I’ve seen that this question has bee asked before, but I just want a bit of up to date info. I want to get a driving license in Taiwan, I don’t have one back home. I have a few questions.
Is it possible to take lessons in English (I don’t think I’ll need many) and do the theory test in English or do you need to do everything in Chinese
Can you do the driving exam in English?
Are lessons and the exam expensive?
-Is it easy to convert a Taiwanese driving license into an international one if I need to travel? Or even permanently convert a Taiwanese license to that of another country if I leave Taiwan?
Yes if you find an English speaking instructor. There was a service being advertised on some expat Facebook groups, check some of those or Google. Incidentally, if you don’t have a license from home why do you think you won’t need many lessons?
Yes
Unlikely but check with your local test centre.
Budget somewhere between 15 and 20K depending on where you do it.
You don’t “convert”, international driving permit is easy to obtain, just a couple of hundred NT.
Check DMV site for reciprocal rules, or the existing threads on here.
Thanks for the info, I’ll have a look through those fb groups. I’ve taken plenty of lessons before just never ended up taking the test. So I’m hoping I won’t need too many lessons to get up to speed. I could be wrong though.
I wonder why they have the theory test in English but not the driving exam. I guess it just depends on how many English speaking examiners they have at a particular center?
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of countries allowing people to permanently switch a driving license from one country to another one. Just wondered if anyone on here has any experience doing that from Taiwan to somewhere else. These things are often harder with Taiwan.
A quick Google yielded this excellent story on what to expect! https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2021/12/11/2003769385 Not everyone’s experience will be like this of course but expect the worst! I took a few hours of lessons on the in Xindian before doing the test, sounds exactly like the “instructor” I had. If you have time I highly recommend going with a driving school, despite that guys experience, as it’s pretty much a guaranteed pass and doing it on your own can be a right PITA as the system is not really set up for it and many test centres don’t want to deal with individuals. If you’re in the north and want to go it alone ShuLin (not ShiLin) is probably the best, avoid Keelung at all cost! Whichever way you go you’ll likely have something to tell the grandkids anyway.
There’s a list of countries Taiwan has reciprocity agreements, with which will tell you exactly which countries will allow a switch or dual license holding, on the Taiwan DMV website.
If it’s a USA license, it will depend on what state issued it to determine if you can simply “convert” it into a Taiwan license. Not all 50 states are eligible (And “No”, don’t ask me why that is the case)
To add onto this (Researched after seeing this topic pop up while the UFC spams adverts), the UK is one of the nations that can exchange your driving license and when you return you can exchange the Taiwanese license back to a UK license without having to retake any tests.
Source: Safety and security - Taiwan travel advice - GOV.UK
“Your Taiwan licence will expire 6 years from the date of issue. You will be able to drive in the UK with your Taiwan licence as a visitor for up to 12 months each time you enter the UK. If you plan to return to the UK to live, you will be able to exchange your Taiwan licence for your UK licence”