How to get big bike license/what to do before coming over?

I ride a 600cc bike here in the US. I have my Motorcycle license and was wondering if that accounted for anything in Taiwan? What do I need to do to be able to ride bikes 600cc and up? How much will it cost and how long will it take?

And how much would a GSXR (if they have it) or anything of that sort cost? (I’d say a model no later than 03’)

And what about international licenses? Where do I go to get one and what do I need to get it? And what size bikes/scooters does that qualify me for?

Thanks!

the only way to do it is to get a scooter license for over a year and then do the test…
at least that i what i am doing and its what everyone told me… even the transit station… if there is another way please let me know :wink:

I guess if you have a license in your home country and can get an IL that states you’re allowed to drive a big bore bike, and THEN get it validated at a local DMV once you’re here, it MIGHT allow you to drive legally for three months.
The normal way, though, is that you need to take a test on a small bike and hold that license for a year before you’re allowed to take a test for a bigger bike.

A Gixxer is complete overkill for Taiwan. You’d be lucky to get it out of 2nd gear on most of the 2-lane roads. The speed limits are really low, and the traffic is unpredictable, at best. You’re also, IIRC, still not able to ride any motorcycle on a freeway. You’d be better off with a 250 or smaller, especially as they’re easier to get a license for. Motorcycles are also insanely expensive here. Import taxes are in place to make the local manufacturers stay in business. For pricing, here are some sites where people sell stuff. There are also usually businesses listed.

search.ruten.com.tw/search/s000. … suzuki&t=0

tw.search.bid.yahoo.com/search/ac?p=Suzuki

ocar.com.tw/motorcycle

Damn, looks like no big bike for a long time, or ever in Taiwan. Thanks for the posts. I’ll def. do the scooter route at first, and look into big bikes later on.

My home country license indicates my certification to drive big bikes.

Taiwan would not accept it here. They still wanted the year, class, and test.

You can get an International Drivers License from your local AAA–It’s very cheap, and you don’t even have to be a member. Just be sure to ask for the motorcycle endorsement.

Unless things have changed since I got mine, the license is good for a year. I have no Taiwanese license, and my AAA license has been expired for four years, but it has always been accepted as valid every time I’ve been pulled over. After an accident last summer, it was accepted by both the Taichung cops and the insurance company of the moron who hit me. It was also accepted as valid by the motorcycle shop who sold me my CB1300, which I bought new.

Your mileage and luck may vary, obviously. I do recommend getting an International DL from the AAA, but I can’t recommend relying on it here.

That said, I’ve had no problems in five years. Good luck.

[quote=“Jeeves_Cripes”]You can get an International Drivers License from your local AAA–It’s very cheap, and you don’t even have to be a member. Just be sure to ask for the motorcycle endorsement.

Unless things have changed since I got mine, the license is good for a year. I have no Taiwanese license, and my AAA license has been expired for four years, but it has always been accepted as valid every time I’ve been pulled over. After an accident last summer, it was accepted by both the Taichung cops and the insurance company of the moron who hit me. It was also accepted as valid by the motorcycle shop who sold me my CB1300, which I bought new.

Your mileage and luck may vary, obviously. I do recommend getting an International DL from the AAA, but I can’t recommend relying on it here.

That said, I’ve had no problems in five years. Good luck.[/quote]

So you ride a big bike (1300) on the license you got from AAA? Interesting! I think I’d try it and wing it. How much could a fine be if I got pulled over w/ a license like that? I’d assume not too bad. Well if you’ve been pulled over w/ that license, and were fine, I’ll def. get one. Thanks for the heads up.

[quote]So you ride a big bike (1300) on the license you got from AAA? Interesting! I think I’d try it and wing it. How much could a fine be if I got pulled over w/ a license like that? I’d assume not too bad. Well if you’ve been pulled over w/ that license, and were fine, I’ll def. get one. Thanks for the heads up.
[/quote]

Yes, I ride a 1300, and yes, I’ve had no problem with the AAA license. Definitely get one and bring it with you–it can’t hurt. But beyond that, I may have been super-lucky all this time. I do intend to get a real license one of these days.

I also have an international driving licence with the motorcycle entitlement. I haven’t got a bike but when I do I won’t be applying for a local licence any time soon.

Sandman, are you saying that even if you have that licence it isn’t valid for big bikes here?

If so, how so? I can drive a car legally on that but not ride a red plate bike? Yellow plate as well?

[quote=“jaame”]I also have an international driving licence with the motorcycle entitlement. I haven’t got a bike but when I do I won’t be applying for a local licence any time soon.

Sandman, are you saying that even if you have that licence it isn’t valid for big bikes here?

If so, how so? I can drive a car legally on that but not ride a red plate bike? Yellow plate as well?[/quote]
Not sure about the bike. You would think that if your licesnse notes your entitlement to ride a big bike, it would be fine here, but, seemingly the other poster pointed out that the local DMV wouldn’t accept it.
As for a car, you’re only allowed to use the IDL if its been endorsed by the local DMV. If you don’t do this, the cops can bust you – if they want to – and even then, its ONLY valid for three months after the endorsement.

For smaller bikes, many people simply ride without a license and just eat the fine when it comes – its only NT$6,000, and they don’t impound the bike or anything like that. Some people have been doing this for many years without problems, but you must remember that if you get in an accident, your insurance probably won’t cover you, so you could end up really paying out a fortune if you injure or kill someone.

So I should get my IDP stamped by the local DMV. If the endorsement lasts three months, can I get it repeatedly stamped or will they only do each IDP once?

I spent the better part of a thousand quid in the last ten years on getting those licences and now I have to do it again to be legal? Shit! Judging by the standard of drivers here it can’t be hard to get a Taiwanese licence but I don’t want to spunk the money on it.

I take it you have legit licences here then?

Here’s the best explanation of the process of getting a license in Taiwan I’ve come across. No guarantee as to whether it’s up-to-date. It does have some relevant links. Nothing about Big cycles, though. I’m sure you still have to have an under 250cc license for a year before you can get one for more powerful bikes. I never wanted anything bigger, so I never paid attention to those rules.

tealit.com/article_categorie … rs_license

Also, the Forumosa thread on getting a license has some good real-world pointers from members.

viewtopic.php?f=75&t=69267

I took the test in Taoyuan County (Lower Gueishen, IIRC) and it really wasn’t bad. Go over the practice tests quite a few times though, and be prepared to miss a couple questions due to the wording :smiling_imp: It didn’t cost very much; so little I didn’t really pay attention to how much. Gov’t fees here are generally not even close to what I was used to, although they make up for it with the paperwork .

It really is a good idea to be on the up-and-up, which doesn’t explain why my wife let me ride for 3 years w/o a license :sunglasses:

[quote=“sandman”]As for a car, you’re only allowed to use the IDL if its been endorsed by the local DMV. If you don’t do this, the cops can bust you – if they want to – and even then, its ONLY valid for three months after the endorsement.[/quote]Three months? Is that a new rule?

It used to be that you had to get the license validated within the first month (though you were OK to drive on it anyway in that month). Then, once validated, it would be good for its full period, or for a year, whichever was shorter.

[quote=“joesax”][quote=“sandman”]As for a car, you’re only allowed to use the IDL if its been endorsed by the local DMV. If you don’t do this, the cops can bust you – if they want to – and even then, its ONLY valid for three months after the endorsement.[/quote]Three months? Is that a new rule?

It used to be that you had to get the license validated within the first month (though you were OK to drive on it anyway in that month). Then, once validated, it would be good for its full period, or for a year, whichever was shorter.[/quote]

sorry guys but you 2 are wrong, it depends on the kind of IDL and the country you come from, as for me its valid for the valid time of my IDL, which is 1 year, and this is already the second one i have, and there has never been any problem getting the year… i dont get more bcz in my country i havent been able to get 2 years IDL…

[quote=“omerojs”][quote=“joesax”][quote=“sandman”]As for a car, you’re only allowed to use the IDL if its been endorsed by the local DMV. If you don’t do this, the cops can bust you – if they want to – and even then, its ONLY valid for three months after the endorsement.[/quote]Three months? Is that a new rule?

It used to be that you had to get the license validated within the first month (though you were OK to drive on it anyway in that month). Then, once validated, it would be good for its full period, or for a year, whichever was shorter.[/quote]

sorry guys but you 2 are wrong, it depends on the kind of IDL and the country you come from, as for me its valid for the valid time of my IDL, which is 1 year, and this is already the second one I have, and there has never been any problem getting the year… I don’t get more bcz in my country i havent been able to get 2 years IDL…[/quote]
Here’s the Taipei City Motor Vehicles Department page on the topic.
163.29.36.51/tcmvd/index.jsp?recordid=11195
The “permit” they’re talking about is the validation. As for the validation period, here you go:[quote]Note: A driver’s permit obtained in this way is valid for up to a maximum of one year. If the period of validity of your original international driver’s license or Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) is less than one year, the driver’s permit will expire on the same date as whichever expires first.[/quote]That accords with my experience when I validated an IDP in Taichung.

sandman said:
" but you must remember that if you get in an accident, your insurance probably won’t cover you, so you could end up really paying out a fortune if you injure or kill someone. "

I’ve been over this because it was a big issue in my formative years (not here obviously).
For whatever reason, here they don’t entwine a license with insurance, ie. you don’t need
a license to have insurance. You do need insurance for ownership and a plate (whatever color).
As I may have mentioned my boss’ husband is an insurance agent which worked well
(or not, depending on your sense of justice) on the adjudication of the last accident I was
involved in.
I was only required to visit the woman twice in the hospital ( because I left to go out of the country
on vacation ) before she was finally released.
Cute story about bringing the ‘wrong’ fruit on the second visit.

these are the requirements:

(1) Valid international driver’s license (if you are applying with a US international driver’s license, you must also hold a valid state-issued US driver’s license)
(2) Passport
(3) One recent photo (taken within the past six months), size 3 cm by 2.5 cm, black and white or color, front view of face without hat
Note: A driver’s permit obtained in this way is valid for up to a maximum of one year. If the period of validity of your original international driver’s license or Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) is less than one year, the driver’s permit will expire on the same date as whichever expires first.

Question: I am entering Taiwan with ROC passport. At the DMV which passport do i present to validate my [U.S.]International License, US or ROC?

I showed my (UK issued) International Driving Licence to Rambo in Ducati Taoyuan last week, he read over it and said that it is only valid for small bikes here as there is only one stamp on it for bikes, and it doesn’t specify big bikes which in Taiwan means only small bikes, 249cc or under.

He seems to think that I can go to the DMV office, show them my IDL and UK driving licence and they will issue me with a Taiwanese licence on the spot for small bikes. You have to hold that for a year before you can apply for the big bike (red plate) licence apparently. I’ll give it a try over Chinese new year holiday and see where I get…

[quote=“jaame”]I showed my (UK issued) International Driving Licence to Rambo in Ducati Taoyuan last week, he read over it and said that it is only valid for small bikes here as there is only one stamp on it for bikes, and it doesn’t specify big bikes which in Taiwan means only small bikes, 249cc or under.[/quote]Correct.

[quote]He seems to think that I can go to the DMV office, show them my IDL and UK driving licence and they will issue me with a Taiwanese licence on the spot for small bikes.[/quote]No, don’t think so. It’s only a couple of states’/countries’ licenses that are good for that, but not UK ones. You can get a bit of paper that goes with the IDL and validates it for the remainder of its validity or the validity of your ARC or for a year (from date of issue?), whichever is shorter.