Hi CCN - I have wondered about your last question before - that is, when you exchange your license, do they actually take away the license from your ‘home’ country, and can you ever get it back?
Comments, anyone?
An international driving permit is obtainable from a driver’s assocation in your home country. In the U.K., for example they are provided by the Automobile Association and you can apply for and get one at main post offices. They do not take away your original license! An IDP is normally valid for a year, but if you use it in Taiwan, you have to get it stamped by a Department of Motor Vehicles office here, whereupon it will be valid for a year I think (although somebody reported only getting it stamped for six months -
I don’t know whether that was renewable).
[Edit: for up-to-date info on IDPs, see this thread:
[Foreign-issued International Driving Licenses/Permits ]
If you want to take the driving test here and get a Taiwanese license, you need to have an A.R.C. (Alien Resident Certificate), which you get through work or marriage. That must also be the case if you exchange your license from your home country for a Taiwanese one. The process is the same whether your A.R.C. is through work or marriage.
More threads which may be of help are:
[Driving Licenses in Taiwan for Foreigners
[Driver's License
[Got my car and motorcycle licence
[Is it really essential to have an ARC before I can buy a scooter?
and
[Validity of ARC, TW Driving Licence and TW International Driving Permit
[quote=“ski”]My understanding of it is you can exchange your license if you are from certain countries. SA and a few others. Canadian and American can not…
www.tcmvd.gov.tw[/quote]
I think some U.S. states have a reciprocal license agreement. Anyway, the details are on the website you gave the link for.
[quote=“ski”]the test is easy and in English[/quote]The practical sections of both the motorcycle and car driving tests have tricky bits. The theory sections require a thorough memorisation of the test questions booklet, that is unless you are in Taipei City, where all accounts have it that the range of questions is narrower and limited to the questions which come up on the online practice test, again at that site you linked to. (Although you still need to cycle through the online test a few times to see all the questions they have there).