Hello,
I come from a country with no driving license reciprocity with Taiwan. I just discovered Taiwan is not in the Vienna Convention, so the International Driving License that I got there (and that the DMV said it would be valid here) is not valid in Taiwan. I saw the table on the government’s website, but it seems it applies to Taiwanese going to other countries or getting an international license from Taiwan, but not foreigners with foreign licenses trying to exchange it to a local license.
1-I want to know what are the countries that emit licenses that can be directly transferred to a Taiwanese license with no classes, no tests, just exchanged for a local license.
2- Second, does the person need to be a citizen of that country? Example: if I am not Japanese, but switch my license for a Japanese one while I am there or another reciprocal country, can I still exchange it for a Taiwanese?
3- I literally just want to have a valid license for 2 weeks, to drive around the island with my family while they visit me and then I will leave Taiwan forever. However, because I am resident, I cannot benefit from the “30 days after entering Taiwan” rule.
Are there any schools that instead of the whole 5 weeks classes every day for an hour can just teach me how to pass the test so I do this process faster and cheaper? I am in New Taipei, can go to Taipei, too. Thank you
What the schools teach is how to pass the test, nobody learns how to drive
Yeah, but you know what I mean…I heard that if you have a license you can go straight to the DMV and take the test. I am not sure if I can pass the test on the first try, so I asked a few schools near me and they all said they cannot do it, that I need to pay 15k-16k and do the whole thing for 5 weeks, every day on the same time.
I can’t think of any country that lets you get a driving license without being a resident there
Probably easier to take the driving exam in Taiwan
Or can one of your family members get an international driving permit and add you as a driver? Or they can drive during the trip?
Maybe worth noting about that Paris/Geneva/Vienna Convention that there are three types: quote from Wikipedia:
International Driving Permits are governed by three international conventions: the 1926 Paris International Convention relative to Motor Traffic, the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, and the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. When a state is contracted to more than one convention, the newest one terminates and replaces previous ones.
and:
An IDP is not required if the driver’s domestic licence meets the requirements of the 1949 or 1968 convention; the domestic licence can be used directly in a foreign jurisdiction that is a party to that convention.
There’s a table of countries on that site which may help
Yeah, that s what I thought. My family members getting an international permit has no use cause Taiwan doesn’t have any reciprocity deal with my country, and is not a signatory of the Vienna convention. It is the first time my parents go abroad and they are elderly, I wouldn’t want to put that pressure on them. I was just fishing to see if there were other options aside from doing the 5 weeks course. Paying 15k-16k for the course even though I’ve been driving for 15 years is already bad, but I also don’t have time to go to classes every day for 5 weeks on the same time cause I work. And on top of that I still need to do the health check up and go to the DMV on a separate day to take the actual tests. It seems a waste of time and money just to rent a car for a couple of weeks. Anyway, thanks for the input.
Thanks for the info, but Taiwan is not a signatory member, it just does bilateral deals with countries. My only hope was if I could just hire a school to teach me how to pass the test, and then go to the DMV and do everything. I don’t want to waste 15k-16k on 5 weeks classes, mainly cause I need to go there every day. It’s too much time and money for a 2 week holiday. Thanks either way.
For that money you could take quite a few taxi rides anyway.
Hiring a driver + car is about 8k per day
The test here is insa Ely easy. Even if you fail it 10x, just get it. It’s in a staged park, uber easy. Doing it from scratch you need a written. Which is now in e glish and on computer. Fairly easy. Just keep retaking it if you fail. I would try not to over think things, people here drive for shit and literally people with retardation eventually pass. Just do it and don’t worry about failing a couple times.
The car course is absurdly simple. If you already drive, you will blow through that while Watchung youtube clvideos on your phone 
But can I just go to the DMV and take it? I asked a few schools nearby and 3 of them said I cannot just take the test, that I need to go through the 5 weeks course and then arrange a separate day to do the health exam, take the written test, and then the road test. I tried to ask them if I can just pay for a couple hours so they teach me how to pass the test and they said it is illegal, that if Taiwan doesn’t recognize my license then I need to take classes like any 18 year old who has never driven.
Unless people without an arc are different, I haven’t heard of requiring the driving school. Sounds like bs to me. Nobody I know had to go. I just registered my written test, went. Then did the driving test same day (depends on how people are going).
You do need a health report, which is mostly just eyes etc.
’ Contracting parties may refuse to recognise the validity of driving licences for persons under eighteen or, for categories C, D, CE and DE, under twenty-one;’
Taiwan just refused mine, period. Not because I was under 21. They however recognized my heavy motorcycle and car license. Translated and notarized, stamped by TECO.
I just went to the DMV and they said as long as I have my license from back home I don’t need to take the classes. My Taiwanese coworker said the driving schools might be unfamiliar with this rule or that they just plainly want to take advantage of the fact I am a foreigner.
The DMV employee said I can download an app to practice for the written test, but that they don’t have a space to practice for the road test. He told me to contact schools to see whether they can provide this service. Let’s how this goes, thanks for the help!
Thx for sharing your experience. I just went to the DMV and they said I need to take the test either way. At least I don’t have to do the whole 5 weeks course. Now I need to find a school that allows me to pay for a couple of hours to practice for this test.
I attended this driving school, practiced for a few hours on Sunday morning , and performed well at the car course . However, the most challenging part for me was the S-curve backwards in one go.
When I went to the DMV, I didn’t pass the test after trying three times. Each time, it was a silly mistake like touching the parking sensors . This happened because the cars used at the Driving School have different mirrors and there are cues that help you know which part of the road to turn on.
In the end, I attended another driving school for about 5 weeks, one hour every day (6:20 am to 7:10 am). After that, the test was super easy since we use the same cars at the driving school (NISSAN march)
Considering the time, it took about 5 weeks plus an extra week for the test and another week to receive the license. I’m not sure if the DMV has the same rule, but if you fail the test, you need to wait 7 days to reapply for the driving test.
Additionally, some driving instructors at the DMV are difficult to work with. They don’t seem to care if you pass the test or not, which was frustrating. I felt like I was wasting time and money just to have a bad experience at the DMV
Do you already know how to drive? The test here is literally the easiest test ever. Parking, driving in straight line, knowing turning signals and stopping with your front tires kna specific spot. It’s all fluff if already know how to drive. Just go take the test 
honestly, remembering the signs here is 100x harder than the road test. They have all the signs online somewhere to try and cram and remember.
If I remember correct, you only need 80% to pass.