Does anybody know of a rental place that will allow you to rent without an ARC or a license? Just moved to Taiwan and haven’t started work yet so don’t have an ARC so can’t get my license yet. Eager to go exploring on a scooter before I’m stuck at work.
Thanks.
I don’t ride scooter but I guess in Taiwan you need a driving license to do so.
To apply a local license you might need to provide an international one.
[quote=“Markova”]I don’t ride scooter but I guess in Taiwan you need a driving license to do so.
To apply a local license you might need to provide an international one.[/quote]
Didn’t have an international license to bring!
[quote=“Frankiti99”][quote=“Markova”]I don’t ride scooter but I guess in Taiwan you need a driving license to do so.
To apply a local license you might need to provide an international one.[/quote]
Didn’t have an international license to bring![/quote]
Without a valid international driving license or a local’s one then you shouldn’t be able to ride a scooter legally.
I heard it’s cheap and easy to apply a local license, so maybe it could be easier and faster going that road.
If you’re from the states, you can apply for your IDP (international driving permit) via snail mail. Costs 15 bucks. Just go to the AAA website.
Without that or a local license, I don’t imagine any shop would willingly put an illegal driver on the streets with one of their vehicles.
[quote=“Yang Gui Zi”]If you’re from the states, you can apply for your IDP (international driving permit) via snail mail. Costs 15 bucks. Just go to the AAA website.
Without that or a local license, I don’t imagine any shop would willingly put an illegal driver on the streets with one of their vehicles.[/quote]
It used to be very easy to rent a scooter without any kind of a licence at all - I did it all the time in my first couple of years here. But that was over a decade ago, and I’ve heard it’s much more difficult now.
S’ok in Tainan at my favored scooter hire place near the railway station. They photocopy your ID. Passport initially, ARC latterly. Cheap for a 50cc (100nt a day).
Think I last did it about 2 years ago, so it might have changed, what with the ever rising tide of global analization.
I assume it’s not legal, but then we’re not in, say, Switzerland, either.
What he said. However, I’ve noticed a lot of scooter shops don’t accept IDPs, or even know what they are. Unfortunately your best bet is just to get things moving with your ARC and then take your scooter test. You can be in and out of the test centre clutching your shiny new license within half a day.
I’d also add that if you’re not used to the Taiwanese driving style - which basically involves opening the throttle and gazing at the sky - you could easily find yourself in a sticky situation. Taiwan’s public transport is very very good and you can get to most places by train, HSR, bus or taxi. I suggest starting with the HSR because it’s more foreigner-friendly (if you can’t read Chinese, the regular trains will be very confusing).
There’s a rule somewhere around this board about asking for help breaking the law. Basically, no you can’t legally do what you want to do. Get a bicycle until you’ve got your ARC, then take the scooter test; otherwise get an IDP, which should allow you to ride 50cc scooters in theory.
My understanding (which may be at fault) is that an IDP isn’t a license, and therefore it doesn’t allow you to do anything your license doesn’t.
My UK license is for a car, and I don’t have a UK motorcycle license of any kind, so I believe my IDP doesn’t allow me to legally drive a motorcycle of any kind, though I could drive a 50cc with a Taiwan car drivers license.
If you had, say, a US car drivers license, and that was endorsed for a 50cc scooter, (dunno if that’s likely, but Americans probably do) then I’d guess an IDP would so cover you.
Just to be clear I wasn’t looking for help breaking the law… Just some help with picking up a temporary or local license without an ARC
It seems crazy that you can’t legally ride in Taiwan without an International Drivers License or an ARC. That surely takes away about 70% of rental shop’s potential customers. Anyway I’m going to head to the Taipei City Motor Vehicles Office tomorrow and see if I can get a local license without an ARC.
Will update when I get back, thanks for all the suggestions in the mean time.
For advice on breaking the law its often better to ask a Taiwanese.They tend to be a lot more relaxed about it, possibly because they generally have no idea what the law actually is.
Went to the test center today explaining my situation and that I was due to get my ARC in a few weeks time but they weren’t having any of it.
“You can not do anything here without an ARC.” Were his words I believe.
Looks like I’ll be off the road until I get my ARC.
You can, as long as your license is endorsed for motorcycles, as mine is. The IDP is just meant to accompany your regular license from your country of residence and explains the limits of said license in several different languages. In Taiwan, the IDP is good for the first 30 days, then you need to go to your local DMV do get it stamped/authorized (and they add another sheet of paper in Chinese). This will extend the validation of the IDP for the duration of your current ARC or original expiration of the IDP, which ever is shorter.
It makes perfect sense, and I think most countries require either a local document (i.e., a US license in the US) or an IDP before setting someone on the road. Meanwhile the number of foreigners in Taiwan who need to rent scooters is so low that I’m sure the shops don’t care. Instead of 70% of their business, it’s probably more something like 1%.
I had no idea about the bolded part above. I thought an IDP hadn’t been useful for me in Taiwan for a long, long time - but if I get another one in Canada this summer (usually valid for one year, I believe), and get it stamped here, I can use it to rent a car in Taiwan anytime in the following year?
I had no idea about the bolded part above. I thought an IDP hadn’t been useful for me in Taiwan for a long, long time - but if I get another one in Canada this summer (usually valid for one year, I believe), and get it stamped here, I can use it to rent a car in Taiwan anytime in the following year?[/quote]
As with most things in Taiwan, YMMV. But, this should be no problem AFAIK. I just carry my license, IDP, and the supplemental sheet issued by the DMV. However, my case may be a little different as I have renewed my IDP each year, but have not had to go back to get it reauthorized. They forgot to put dates on the original sheet, so I just keep reusing it. 
I had no idea about the bolded part above. I thought an IDP hadn’t been useful for me in Taiwan for a long, long time - but if I get another one in Canada this summer (usually valid for one year, I believe), and get it stamped here, I can use it to rent a car in Taiwan anytime in the following year?[/quote]
As with most things in Taiwan, YMMV. But, this should be no problem AFAIK. I just carry my license, IDP, and the supplemental sheet issued by the DMV. However, my case may be a little different as I have renewed my IDP each year, but have not had to go back to get it reauthorized. They forgot to put dates on the original sheet, so I just keep reusing it. [/quote]
They (sometimes?) check for your date of last entry into Taiwan, and then won’t validate your IDP for later than a year after that date. Happened to me. This means that simply postally renewing your IDP indefinitely, without leaving Taiwan, may not/probably won’t work, though YM for sure MV.
What does a tourist need to rent a scooter for a day? Are the requirements less stringent in places or shops like Hualien or Kenting or Tainan?
A couple years ago, my friend used her (expired) SA Driver’s license, as well as her (valid) ARC to rent a scooter outside the Hualien train station. She may have had to leave her passport as collateral, I don’t remember. But… yeah. Outside of the cities, in touristy areas, the rental companies are less “stringent.”
However, a car rental company wanted my (Taiwanese!!) husband to put down a $20,000 deposit because he has an IDP, not a Taiwanese license. He gave them heck, showed his Taiwanese ID and business card, pointing out that we LIVE and WORK here, and they backed down.
So… you never know!