Hey this might be a stupid question but I couldn’t locate any forum discussion on this.
I’m From California U.S.A and will be moving to Taiwan with my wife soon. I want to know if there’s anything I could do to drive in taiwan without my u.s driver license being taken away. I will be in taiwan for long term so international license will not help. Do I need to get a translate into chinese in the taiwan consulate in U.S.A first? anyone with experience? Do I need to take a driver license test in taiwan?
Thanks,
Aaron
You can access some information on licences here.
I would suggest you bring an international licence regardless of it being useless here. You may often use the proof of holding a license to skip the lessons otherwise required to obtain a local license. You can jump straight into the test itself which is not by any means as stringent as the test in your country. If you do this before April 1st of this year it will be easier. After April 1st, new licence test questions will be implemented (if everything goes according to plan) which may make the process slightly more difficult. I doubt it will be on par with tests in Western countries however.
For US licenses it goes by state, I see from Sulavaca’s link the only state that has reciprocity now is Oklahoma. Years ago I was able to get the license sans-test with my new york license.
Really? Oklahoma does? I need to get my license renewed this year, I hope that makes it easier.
Yes, Oklahomans can get a Taiwan car driver’s license by showing their Oklahoma license (i.e., skipping both the written and driving tests). And Oklahomans can skip the scooter written test but not the scooter driving test.
But the license bureau here doesn’t seem to have an up-to-date Oklahoma license sample, so Oklahomans may need to show the current OK Web site so they won’t think your current OK license is a fake.
But I would have thought that renewing a license would be easy and the same for everyone.
Ha. Probably not. I went to Oklahoma last year and had to retake the driving test there in my brother-in-law’s pickup truck. At least I didn’t have to do the S curve.
Yeah I’ve never had a problem renewing.
nautibei -
I also came here from Cali.
Bottom line:
California DLs don’t mean crap here.
My advice:
Go to the Local AAA and get an “International Drivers License” with any appropriate attachments,i.e. Motorcycle, etc. and bring this with you. This “might” get you by for 30 days or so.
When you get here…do the paperwork to get your Taiwan DL. There is an “English” language version.
Also, be prepared for one of the weirdest and illogical events of your life.
“Parallel Parking”…fuhgeddaboutit
Good Luck.
Does anyone know if an Oregon driver’s license is usable in Taiwan? (Trade in for a Taiwanese driver’s license).
I called that foreigner hotline…and after about a 20 minute conversation the guy said it shouldn’t be a problem and that I can just use my Oregon license without applying for a Taiwanese license. It sounds fishy to me and he didn’t seem too sure of his advice either.