Getting a Taiwan Driving License?

I am soon to be employed as a foreigner. After I get my ARC I will be able to get a Taiwan drivers license. I currently hold a U.S. state issued drivers license.

Questions:
When getting a Taiwan drivers license, do they invalidate (e.g. punch a hole in the card) the foreign drivers license, or do they simply issue a Taiwan license in addition to it? (In the U.S. it is illegal to hold onto more than once license at a time so moving from one state to another always involves an “exchange” of licenses.)

Is getting a local license worth the hassle, or should I simply keep my U.S. license up to date and try to get my IDL endorsed to its full valid duration?

I’d like to get a scooter license sometime as well.

I can’t imagine why they would do such a thing (it’s probably considered the property of the US government anyway, like a passport) but I didn’t use this route so I wouldn’t know. Do make sure your state is on the list of those the Taiwan DOT has an agreement with; if not, you’ll have to take the test like everyone else.

There’s no real hassle. For a car license, it’s best to pay the money to use the practice circuits - as I’m sure you’re aware, the driving test doesn’t actually test whether you can drive or not, it’s simply a series of trick manoeuvres and bizarre written-test questions (my favourite is “if you see an overturned car in the road and people screaming for help, you should: …”). But if you think you’ll only be here for a year or so, sure, use an IDL. I strongly recommend you don’t drive anyway. That’s where the hassle starts.

Same deal, except simpler. Takes about half a day. Turn up at the test centre, fill in a form, drive around the circuit without falling off, and answer the silly questions. Again, practice the silly questions first because the correct answers are rarely obvious (or even correct).

To demonstrate national pride, one should…

No? Srsly? Please tell me that is an actual, real test question :laughing:

Just go and get the Taiwan car and <250 moto/scooter license all at once.

They don’t do anything physically to your US license. Having a foreign license allows you to skip a probationary period (the part that you need an licensed driver to be in the car with you for X number of months).

One technicality that could potentially become a giant issue under the wrong circumstances (major accident). An IDL doesn’t allow you to operate scooters >50cc unless you have the proper motorcycle endorsements AFAIK. This probably wouldn’t ever be an issue but if you ended up in a lawsuit after an accident it could be used against you.

The computer questions are kind of silly but you can sit outside the testing center on practice computers for as long as you want until you have answered most of them and memorized the answers. If you think you might want to get a car license later then you should do it at the same time as the moto license. If you do the tests at the same then you only take one written (computer) test. If you decide later to get a car license then you need to take the written test again. I went the latter route and I think I got an 82.5 the second time on the written (that’s a fail). At one point I’m asking myself ‘his right or my right’.

Another silly rule is that if you want to drive a stick shift at some point then you need to do the test in a stick shift. that is completely pointless. The stick shift test car is a complete piece of shit.

both road tests are completely useless from a skill evaluation standpoint but they can be tricky. I think you get one practice lap for both tests.

No? Srsly? Please tell me that is an actual, real test question :laughing:[/quote]

It certainly was years back when I did the practice test online.

Edit. Found the exact question on a blog:

tainancity.wordpress.com/2009/12 … s-station/

I recorded some of the actual test questions back when I took the written test in 2009, here, including the national pride question above and this doozy:

[ul]True or False – Heavy motorcycles include common heavy motorcycles and big heavy motorcycles.[/ul]
Obviously, the answer is…false! “Common heavy motorcycles” are “heavy motorcycles”, but “big heavy motorcycles” are not :ponder:

And this one:

[ul]When a motorcyclist is not happy, usually he/she:

  1. is emotionless
  2. is not compassionate
  3. is angry[/ul]
    I’ve heard the English translation has gotten better over the years. By the way, the correct answer is 3.

[quote=“Abacus”]Just go and get the Taiwan car and <250 moto/scooter license all at once.

They don’t do anything physically to your US license. Having a foreign license allows you to skip a probationary period (the part that you need an licensed driver to be in the car with you for X number of months).

One technicality that could potentially become a giant issue under the wrong circumstances (major accident). An IDL doesn’t allow you to operate scooters >50cc unless you have the proper motorcycle endorsements AFAIK. This probably wouldn’t ever be an issue but if you ended up in a lawsuit after an accident it could be used against you.

The computer questions are kind of silly but you can sit outside the testing center on practice computers for as long as you want until you have answered most of them and memorized the answers. If you think you might want to get a car license later then you should do it at the same time as the moto license. If you do the tests at the same then you only take one written (computer) test. If you decide later to get a car license then you need to take the written test again. I went the latter route and I think I got an 82.5 the second time on the written (that’s a fail). At one point I’m asking myself ‘his right or my right’.

Another silly rule is that if you want to drive a stick shift at some point then you need to do the test in a stick shift. that is completely pointless. The stick shift test car is a complete piece of shit.

both road tests are completely useless from a skill evaluation standpoint but they can be tricky. I think you get one practice lap for both tests.[/quote]

This is all good stuff, but this bit about getting a practice lap is not true, or at least I wasn’t allowed to do this. I failed two times, then finally bit the bullet and paid some driving school 800nt to let me drive around their little practice track for about 50 minutes. I went back and passed, but it really is just a case of learning how to do the maneuvers in their car.

Classic stuff. I would love to meet the people who formulate these questions. I bet they have a PhD in something terribly clever.

However, steve4nlanguage’s 2nd example is going to have to become my new favourite. That’s just sublime.

Anyway - re. the OP’s question, I think this highlights the need to practice until you’ve memorized the “correct” answers. Likewise with the track practice in a car - AFAIK, you do have to pay for practice time, and unless you’re a genius driver, that’s probably the only way to guarantee passing the obstacle course that constitutes the car practical.

[quote=“gnaij”]I am soon to be employed as a foreigner. After I get my ARC I will be able to get a Taiwan drivers license. I currently hold a U.S. state issued drivers license.

Questions:
When getting a Taiwan drivers license, do they invalidate (e.g. punch a hole in the card) the foreign drivers license, or do they simply issue a Taiwan license in addition to it? (In the U.S. it is illegal to hold onto more than once license at a time so moving from one state to another always involves an “exchange” of licenses.)

Is getting a local license worth the hassle, or should I simply keep my U.S. license up to date and try to get my IDL endorsed to its full valid duration?

I’d like to get a scooter license sometime as well.[/quote]

It depends on the country. In my case (I’m Italian) they got my license and sent it to my “embassy” to be sent back to Italy and destroyed. German citizens are instead allowed to keep theirs under the assumption that they won’t use it. I believe this work on a reciprocity basis: Taiwan does what the other country does to Taiwanese expats in terms of driving licenses. Just go to the DMV: it’ll take 5 minutes to find out.

I’m amazed. That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard. Where is it written that one is allowed to hold only one sort of driving license?

Best to just take the test. Then at least you know they’ll leave your real license alone (the one that proves you can actually drive). It’s a fun day out, anyway.

In a bizarre way, yes. Kind of like an outing on a wacky miniature golf course. When I arrived for my road test for the car license, there was another foreign fellow coming out who had just failed and was complaining loudly to anyone who would listen, “I’ve driven trucks…tanks…driven on five continents…I know how to drive…and what kind of mickey mouse driving track is this anyway…”

I think I was lucky to be in the car with the same tester that guy had just failed with. I kind of sensed the tester didn’t want to fail two foreigners in a row, so I started bantering with him and managed to get him to kind of talk me through it, and passed (my first try, with no previous practice on the course).

I just can’t beat the S-shaped level; my guy always hits a wall and loses 16 HP. Where can I find some cheat codes?

At the bottom of a red envelope … or so I’m told.

[quote=“Wai”]

This is all good stuff, but this bit about getting a practice lap is not true, or at least I wasn’t allowed to do this. I failed two times, then finally bit the bullet and paid some driving school 800nt to let me drive around their little practice track for about 50 minutes. I went back and passed, but it really is just a case of learning how to do the maneuvers in their car.[/quote]

Maybe they weren’t busy when I was there but I at least remember the tester taking a practice lap and I think i practiced on at least part of the track.

I’m amazed. That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard. Where is it written that one is allowed to hold only one sort of driving license?

Best to just take the test. Then at least you know they’ll leave your real license alone (the one that proves you can actually drive). It’s a fun day out, anyway.[/quote]

If you take the test but don’t show proof of a previous license then you will only receive a probationary license AFAIK. I do not understand at all why someone wouldn’t be able to have driver licenses in multiple countries. Novaspes case just does not make sense although I’m certain that it happened.

It makes sense because I was ‘converting’ one license, not getting a new one. I’m not the only one, either. A number of friends have gone through the same procedure with the same results. When I got my scooter license, otoh, I took the driving test only (thanks to the fact I already had a car license) and a brand new document was issued, so I did not have to surrender (or to even show) my Italian motorbike license.

Btw, when I go back to Italy (if ever) I will need to go through the same process and re-convert my Taiwanese car license into an Italian one.

[quote=“Novaspes”]It makes sense because I was ‘converting’ one license, not getting a new one. I’m not the only one, either. A number of friends have gone through the same procedure with the same results. When I got my scooter license, otoh, I took the driving test only (thanks to the fact I already had a car license) and a brand new document was issued, so I did not have to surrender (or to even show) my Italian motorbike license.

Btw, when I go back to Italy (if ever) I will need to go through the same process and re-convert my Taiwanese car license into an Italian one.[/quote]
That still doesn’t make any sense.

[quote=“Novaspes”]It makes sense because I was ‘converting’ one license, not getting a new one. I’m not the only one, either. A number of friends have gone through the same procedure with the same results. When I got my scooter license, otoh, I took the driving test only (thanks to the fact I already had a car license) and a brand new document was issued, so I did not have to surrender (or to even show) my Italian motorbike license.

Btw, when I go back to Italy (if ever) I will need to go through the same process and re-convert my Taiwanese car license into an Italian one.[/quote]

Now I understand better. You actually completely skipped all tests for your car license and the Italian license was used to convert. True reciprocity and your Taiwanese license is valid in Italy if you went home for a visit.

For the OP this is probably not the case although there might be a few states that have similar reciprocity. Speaking of all of this I think my US license is expiring but my mom can auto renew via the mail for me.