Driver's license in Taiwan

A driving licence (Chinese: 駕駛執照 / Chinese: 駕照) is a document that allows the holder to drive on any roads in the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan). It is issued by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to a qualified motor vehicle driver. The number on a license is the same as the ID number of the license holder's household registration in Taiwan. In Taiwan, the license is sometimes accepted as a valid identity document, as its information replicates most of what is on a National Identification Card.

Licenses are only issued in Chinese (Traditional script). For comparison purposes, the table below is shown in bilingual form.

Notes:

• License Number is identical to the National Identification Number.
• All dates are written in Republic of China calendar; the year is in a three-digit format.
• Conditions:
  • A – Unlimited
  • B – Automatic transmission cars only
  • C – Other conditions on reverse side
• Date of expiry: Since July 2013, all licenses are valid until the holder's 75th birthday. A holder older than 75 has to renew their license every three years.
• Date of issue: the date that the holder passed the driver test of the type
• Date of Inspection: date of the driver's physical examination (for a commercial driver's license only).

Driver's licenses are categorized pursuant to the Road Traffic Security Rules (道路交通安全規則) in Taiwan. These 15 categories are:

• 9. International Driving Permit (國際駕駛執照): A multilingual translation a Republic of China license for international use, issued after Vienna Convention on Road Traffic 1968. As the Republic of China has lost diplomatic relations with most of the world since the 1970s, international driver permits from Taiwan are mostly not honored.
• 10. driver license of light-duty motorcycle (輕型機器腳踏車駕駛執照): Formerly used, now splits into 11 and 12.
• 13. driver license of heavy-duty motorcycle (重型機器腳踏車駕駛執照): Formerly used, now splits into 14 and 15.

The minimum age pursuant to Article 60 is normally 18, but one must be at least 20 to get a professional license or a license for an ultra-heavy motorcycle. A professional license must be converted to an ordinary one at the age of 60, but a professional small-vehicle driver may keep their license until they are 65 years old if they pass annual physical examinations. Since driving jobs are not open to foreigners, they cannot obtain a professional driver's license.

The Republic of China (ROC) is a signatory of the 1968 Vienna Road Traffic Convention and recognizes the international driving licenses of all countries. However, ever since the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971 which replaced the representative of "China" at the United Nations (UN) from the ROC to the People's Republic of China (PRC), many countries do not recognize the status of the ROC as a signatory state, nor do they recognize its international driving license. As a result, the ROC and must often reciprocate in the mutual recognition and renewal with test exemption for driving licenses of countries individually.

To exchange a foreign driver's license for a ROC driver's license in Taiwan, the foreign driver's license must be verified by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, such as the US Driver's License notary service of the American Institute in Taiwan.

Holders of a valid full driver's license issued by a foreign, mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau government who obtained a certificate of permit to stay or stay for more than six months in Taiwan can be exempted from the test and reissued a ROC driver's license to an equivalent vehicle class upon entry, based on the principle of equality and reciprocity agreement. This only applies to licenses from certain participating authorities. ROC citizens who have a valid foreign full driver's license can be exempted from taking the test and be issued a ROC driver's license for the same type of vehicle. This applies to countries not in the reciprocity agreement.