiple choice portion, its just like the online examples.
Third part is the driving test. This is where you realize why people in Taiwan drive the way they do. The driving test is basically an obstacle course. When you do something wrong, a buzzer and a light go off (literally). At that point, your instructor will let you know if you failed. It has nothing to actually do with real world driving and i’ve heard stories of people who fail over and over again even though they’ve driven for decades in their home country. The driving schools in Taiwan are basically inch by inch replicas of the DMV obstacle course. You enroll in the school to learn how to pass the course, not learn how to drive.
Hope that helps, good luck.
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Here is my experience with getting a Taiwanese driving license (car and scooter >50cc). I did the scooter license to be able to drive scooters >50cc which is not included in the car license.
When I got here I had an European (German) car license. I could drive with my international license for 6 months. This helped me to be mobile from the beginning and give me enough time get the Taiwanese license.
Germany refuses to exchange Taiwanese licenses because there is no real road test in Taiwan. So Taiwan does not exchange German licenses in return.
Because I already had a license I was not required to do driving hours at a school. But I still had to wait the 3 months ‘learning phase’ before I could do the written and driving test.
After applying for the license (get all required documents e.g. doctor checkup), I came back 3 months later.
I did the written test for the car. Passed easily (I learned for a day).
Then did the driving test. I highly recommend to go to a school and let them explain and practise the course for a few hours! I did not do that and was lucky to pass on the first time. I was the only one for the test that day and the instructor went out of his way to explain me what I have to do before the test. I still struggled a little at this tight reverse s-curve even though I am an experienced driver.
Having gotten the car license first I did not need to do the written test for the scooter license.
The scooter driving course is pretty easy. (some fail the drive very slow without stopping 20m straight line part)
After the scooter test you need to watch some safety movie and can go and get your scooter license.
My 2 cents on the Taiwanese car license:
The driving test for the car license only proves you are able to handle a car. After getting your license the new drivers have no idea how to drive on a real road with traffic. This is very dangerous and many drivers learn very bad habits that stick during that time.
Most drivers lack the understanding of basic driving etiquette.
This is why many expats think Taiwanese are bad drivers.
My wife has a license but has no idea how to actually drive and is scared to get behind the wheel.
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When I got my car license in Taipei in the late1990’s they had one hard copy of the the rules of the road in English I could only read at the traffic office. There was no thee month rule or medical exam requirement. It was a slow day too the day I took my tests and the insteuctor took the time to explain the S-curve strategy to me first. An hour after walking in the building I had my license.
My aunt here told me I can do one thats one month if I don’t do it at the DMV and take classes at a private school or getting drivers license. She said it’s possible some of these places you can just pay off and take the test or just drive once instead of a month as well. So i’m looking into that.
Taking the classes (which cost anything from 10-15k) is the quick work around. In my case, I wasn’t about to pay someone to teach me how to do something I already knew how to do.
I guess in my case I don’t really want to wait 3 months and schedule a time to take the test that can take another month and do a medical exam and to do what I can already do haha
First day at driving school. It’s 12000 for the school. It was this most boring one hour of my life. The only funny part is watching other people really struggle. The most difficult part is probably you drive in a mechanical way the instructor tells you to and not intuitively. And plus I’m 190 and the car seat does not move back so I had a increadably hard time driving with my knees half way up the steering wheel.
So after 2 days. The instructor is letting me take the test tomorrow. I would say this is the route to take if you want to get your drivers license quickly and make sure you do pass. I didn’t find the backwards s hard. But people were really struggling doing it. But I feel better knowing exactly what I needed to do to pass. It is 12000 but at least you don’t have to take months to take the test and possibly fail without doing a practice run. Even though all the stuff came pretty easily, I’m not sure I would have passed if I just went without at least knowing and trying everything out first. And I’ve been driving for about 10 years.
Congratulations!
I guess that practicing the course is not about learning how to drive, but learning how to pass the test.
Which, btw is illegal to do.
Andrew0409
Couldn’t you swap your existing licence for a TW one?
Read up. He explains why he has to take the test.
Don’t have a valid existing license.
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So what was your last drivers license?
Virginia.
Simply present that license to the office to have it converted. They won’t care if it’s a little old.
I don’t have it. And it expired 3 years ago
Well where is it? It probably won’t matter that it expired 3 years ago.