So a little reminder in the system that you need to have that would be good, rather than refusing to allow an appointment to be made.
I’ll guess that the Taipei driver’s license place is more fair than what I found in Tainan. I tried the test a couple of times but found it impossible to pass so I went to a driving school and rode around in a parking lot with the old teacher for a month. At the test, he looked at the test giver and put his hand on my shoulder and said in Chinese. “This is a good student.” As each student got in the car for the test, the teachers pronounced them good or bad. During the backwards S, the teacher took control of the wheel to make sure it was perfect then laughed and said “You’re a good driver.” You’ll need a place to practice the backwards S. At that time, there was no road test, and the focus is on driving perfectly backwards! I can’t make this stuff up.
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Just so you know they don’t always follow that rule. I was supposed to surrender mine, but the lady just made a copy and handed it back to me.
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My local driving school does 1 hour “lessons” for 1500NT so I’ll probably do an hour or 2 there first.
Yep, friend of my got exactly the same with the same license as mine, I tried it about 6 months later and they weren’t having it, insisting on following the rules, tried again at a different DMV and got the same so assume someone cottoned on and issued a directive.
I think they’re all pretty much the same, my wife did her test at the local driving school in a manual car, passed first time having never even sat in the drivers seat of a car 5 weeks before hand. The school offers a “guaranteed pass” with free lessons and retake if you fail. The test is conducted in their training grounds with the same car you learned in and the examiner is another teacher from the school!
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OK, called Keelung DMV as they are working today and signed up for a test next Wednesday. If you’re a furriner you need to make an appointment by phone or in person, you cannot use the online system which they insist you must use.
I’m going to ignore the fact that the check website in English at https://www.mvdis.gov.tw/m3-emv-eng/public_en/roadTestEnResult does not confirm that I have an apppointment…
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If you take the test in a manual trans. car, don’t ride the clutch on the incline. They insist on e-brake stops.
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Thanks for the tip. Thinking of doing it in an auto as it will be easier, in the unlikely event I pass I might go back later and do it in a manual.
This surrender part doesn’t make sense. I figured they would just make a copy as we can get a replacement in the US very easily. It’s an accepted form on ID in the US.
Agreed, the stated reason is that you have permanently changed resident country and therefore need a license in that country and no longer need your previous one. Some countries require swapping out, most simple give a license based on the fact that you have one.
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Does anyone know if they actually notify your original country/state of the license surrender?
Is there anything preventing me from surrendering my license, and then just telling Minnesota that I “lost” it?
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They say it’s sent back to your home country and you can apply for it back when you return there.
You could try but its likely a serious offence in Minnesota to lie about it.
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Since I didn’t know how to drive, I enrolled in a driving school in Kaohsiung and costed me 13k for 1 month class — MWF 1hr/day. They did all the paperworks until the driving exam day. The instructor they assigned to me knows little English but it was fine, I still got what he was teaching.
Just an update on this for anyone else trying ~ once you have been to the DMV and given all the paperwork etc. and they’ve booked the test for you, you can book any subsequent retest using the online system.
Since around 2017 the test has changed considerably, it is no longer particularly “easy”, without some kind of coaching and practice you are highly unlikely to pass. Not insulting your driving skills here as the test, predictably, is not really about driving skills it’s now about remembering things.
There are 3 parts to the test ~ written, driving skills (the bit in the “carpark”) and the on road test. If you pass one part you’re set at that level and don’t have do it again if you try again within a year, so if you pass the computer and skills bit but fail the on road you only have to do the on road part next time.
I tried twice in the Keelung DMV, neither was a pleasant experience. The staff seem hellbent on deducting points and failing candidates, not one single person passed the “skills” test on my 2 visits there, some failed before getting into the car! The second visit they had the 3 foreigners there go first, when all 3 of us failed they then explained the rules fully to the Taiwanese attendees and reinforced all the things the “foreigners” failed for and to not do those…Note they were fully aware both myself and one of the other candidates had no problems with communication, an “interpreter” was assigned to the third candidate however the “interpreter” didn’t speak much English and was from a different department so didn’t understand the test criteria anyway.
I went to the DMV in Shulin (note Shulin 樹林 and not Shilin 士林) yesterday and it was an entirely different experience. Staff were very friendly and encouraging to everyone, they still went by the rules but explained them clearly to everyone before each test and applied them fairly.
If you are thinking of taking the test I strongly recommend trying to get some practice lessons somewhere first, the driving parts are not particularly difficult (even the infamous “S” bend) however a lot of nonsense has been added to the test (looking under all four sides of your car before getting in etc.) so you do need to learn off the BS if you are to take the test on your own. I found these 2 videos very helpful, although the don’t cover everything in the tests, Skills Test , Road Test .
Another oddity on the road test is that the examiner cannot “coach” you on the road test part, not so odd you think! Well, coaching apparently includes telling you the route to take so don’t expect “take the next left” etc., you’re supposed to know the test route! There are maps posted on the walls of the test waiting area so advise going there before your test and practicing the route before attempting the road test. You can, and should, take a walk around the “car park” before your test to familiarize yourself with the layout. There doesn’t appear to be a standard, Keelung and Shulin are very different, Shulin is far larger and well kept, uses different lanes for auto and manual tests (parking spaces and S bend are larger for the manual test), Keelung uses different marking in the same parking bays for auto and manual and the auto “S” bend test is just painted on the ground rather than using kerbs so much more difficult.
If you are not in a hurry and/or have potential communication issues, the best bet is to sign up for the 6 week course with a driving school (expect ~13,000 for auto and ~14,000 for manual), an awful lot of the BS goes away and, unless you monumentally FU, you’re pretty much guaranteed to pass.
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How fast a year goes by…For anyone thinking of doing their car driving test, do it now! Once the big sweat arrives it’s far more difficult!
Thanks, this literally just occurred to me this morning. We’ve been here since July, with a NY state license. Does the surrender bit work with the US/NY? I’ve not heard of it before.
NY / Taiwan reciprocity is limited to 1 road use with a valid license from home location.
I’ve got just over two months. May I ask what the overall start-to-finish time frame is, as in, could I theoretically challenge and pass the drivers test this week if I signed up today?
According to the list for North America it does not appear New York state has a reciprocity with Taiwan so you would not be able to exchange your license.
The rules on using a New York DDL or IDP seem a little strange, might want to double check with the DMV and/or your insurance company to verify you are actually driving legally.
In theory you could pass the test today if there is an open slot at the DMV.
In reality
Spend time going through all the questions you’ll be asked in the written multi choice test, in particular the ones where debatable/wrong answers are considered correct. All the questions can be downloaded here., just search through for all the files in English/英文 . Do the online exam practice here to test yourself.
At the absolute minimum go through the two videos I linked above to understand what is expected in order to pass the test. Better yet get a couple of hours “instruction” at a local driving school in order to practice. There’s nothing difficult in the test, just a case of remembering all the (BS) you need to do. Also go to the test centre you intend to take your test at, watch how other people pass/fail, have a walk around the course when they’re done in order to familiarize yourself with the layout. Check the maps on the wall of the on-road test routes they use, photograph and memorize them and then drive them yourself so you’re familiar with the nuances of each route.
On the day of the test I suggest getting there early, you’ll need to do the “medical” onsite if you haven’t done it in advance, but don’t be the first to sign up at the window, you want to be able to watch how others get on and learn from their mistakes.
Tip ~ If you don’t have someone with you on the day, don’t bring a bag or carry stuff as you’ll need to be unhindered doing the “pre-flight checks” before the test, otherwise be very sure to get the examiners approval before chucking your bag into the car or you’ll instantly fail as you open the door to put your stuff in before the test!
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For the driving test you need An Alien Residential Card (ARC) with validity for over 6 months
source:
https://tpcmv.thb.gov.tw/english/ServicesEng/LicenseEng/ManagementEng/ManagementEng02.htm
the time frame depends on when you do the driving test , also you need time to study for the written test , If you are lucky and get a free spot this week then you could get the license in a week … however is very difficult to pass the test on the first time , and you have to wait 7 days to do the test again …
If you go to a driving school it take 5 weeks to complete the course, then on the 6th week is the driving test and then wait one more week to receive the license , so you should get the license in almost 2 months
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BTW The heavy motorcycle test is sooo easy. I have done it. I do not have a big bike right now due to deteriorating health. However, it was so darn easy to get.