Taiwan Drivers Licenses(Updated October 2026)

By tealit Staff Writers Updated October 2026 Beep, Beep, Mmmm, Beep, Beep Yeah! OK - so, you want to be able to drive once you get to Taiwan. And, before you left, you went down to the Triple A and got your International Driver’s License. But you’re a little unsure...International License, Local License, Driving Visa, Endorsement, Scooter...50cc, Regular Heavy, Super Heavy, Heavy Metal! Ok - I threw that last one in but - what does it all mean??! Well, here’s what you need to know to be able to drive immediately when you arrive in Taiwan. Let’s begin with an examination of the two basic groups of people who find themselves foreigners in Taiwan and wanting to drive. Now, arriving in Taiwan for the first time most of us find ourselves with just a 30-60 day visitors’ visa. Then, many of us find ourselves heading out of the country a few times to get a new 30-60 day visitors’ visa before making any long-term decisions. But, to get a Taiwan driver's license you need to have a visa of at least 6 months, or longer. However, not to worry: the local system is set to accommodate you as long as you hold an International Driver's license - even if your visa is for less than 6 months. Here's the key: when you’re still back home and you go to get your International Driver’s License, be you get one that allows you to drive both cars and motorcycles. (In most cases, this requires an extra written test at your back-home DMV before you apply.) Then, you can drive in Taiwan from the time you touch down for up to a full year using your international driver’s license. However, most of us find ourselves in Taiwan beyond that year - so, especially if you are outside of Taipei, it's often convenient to have a local license. First, let's go through how you can drive straightaway with an International Driver's License. After that we'll look at the steps for getting a Taiwan Driver's License. USING YOUR INTERNATIONAL DRIVER’S LICENSE IN TAIWAN Ownership & Insurance When you are using your International Driver’s License you won’t be able to own a scooter or car. If someone loans you a scooter or car, as long as you have a valid recognized international driver’s license, their insurance would carry over to you. Most scooters you’ll borrow will carry just the Compulsory Taiwan Insurance 強制險. This required-by-all-vehicles insurance is just for other parties - someone you hit or if someone hits you. It pays up to NT$200,000 per person / per accident for medical treatment and up to NT$3,000,000 per person / per accident for death or dismemberment and is administered on a no-fault basis. It pays out to the other party regardless of who caused the accident. Am I Covered? Until you have a job / resident visa / ARC you can’t be enrolled in the National Health Insurance (NHI) and so you can’t get medical care at the subsidized rate. If you got in an accident, you would still receive up to NT$200,000 toward any medical expenses. But, at the unsubsidized rate, that NT$200,000 would probably not go as far as you would want it to if you were hurt. If you think you’ll be driving for a while before getting a job, you may want to consider getting some kind of supplemental traveler’s insurance for yourself. Locally, these types of policies are known as 人身意外險 Individual Personal Accident, 傷害醫療保險 Personal Accidental Medical Reimbursement and 旅遊平安保險 Travel Accident. Property Damage The compulsory insurance does not cover any property damage: such as if you get into an accident with a BMW, etc. The people in Beemer would get any medical payouts, if necessary, from the compulsory insurance, but getting the car itself fixed would be up to the owner of the scooter you had borrowed, who’d probably come looking to you. It is possible for the owner of whatever scooter you are borrowing to significantly beef up their insurance for property damage & medical payments to other people for very little cost - we’re talking like NT$800 – 1,900 a year for millions of dollars of extra protection. This can be a nice option just as peace of mind for the person whose scooter you are borrowing - and for you, especially if it’s a long-term sort of borrow. This type of policy is known locally as 第三人責任險, third party liability insurance. Driving Using a recognized International Driver’s license, for the first 30 days of your stay you can drive any class of non-commercial vehicle that your license states you can drive without doing anything at all. Your IDL is all you need. At 30 days of being here if you want to continue driving you are required by law to go down to your local DMV and have your license endorsed by the state. If you go into day 31 without the endorsement it would be illegal to drive. In translation this is called getting a Driving Visa, 國際駕駛執照簽證. When you reach your 30th day, go down to your local DMV & take this explanation of what you are trying to do and give them to the counter dude or dudette. 1. Your International Driver’s License. You’ll need to show your local license also. 2. Your passport. 3. Color photo taken within 2 years, no hat. 4. The form for a driving visa. They will endorse your International Drivers’ License for the balance of time left on your visa, up to one year. So, if you had a 60 day visa and came in on the 30th day they’d stamp you forward to use your IDL for 30 more days. When your 60th day comes around, if you leave the country and choose to return, you start over: using a valid IDL, you’d be allowed to drive for 30 days from the 1st day of your new arrival without having to do any other paperwork. At 30 days, would need to go in and have your IDL endorsed forward for the balance of your new visa’s stay. Getting a Local License OK. So, now, you’ve decide to teach / model / engineer... you’ve gotten a job. So, at this point, you’ll wind up getting (in most cases) a one-year resident visa and ARC. Now that you have that one-year visa, you could get a local Taiwan driver’s license. However, often times your International Driver’s License will not have expired by the time you have gotten your Resident Visa and ARC. So, you can go into the DMV and have them endorse your IDL forward for the remainder of its duration. If you have 8 months left on your International Driver’s License and a 1 year visa, they’d endorse your IDL forward for those 8 months. If your IDL sanctions you to drive a Car, a 50 Scooter and a Regular Heavy 51-250cc motorcycle, then there you go - you could continue to drive those vehicles for the next eight months. You can use that time to decide what kind of local license you’ll want to get and bone up on those rules and regs. WHAT'S ON THE TEST FOR A SCOOTER & MOTORCYCLE LICENSE 50cc to 250cc The license test for a scooter or a motorcycle, 50cc to 250cc, has three parts: a two-hour safety refresher course, a written test & a driving test. Plan for a half-day affair. Either the whole morning or the whole afternoon, though some rare few office run morning-lunch break-into afternoon. Total cost is under NT$1000. "A safety refresher course? In English, surely! So..." No - in Mandarin. Many test takers report just sitting quietly through the class. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SCOOTER TEST 1. A stamped health check 2. Your ID 3. Your local license if you have one 4. 2–3 identical 1-inch photos 5. About NT$1,000 cash. GETTING YOUR HEALTH CHECK IN ADVANCE OF THE TEST DAY Some offices have a site for the health check next door, and some don’t. The class and tests start at a fixed time, so a queue at the clinic can make you miss your slot. Missing your test date often delays the next time you can register to try again. The health check takes just about 20 minutes so doing it in advance can help you avoid the risk of missing your test. Bring for Health Check 1. Your ARC 2. 3 one-inch photos 3. Your glasses if you wear them 4. Cash REQUEST TEXT IN MANDARIN AND ENGLISH 我要做機車駕照體檢。檢查完，請給我蓋好章的「機車駕駛執照登記書」。謝謝！ “I’d like the health check for a scooter license. When it’s done, please give me the stamped scooter license registration form. Thank you!” 🛵 我要做汽車駕照體檢。檢查完，請給我蓋好章的「汽車駕駛執照登記書」。謝謝！ “I’d like the health check for a car license. When it’s done, please give me the stamped car license registration form. Thank you!” 🚗 TESTS WHAT Height and weight, eyesight, color vision (red, yellow, green), hearing, and arm and leg movement. DURATION 10–20 minutes. APPOINTMENT REQUIRED No. Clinics near DMV offices take walk-ins. The Taipei City list says to call ahead, and at a big hospital check the hours first. They are all listed on tealit's DMV Google Map. Call the clinic and check their hours - numbers listed at the link above. USUAL COST NT$100–250, cash. HEALTH CHECK - DONE! Ok - back to the process again. Recall it is 1. Get your health check, done. 2. Book your refresher course / test. HOW TO BOOK CREATE AN ACCOUNT TO BOOK THE CLASS - have your Chinese-speaking pal with you. Here’s the sign-up link: https://www.mvdis.gov.tw/m3-emv-mem/account/ ("加入會員", Join as a member). The log-in page is https://www.mvdis.gov.tw/m3-emv-cas/login. Signing up is harder than a normal website because you'll need a card reader for your ARC. The site asks for your ID (ARC) number, name and date of birth, then you set an email login and password. Foreigners with an ARC can apply for this certificate. Or, in person: fill in a paper form at any DMV office and bring your ID. This is likely the easiest route for a newcomer. WHAT TO EXPECT Morning Test Keelung, Taoyuan, Taitung, Changhua Arrive: 7:45 – 8:15 a.m. Check-in (and pay NT$250): 8:00 – 8:30 a.m., no late entry Safety class (2 hours): 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Break: about 10 minutes Written test (result on the spot): about 10:30 a.m. Road test: about 11:00 a.m., your turn within 30 – 60 minutes Pay NT$200, license in hand: about 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Total: about 3.5 – 4.5 hours MORNING TO AFTERNOON Class in the morning, tests after lunch ( ex. offices Shilin, Zhongli, Kaohsiung, Pingtung) Arrive: about 9:00 a.m. Check-in (and pay NT$250): 9:10 – 9:30 a.m., no late entry Safety class (2 hours): 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Lunch and practice on the test course: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Written test (result on the spot): 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Road test: from 2:00 p.m. Pay NT$200, license in hand: about 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Total: about 5.5 – 7 hours Study Materials for the Scooter & Motorcycle License Written test has 50 questions. Given at a computer terminal. Test consists of: 1. 50 Multiple-choice on Regulations, Road signs & Situational questions You get just 30 minutes to finish the test. You’ll want to study. 85% is passing. They ask you to wait seven days before you can re-test if you get a score lower than 85. Most of the questions are what you'd expect or be able to figure out from your driving experience back home. Practice test here - center button gets score. Driving test for a Scooter & Motorcycle License WHAT'S ON THE TEST FOR A CAR LICENSE Now, finally, there’s the car. On long trips, or on long nights, you may find yourself in a group, or with your significant other, and needing to drive a car - her car, his car, their car. After having been able to drive a car with your IDL, you’ll know how often or if ever you’ve had the chance or need to drive a car. It used to be that if you got a car license then you would also be licensed to drive a 50cc. Not any more. You need a separate license for that now. The Driving Tests The driving test has two parts: a driving course test, then a road test on public streets. Written Test for a Car License For a license to drive a car, you’ll take a car-specific written test and road test. The written portion is a 50-question test given at a computer screen 1. 50 Multiple-choice on Regulations & Road signs You’re given 30 minutes to finish. You’ll want to study for the written test. They ask you to wait seven days before you can retest if you get a score lower than 85%. Practice test here - center button gets score. The driving test you get at the DMV for a car licenses is quite challenging, but do-able - if you practice. It is important to note that among locals, taking the driving test for a car license AT the DMV is very unusual. The vast majority of people, 90% by most estimates, take their driving tests with local private schools. The schools are licensed by the government to administer the driving portion of the test. Pass the car driving test at your local driving school, and then take proof of such down to the DMV. Finish by taking the written / on-computer test at the DMV and collect your license there. The Learner's Permit Getting a license to drive a car requires that you first have a Learner's Permit. There are two routes to getting one: go it on your own with a friend - takes longer, 90-days. Or, go through a driving school - finish in 35 days BUT... expensive. NT$10,000 to NT$13,000. ROUTE 1 - ON YOUR OWN, WITH A FRIEND Getting your Learner’s Permit First, get your health check done (see above). Then take your stamped health check form, your ARC and a 1-inch photo down to the DMV counter. The Learner’s Permit is NT$100, or NT$50 for the electronic version on the app. It’s good for one year. No test involved. Your 3 months of practice Now you have 3 months to get out there with your friend as much as you can, remembering of course that you can’t drive alone. A friend with a Taiwan car license has to sit right there beside you every time. And! You can only practice on the roads your local DMV says you can, between 6am and 10pm, and not during rush hour (7 - 9am, 5 - 7pm). No highways. You can’t take the test for your ACTUAL Driver's License until you've held your Doing-It-On-Your-Own Learner's Permit for 3 months. When your 3 months are up Book your test online. On test day bring: 1. ARC 2. 3 one-inch photos 3. your stamped health form (still good within its year) 4. your Learner’s Permit 5. cash Check-in is at a fixed time, for example 8 - 8:30am or 1 - 1:30pm at the Hsinchu-area offices. No late entry. Then, three tests, in order: 1. Written: 50 multiple-choice, 5 of them hazard-perception video questions. 30 minutes. 85 to pass. 2. Driving Course test: reverse parking, parallel parking, the S-curve, the hill, the railroad crossing and so on. 70 to pass. Not yielding to pedestrians or not checking your blind spots is 32 points off - an automatic fail. 3. Road test: out on public streets. 70 to pass. Your instructor may not speak English. Pass all three, pay NT$200, and the license is yours. Fail one? Come back after 7 days, and within a year you only pay again for the part you failed (NT$225). From the time you walk in until when you finish, Including the driving test, getting a car drivers license takes just about 2 hours. Total cost is about NT$1,000. ROUTE 2 - DRIVING SCHOOL Getting your Learner’s Permit Sign up, and the school sets up your Learner’s Permit. You’ll still need your health check. Your 35 days You’re in class and in the school’s car with an instructor for about 35 days - an hour a day on weekdays, or longer sessions a few times a week or on weekends. Skip a third of your classes and they can keep you from testing. At the end, you take the school’s own test on their driving course. Pass that, and you skip the course test at the DMV. Cost & time Tuition is NT$10,000 - 13,500. Ask what’s included, because the DMV test fees (NT$225 + NT$225) and license (NT$200) may be extra. Time: about 35 days. When your 35 Days Are Up Book your test online. On test day bring: 1. ARC 2. 3 one-inch photos 3. your stamped health form (still good within its year) 4. your Learner’s Permit 5. cash Check-in is at a fixed time, for example 8 - 8:30am or 1 - 1:30pm at the Hsinchu-area offices. No late entry. Then, two tests, in order: 1. Written: 50 multiple-choice, 5 of them hazard-perception video questions. 30 minutes. 85 to pass. 2. Road test: out on public streets. 70 to pass. Your examiner may not speak English. Making an Appointment to Take Written & Driving Tests Ok! Now that you've had a chance to review everything, you want to go an TAKE THE TESTS for a license at the DMV! You need to make an appointment to do that. Below are all the steps you need to get you there. How to Make an Appointment to Take the Tests to Get a Car License Written & Driving tests for a car license take about two hours to complete at the DMV. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: ARC, PASSPORT, ANY DRIVER’S LICENSE(S) FROM YOUR HOME COUNTRY YOU MAY HAVE Step 1 - figure out which DMV office is nearest to you. Here is tealit’s DMV Google Map. Step 2 - To be able to take the Written & Driving tests for a car license you have to bring a Health Check to the DMV when you arrive to take your tests. Each DMV office has contracted with a nearby Health Clinic to give the Health Check. The Health Check is very basic. Takes about 5 minutes. No appointment required. Don’t go at noon. Most close for lunch. They: 1. Record your height and weight 2. Check your hearing - tuning fork sounded left and right, ask if you hear it. 3. A color blindness test. 4. Check to see if you have all 4 limbs. 5. Ask you to produce both your hands. 6. Get you to squat down and rise up one time. Find the walk-in Health Check Clinic nearby the DMV office where you’ve chosen to take the Written & Driving tests. They are all listed on tealit's DMV Google Map. Call the clinic and check their hours. You’ll find locations & numbers for each clinic on tealit’s DMV Google Map. Step 3 - go online and make an appointment to take the Written & Driving tests for a car license at the DMV nearest you. 1. You'll need a friend who can read Chinese to help. The appointment page is all in Chinese. 2. There's no English page for making license test appointments as of July 5th, 2018. If you just show up at the DMV without an appointment there's a strong chance you'll not get the test. 3. So, get a friend to help you use the online page to set up the appointment. When choosing the appointment time to take your written and driving tests for a scooter do so in concert with the opening & closing times of the nearby health check clinic. 1. For example, if the Health Check Clinic opens at 9am, schedule your Scooter Written & Driving Tests for 10:30am. That way you'll have time in the morning to get the health check done and then get to your Written & Driving Tests appointment. 2. If the Health Check Clinic closes at 4:30pm, schedule your Written & Driving Tests appointment for 3pm. That way you can get to the Health Check office by 2pm, short waiting time & 5-minute test, then easily arrive on time for your License test. 3. Written & driving tests for a scooter together take about an hour. 4. Health Check costs range from NT$150 to 300. No appointment necessary. Most clinics close for lunch, so don’t go at noon. Step 4 - on the day of your car license Written & driving tests, be sure to bring your PASSPORT, ARC & ANY LOCAL DRIVER’S LICENSES YOU HAVE WITH YOU. Arrive at the Health Check Clinic near the DMV office you've chosen about an hour ahead of your Written & Driving tests appointment. Get your Health Check done. Step 5 - Health Check in-hand, ARC, passport and any driver’s license(s) from your home country you may have ALSO in-hand, arrive at the DMV at your appointment time and PASS the Written & Driving tests with FLYING Colors, after having reviewed and prepped via tealit's Driver License page! :) Cost is around NT$1,000 and tests take about two hours. Ownership & Insurance With your local license, you can now own your ride - it would be in your name. No more borrowing. Am I Covered? Whenever you buy a vehicle - scooter or car - it must be sold with the compulsory insurance in effect. This compulsory insurance 強制險 does not cover you, just someone you hit, or if someone hits you - NT$200,000 per person / per accident medical. NT$3,000,000 per person / per accident death or dismemberment. Once you have your one-year resident visa and ARC, you’ll be enrolled in the National health Insurance and get health care at subsidized really low cost. So, in theory, you can consider yourself covered - if you were hit, you would get up to NT$200,000 toward covering any medical expenses, and that would go pretty far in the subsidized healthcare system. However, that’s in theory. You can get banged up pretty good in a scooter accident. And, most of us are here for - a year? Or, two? So, it’s a sort of a gamble: whatever happens to me: can be fixed, in Taiwan, in a year, for NT$200,000, or less. However, that’s the gamble most of us take. None the less, you can both locally and from back home buy extra insurance that would follow you from Taiwan and pay out for extra medical treatment for an accident if it was bad enough to necessitate that. Locally, this kind of insurance is called: 人身意外險 Individual Personal Accident / 傷害醫療保險 Personal Accidental Medical Reimbursement. FAQs Do I have to take a physical before I go to take the test for a local driver’s license? Yes. There’s a VERY basic medical check. Used to be you could get it done AT the DMV. As of March 2018 no longer. Nationwide it has been given to private clinics located nearby each DMV office. All listed in previous link. Test takes about 5 minutes. Cost ranges from NT$150 to 300. No appointment necessary. Most clinics close for lunch, so don’t go at noon. What they do is: 1. Record your height and weight 2. Check your hearing - tuning fork sounded left and right, ask if you hear it. 3. A color blindness test. 4. Check to see if you have all 4 limbs. 5. Ask you to produce both your hands. 6. Get you to squat down and rise up one time. Not all DMV offices have places to perform the physical on site. Does my home country have a special agreement with Taiwan that enables me to drive using my own local license alone, needing nothing else? Among English speaking countries, none has this right. The one exception is the US state of Oklahoma: if you are from there, you can drive on your local license for up to a year. Are there some American states whose residents are not allowed to use an IDL to drive in Taiwan? Yes, but… People whose local licenses are from the states of California, New York State, Massachusetts & Oklahoma cannot use their International Drivers Licenses to drive in Taiwan. However, Oklahomans can use their LOCAL Oklahoma license to drive here for up to a year, and Massachusetts & Oklahoma licenses can be swapped for a Taiwan license without a test. Do Americans need to bring anything special with them to use their International Driver’s Licenses in Taiwan? Yes. Americans need to bring their local license with them and present their local license when getting the endorsement to drive beyond 30 days on their IDL and when applying for a local license. Are unlicensed drivers responsible for the insurance payouts if they cause accidents? Yes. For example, if an unlicensed driver caused an accident & NT$800,000 was paid out, the insurance company would sue the unlicensed driver to collect the payments. Summary: getting your Taiwan license 1. Get a health check at a clinic near your DMV (NT$150 to 300). 2. Scooter: book your test online. On test day, take the free 2-hour safety class first. 3. Car: get a learner’s permit (NT$100) and hold it for 3 months, or 35 days through a driving school. 4. Book your test online. Bring your ARC, passport, health check and any driver’s license from home. 5. Written test: 50 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes, 85% to pass. 6. Driving test: scooter at the DMV; car on the course, then on public streets, usually through a driving school. 7. Pay and collect your license: about NT$450 for a scooter, plus the health check; about NT$650 for a car, plus the learner’s permit (NT$100) and the health check.