I got a local regular scooter license and a car license while holding an ARC several years back. Their expiry dates were one year apart.
Scooter license expiry date: July of 2021
Car license expiry date: July of 2022
Last year, in July of 2021, I went to the DMV to renew my scooter license. I was then holding an APRC and qualified to hold a license valid until my 75th birthday. While the DMV worker was processing my scooter license renewal I asked if I could renew my car license at the same time to save me a trip back in 2022. I recall the worker telling me I could not renew the car license at that time because it was too far from the expiry and she told me I would need to come back and renew my car license in 2022 within 1-3 months of expiry (I forgot exactly what timeframe she gave me). Ok, fine. I took my new scooter license, good through age 75, and put a reminder in my calendar to come back in July 2022 to renew the car license.
Cut to today. My calendar dutifully reminds me I need to renew my car license. I dust off my licenses only to find I have a car license expiring in late July and a car license expiring on my 75th birthday and NO scooter license. Oops. Apparently, the DMV renewed the wrong license last year.
So, I hopped over to the DMV and told the lady my situation and she confirmed that, yes, my scooter license expired last year and yes, I shouldn’t have been issued a renewed car license last year. She was understanding and issued a new scooter license on the spot and took my expiring car license.
It’s on me for not checking the license last year, in my defense, I also got rid of my scooter last July, so the only scootering I’ve been doing is an occasional iRent, GoShare, or WeMo. Apparently those apps don’t check for a license expiration date. I doubt the developers even realise their foreign users might have licenses that actually expire before 75. Should I tell them?
I don’t think license expirations date matter anymore.
Since July 1st, 2013, the general driving licenses and motorcycle driving licenses that are newly issued or have been issued were exempted from renewal except the provision on the items 2 stated next. All the licenses are valid after the expiration until the holder’s 75th birthday. A citizen who is elder than 75 years old has to renew their driving license every 3 years.
Professional drivers, foreigners who have not obtain alien residence permit, people from Mainland China, residences in Hong Kong or Macau or nationals with no household registration in the Taiwan area who obtain driving license in our country, and those who are punished permanently prohibited from driving license test apply for re-test and obtain one-year driving license shall maintain the regulation of periodic renewal. They should apply for renewal before expiration. No driving is allowed after the driving license is expired.
Mhh, I’ve exchanged my driver’s license some months ago and have received one which will expire on my birthday in 118 (2029). So it’s valid for a bit less than 7 years (my ARC will expire next year - my passport in 2027)
Or does the lack of an expiration only apply to APRC holders?
The policy only applies to Republic of China citizens and foreigners holding alien permanent resident certificates (APRC). Professional drivers, Taiwanese without registered residences, foreigners without APRCs, and residents of China, Hong Kong and Macau would still have to renew their licenses, it said.
This seems to be the case. I just did some googling and found the Chinese announcement from the MOTC which says if a foreigner doesn’t have an APRC yet then they still need to follow the original license renewal schedule (which it says is every 6 years). I like how the Taipei DMV’s English announcement changed it to ARCs. Very inclusive of them.
I’d double-check with your local DMV, but for my situation I was told that after getting my APRC I’d still need to take my license which had an expiration date on it and renew it for a longer-term license. The new license still has an expiration date on it, but that date is now my 75th birthday.
I read something years ago that said ARC holders dont need to renew. Must have been a mistranslation. So i didnt. It is really lucky that i havent been driving all these years.
Going to go and renew asap. Just incase i want to drive in the future.
What names do people have on their licence?
I just have my surname but id like my full name put on it.
