Help: Getting Driver License in Taiwan. Has USA Drivers License

[qwert_zuiop]

@DrewC

And would that be sufficient to drive here or do I need a local license?

Usually, you can drive in Taiwan up to 3 (or 6?) month with an international driver’s license. After that, you need to get it “stamped” by the MVO which will make the IDP valid in Taiwan for 1 year.

There seem to be some inconsistencies about getting an IDP “stamped” again after the year has passed (or if one has been in Taiwan for > 1 year): Some MVOs seem to do it - others not.

If you don’t have a stamp in your IDP, then you need a local license. The IDP itself might be valid, but without the stamp it won’t be accepted in Taiwan after the 3 (or 6?) months have passed (which is common around the world - IDPs are not meant to be permanent, but rather for short visits to other countries).

@DrewC

However, I need to buy a car here

For that, you might need a local license anyway.

Depending on which country / state you’re from, you might also be able to get a local license by “exchanging” your foreign driver’s license. Note that only a few countries / states require a true “exchange” and many allow you to keep your foreign license.

Not sure if they will still accept an expired license, though…

EDIT: I think it’s only 30 days of validity (after entering Taiwan) without the stamp actually - see:

@SuperS54

The DMV stamp is good for a year, if they stamp a new IDP then you’re good for another year. They were making noises about not wanting to keep stamping them year after year but I didn’t have an issue doing it for near 20 years, it’s only due to difficulty getting a new IDP this year that I bothered to go and do the test.

Once you have a valid license (and insurance) there is no issue with the police, even in an accident scenario. A stamped IDP is fully valid.

Actually a non-stamped IDP is also valid if it is within 30 days of entering Taiwan. The bizzarro world with this is that the DMV put so much emphasis on entry dates for eligibility of various things that if you go abroad and come back to Taiwan you are good for another 30 days unstamped, even if you’ve lived here for 50 years! All that matters is the 30 date period after you enter Taiwan.

A word of caution once again though, your insurance may not be valid if you do not have a valid license/IDP or your license/IDP has expired. Post accident is not the time you want to find this out.