Can you drive in Taiwan with an international driving permit?
Taiwan does not accept every licence. According to the Highway Bureau's reciprocity page, a valid IDP issued by a country with a reciprocity arrangement lets you drive for up to 30 days after entry without further steps. Past 30 days, the IDP must be registered with a motor vehicles office. The Taipei City Motor Vehicles Office sets out the details:
- Registration is for people staying between one and six months.
- It costs NT$150 and needs your passport, home licence, IDP and a 3 × 2.5 cm photo.
- It is valid for up to one year, limited by your visa, residence document and IDP expiry.
- Anyone staying longer than six months needs a Taiwanese licence.
Two neighbouring countries have their own arrangements:
| Your licence | What to carry | How long it works |
|---|---|---|
| IDP from a reciprocal country | IDP, home licence, passport | 30 days from entry, then register it |
| Japan | Japanese licence, official Chinese translation, passport | Within 1 year of entry |
| South Korea | IDP issued by the Korean National Police Agency | Recognised since 17 February 2022 for the vehicle classes on the IDP |
The Japanese route comes from the Highway Bureau's Taiwan–Japan page. The translation is issued by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) or the Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association. The Korean agreement was announced by the Korean Mission in Taipei. For other nationalities, the Highway Bureau publishes a country-by-country reciprocity table. Check it before you travel, because a licence from a country without reciprocity cannot be used even with an IDP.
What do Taiwan rental companies ask foreigners for?
Rental desks check the documents above against your passport entry stamp, and they add rules of their own. Two large domestic companies illustrate the range:
| Car-Plus (格上) | Easy Rent (和雲) | |
|---|---|---|
| Within 30 days of entry | Passport and original IDP | Passport, reciprocal-country IDP, home licence, credit card |
| After 30 days | Passport and Taiwanese motor vehicles office permit | Passport, registered IDP or Taiwanese licence, credit card |
| Payment | Visa or Mastercard credit card valid 6+ months; no debit cards | Credit card valid 6+ months |
| Minimum age | Stated as 18 | 20 |
| Tolls and fines | Charged to the card after return | Tolls calculated by the toll operator and collected at return; renter pays all fines |
Sources: Car-Plus rental notes and Easy Rent's rental notice. A rental that ends after day 30 needs the registered IDP even if you picked the car up on day 10. Easy Rent's wording makes the return date the test.
Driving differences to prepare for
Traffic keeps to the right, and every occupant must wear a seatbelt, as the Tourism Administration reminds visitors. The Taichung City Transportation Bureau's driving tips highlight the rules that surprise visitors most:
- No right turn on red. Wait for a green light or a green arrow.
- Scooters everywhere. They weave between lanes at speed, so check mirrors and the blind spot before every lane change. Look for scooters before opening a door on the kerb side.
- Two-stage left turns for scooters. Left-turning scooters cross straight over to a painted box and wait there. At big junctions you will see a cluster of riders in a box ahead of you on the right. The same bureau notes that scooters stay in side lanes on major roads and are banned from freeways.
How do Taiwan freeway ETC tolls work?
Taiwan's freeways have no toll booths. Overhead gantries read an eTag sticker on the windscreen and charge by distance. The Freeway Bureau's rate page lists the current small-car rates on National Freeways 1, 3, 5 and 3A:
| Distance driven in one day | Small car rate |
|---|---|
| First 20 km | Free |
| 20 to 200 km | NT$1.20 per km |
| Beyond 200 km | NT$0.90 per km |
The billing rules add two details that matter for a trip plan. Each vehicle's distance is added up and settled once a day at midnight. The daily total is then rounded to the nearest dollar. The 20 free kilometres are counted per vehicle per day, not per trip, so splitting a drive into short hops does not reset them.
How a rental car pays
Both rental companies above bill freeway tolls through the car rather than asking you to pay at the roadside. Easy Rent says tolls built up during a short rental are calculated through the toll operator (Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection) and collected when you return the car. Car-Plus says it charges the card on file after return. You do not need to buy or top up anything yourself.
If a toll goes unpaid, for example because a tag's balance ran short, the Freeway Bureau's arrears rules apply. You can pay at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life or OK convenience stores for NT$5 per payment, or by card through the toll operator's website or app with no extra fee. A second registered-mail notice adds a NT$50 processing fee. If it is still unpaid after that notice, the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act allows a NT$300 fine for each unpaid toll day. In a rental car, those notices go to the company, which charges your card.
Worked example: Taipei to Taichung
The Freeway Bureau's interchange list for National Freeway 1 puts the Taipei interchange at km 25 and the Taichung interchange at km 178. That is about 153 km. Gantry distances differ slightly from interchange markers, so treat these as close estimates and confirm on the operator's fare calculator.
| Trip plan | Toll distance | Calculation | Estimated toll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei to Taichung, one way | 153 km | (153 − 20) × NT$1.20 | NT$160 |
| There and back on the same day | 306 km | 180 × NT$1.20 + 106 × NT$0.90 | NT$311 |
| There one day, back another day | 2 × 153 km | 2 × NT$160 | NT$320 |
| Taoyuan Airport junction (km 52) to Taichung | 126 km | (126 − 20) × NT$1.20 | NT$127 |
Driving back on the same day is slightly cheaper because the long-distance rate starts after 200 km. The difference is small, so plan the trip around rest and daylight rather than tolls. For a group of three or four sharing the car, the one-way freeway toll comes to NT$40 to NT$53 each.
Pickup checklist
- Passport, home licence, IDP (or the Japanese Chinese translation), and a credit card valid for at least six more months.
- Check that your return date is within 30 days of your entry stamp, or register your IDP first.
- Confirm that the eTag is on the windscreen and ask how tolls will appear on your bill.
- Ask how traffic fines and parking fees found after return will be charged.
If you plan to use trains and the MRT for part of the trip, the difference between the two transit cards is covered in EasyCard and iPASS.