Hello, I am a Canadian living in Taiwan. I converted my canadian driver’s license to a taiwanese one 3 years ago. I am now going back for vacation and would like to drive in Canada. I am unable to reapply for an albertan license, so need to get an international driver’s license. Can anyone help me with what paper work or steps I need to do? Thanks in advance.
Just go to your closest MVO (Motor Vehicle Office) and tell them you need an international license for visiting Canada. You need to pay a small fee (and need to bring a photo or take one at one of the machines there).
Note that you won’t “convert” your license to an international one - the international one is mostly like a translation for the Taiwanese driver’s license.
See this for more details:
(They also say to bring your passport!)
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It’s super simple as @qwert_zuiop mentioned (at least it was in Taoyuan). When my waiting number was called I was in and out in five minutes. The permit resembles the Canadian and American ones, but the Taiwanese one is valid for three years instead of one.
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You dint convert, you buy it.
Note that you won’t be able to drive in Alberta for years as per international drivers license expiry date. I am from bc and they have a 1 month limit. I am not sure what Alberta is, but I assume everywhere in canada is probably 1-6 months, it’s based on province
Double check. If it is say 30 days for your province for a taiwanese license, and you are staying longer, head across the border somewhere, get a new stamp in your passport and your license countdown starts over. Repeat.
Until it expires, obviously.
Also note, at least in BC, the government will steal taiwanese government property (license) if you try and get a local license. I was truly shocked and appalled when this happened to me. They literally just took it, kept it and said tough shit. Can’t have 2. Afterwards I have just renewed my BC license and not told them about my Taiwan license to avoid theft of government property by the canadian government lol 
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Thanks so much! very helpful response.
Thanks for your answer. The Taiwanese registry also took my Alberta driver’s away. My husband said that I can just get it back from them when I want to return to Canada, which I have never heard of. I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask next time I am there.
This was for driving in Taiwan, right? Were you allowed to keep your canadian driver’s license?
I guess there is an agreement on handling this, so BC and TW just say: You get to keep only one licence from either jurisdiction, in the case of acquiring a licence from the other jurisdiction, the one you already hold is invalidated and withheld.
Italy and TW have the same agreement, HK doesn’t have such agreement for instance, so I was able to convert my HK licence to TW licence and keep the HK licence. So now I have IT, TW and HK licences, all legally valid.
This is in reference to your original post about using your Taiwanese driver’s license while abroad. No need to relinquish anything. I don’t have a Taiwanese car license, just a scooter license, but the permit allows me to drive a scooter/motorcycle abroad using my Taiwan license.
No, Taiwan doesn’t seem to mind. I don’t know the official line, but I have never had issue here. It was the BC side that were complete assholes. Attitude and everything. So much so, when I got back I literally told the gov here my gov stole it and started laughing followed by an explanation of what they did. They found it quite surprising as well. OH, Canada…
Presumably because you were exchanging your license here for a taiwanese one and bypassing the tests here? Makes sense in that scenario, it’s an exchange program.