I’ve been riding this scooter for a year now, but it was never in my name, it is in my ex-boss’ name, she is Taiwanese. I’m finally having it transfered into my name this week and her western husband told me this:
I need to bring the current registration papers, et al. The bike needs to be insured already (currently the insurance is expired), and I 'll need my ARC, and perhaps my first born male, by the sounds of things. He also said I need a Taiwanese “chop” to replace my signature in order to make the transfer legal.
Is all of this necessary? How long does this process take?
Can’t I just meet my boss at the registration place and have the bike transfered to my name with my signature, then get the insurance afterward on my own?
It’s really simple. You can pay a scooter shop to go do it for you for about $400NT or do it yourself, but better go with a Taiwanese friend. I usually pay since I don’t have the time, and it takes about a few hours. You need a chop, your ARC, the bike’s registration and insurance card, and the processing fee, I forget how much it is, but I know it is cheap.
As it’s a transfer, you also need the original owner’s ID, i.e. the ID of the person named on the existing registration document (the blue card). If you don’t have this, you’re screwed.
The expired insurance isn’t a problem. There will be an insurance broker’s office very close to the DMV. In Taipei, it’s right across the street. You simply pop across and pay for a new insurance card.
Yes. That’s the easiest way to do it. You WILL need a chop though. They cost only a few NT$ and can be had at any of the little stores that cut keys. Takes only a few minutes.
One more thing: The office will require any outstanding traffic tickets to be paid before the transfer can take place. All the more reason to take the original owner with you.
Not so, not everywhere, anyway. Both the Tainan and Taichung DMVs are happy to use names in Roman letters (“English names”, if you will). The only reason one of my bikes is in my “Chinese name” is that an insurance company in Tainan wasn’t happy with Roman letters and I was in a hurry so I just got a chop made.
Oh well, I should have put the obligatory YMMV. I’ve always had to produce a chop. THey’re also very useful if the clerk is taking too long, as you can while away the time by going into a trance-like state and chopping everything within reach – the countertop, random scraps of paper, the back of the clerk’s computer terminal… You get into trouble for it, though.
I know this thread isn’t exactly burning up the forumosa web-site But I figure it’s wise to post a conclusion to this suspensful thriller.
It turns out you DO need an insured scooter before you can transfer the registration. I live out in the sticks and didn’t bother to renew the insurance when it came up, so I had to take care of that first. That part was relativley painless. Scooter shops will do it for free.
Having the reg. transfered was equally relaxing. The scooter was given to me by my ex boss on the condisition I eventually pay for it. The problem was that I quit before the bike was paid for.
Not wanting to be a dead-beat or, perhaps more accurately, not be charged with stealing a bike I had been riding for almost a year, I decided to pay it off and transfer the ownership to my name.
No big deal. Her western boyfriend came with me, brought her I.D. and her chop, and the transfer was done after they checked my bike out. Apparently if your scooter/cycle is over 10 years old, they have to eyeball it to make sure it is still in one piece, which is all they did.
Afterward it was 170 NT$ for the paper work and I was gone.
Oh yeah, I had to get my own chop, which is kind of exciting.
i’ve found that chops aren’t required in taoyuan, but they make things easier if you wanna sell scooters/bikes, in that wives/so’s can go and do all the business for you if you use a chop, whereas if you use your name, you gotta go and sign everything …
dangerous too - don’t lose the chop. i don’t even hang on to it, just leave it with the wife. use my signature for banking though, or she woulda been gone long ago
Moved your post here John. The information on how to do the transfer is above.
As to where, I’m not sure. Does anyone know if there are any restrictions on which DMV office you can transfer ownership at? I believe that many years ago you had to do it in the city where the bike was originally registered, but I doubt that’s still the case.
Yes, you need to transfer it in the same town it was registered. Or you can have it totally rechecked, I mean totally, and transfered if you have the household registration for the person who now owns it and they have transfered that to the new city. For foreigners it will mean on the ARC your address has been changed and then some other paperwork. Then you can sell it or transfer it whatever. A lot of work though.
Well, normally you need the other person’s ID card or ARC. I’m not sure whether an expired ARC would be adequate: one would hope so otherwise there could be all these vehicles out there in “limbo”.
I suggest getting hold of all the documention you can from the previous owner: ARC, passport copy etc. Of course you’ll need the blue registration card as well. Go to the DMV, explain the situation and hopefully they’ll transfer it for you.
I purchased a scooter from a friend of a friend about 6 years ago, but was unable to change the registration before he left because I bought on the last day he was here and he had already turned in his ARC to his company. We went to the police station to do it, but to no avail.
I rarely ever drive it since I have had a car for the past 6 years, so I was thinking about selling it.
Is it possible to change the registration now? What should I do?
Come on, there has to be a way to do it. As it is now, I can use this vehicle for some old fashion scooter purse snatches and it will be very difficult to trace it back to me. Any other examples? I have the perfect vehicle for anyone that wants to do some crimes. Any takers?
I just heard from the Taipei DMV (02) 2688 6600 - You CAN transfer a scooter that is registered in another place. For example, a scooter registered in Hsinchu can be transfered / re-registered in Taipei.
This contradicts another persons post - so it might be worth a call to the DMV to find out for yourself.
Also, if the scooter is over 6 years old, it must be tested. And registration must happen at the same testing town.
A valid insurance certificate for the vehicle (you can get this just before you do the transfer at one of the insurance shops near the DMV).
The blue registration card.
If you use a chop (both parties) then bring it. It seems that lots of DMVs don’t require one, but if it is the new owner’s “Chinese name” on the insurance certificate then obviously he/she will need to use a chop for the registration transfer.
Some money. As mentioned above, the transfer fee is not large – someone mentioned 400NT. But bear in mind that there may also be unpaid fines on the vehicle, and they need to be paid up at the time of the transfer.
If you’re buying from a shop, they can do the transfer for you. They’ll need to borrow your ARC/ID and you will definitely need to provide a chop in this case.
Another thing to bear in mind; if you’re thinking of buying a vehicle, it might be worth asking the police to check whether it has been stolen at any time. The DMV should know anyway but better safe than sorry.
I went to Shulin (Taipei county) and when I came there I just asked the girls on the information desk what to do. Was kind of fun as they were to shy to speak English, but it worked out anyway.
They had a tuff moment as I almost don’t speak Chinese, but everything went smooth … the problem they had was translating the word ‘insurance’, they didn’t know that in English but anyhow …
I had my ARC, my chop and driver license + the sellers ID, chop, old registration.
First I had to buy insurance and in Shulin that’s not a problem as there is a company that has a desk right there, next to the entrance, so you don’t need to leave the building. One of the girls took me there and I got insurance in 5 minutes, cost about 760 NT$ for one year.
Once this was handled one of the girls filled out a form and put the chops on it and gave me a number to wait for my turn at the appropriate desk. Waited about 5 minutes, the girl there handled everthing in another 5 minutes and I had the scooter registered in my name. She asked me 150 NT$ for the registration.
All in all it took me about 15-20 minutes from entering the building to leaving, meanwhile I had even a cup-a-tea.
Painless, no trouble what so ever. Efficient. Happy man … now I can sell the scooter and by a big boy … don’t think my wife agrees with that one. :s
How long does this process take?
But I figure it’s wise to post a conclusion to this suspensful thriller.
Happy man … now I can sell the scooter and by a big boy 
… don’t think my wife agrees with that one. :s