I have no idea who might need this information, but while it’s all still relatively fresh in my mind, let’s just write about it.

Before I go on to tell the interweb about what it was like for me to get a Taiwanese (ROC) Driver’s License (TDL) with a Singapore Driver’s License (SDL), please note that this information is only if you will be moving to Taiwan for more than a year and not if you are coming for a holiday. If you are just coming for a holiday, HWZ says just go to AA Singapore and get the International Driving Permit.

Okay, so a summary of my situation:

1. Moved to Taiwan a year ago (one week away from a year for those of you who are counting)
2. Have a driver’s license in Singapore, have been driving for 13 years or so, mainly in Singapore (drive on the left side of the road)
3. Husband decided that it would be good to start exploring Taiwan beyond Taipei in the coming year

Overview of the Process

As such, I began my information gathering earlier in the year. After snooping around online and making a few phone calls, managed to confirm that with a valid Singapore Driver’s License, I will NOT be required to take the whole driving test– I would simply need to pass a physical examination, take the theory test and with present the requisite documents. Simply, I say… Anyway, these were some of the sites I found to be quite useful.

Useful Resources

New Immigrants Area Taipei City Website

This page by the New Immigrants Area Taipei City to be incredibly helpful. It is very useful as it provides:

1. Rather detailed information on the location of the Shilin Motor Vehicle Supervision Station, which is where one needs to go if you are based in Taipei.
2. Links to the question banks (basically the TYS) and the online mock exam!!!

Directorate General of Highways MOTC

As I mentioned, the question banks in all the different languages that the test can be taken in, and the link for the online mock exam is in the caption of the image below.

As you can see in the image above, you need 85 marks to pass the test. I chose to take the test in English.

My Taiwanese friends also introduced me to an app containing the question bank and mock exams but I never used it that much as I did not prefer its interface.

What I Actually Did

After gathering all the above information on what I needed to do, I naturally began spending bits and pieces of time going through the question banks.

Certified True Copies of Singapore Driver’s License

In addition, the first step I took was to go to the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei to get the copy of my SDL certified. The trade office charges NTD200 (about S$9 back when I was getting it done) for each copy it certifies.

Aside from this, the rest of the process can actually be done at or around the Motor Vehicle Supervision Station.

Documents to Bring Along

The first three on the list must be brought, everything else on the list you can actually get away with getting them at or around the station.

1. Original Singapore Driver’s License + aforementioned Certified True Copy of SDL
2. ARC
3. Passport (I forgot to bring this and was told to return another day to complete getting my TDL), some resources I found online said to bring a copy of this but I did not bring a copy.
4. Three 1-inch colour photos (completely forgot to bring these as well but there were photo booths both in the station and in the health check clinic).
5. Health check report- there is a clinic within walking distance of the station that specialises in these check-ups. You just need to first go to the station, to pick up an empty form which you can take to the clinic.
6. Money for the health check (NTD250), the theory test (NTD225) and the administrative fees (NTD200).

Flow of Events

There was some confusion about whether or not I needed to make an appointment to take the theory test. My Taiwanese friends told me about how there was a long queue to take the driving test and that appointments needed to be made at least weeks in advance.

I managed to get confirmation that for foreigners looking to convert their licenses and who only needed to take the theory test, there was no need to make any appointment. This was eventually also confirmed by my own experience.

The first thing I did when I arrived at the Station was to pick a blank form for the health check and theory test:

Health Check

I then walked over to the health check clinic and was honestly slightly overwhelmed by the machinery they had going on there. Everybody (including other patients) seemed to know what they had to do.

It was only as I watched everybody else fill out their form that I realised I did not have my photos prepared. Thankfully, there must have been enough people who also forgot their picture because there was a photo booth at a corner of the clinic.

Armed with my photo booth pictures and filling out what I could of the form, I brought it all to the counter where I was promptly chided slightly for all the parts I had not filled up. I quickly filled up what I was asked to and was told to go have my height and weight measured.

Next station was a vision check and aside from not quite knowing how I was expected to articulate the direction of each “E”, it was fine.

I was next told to go into a room where the doctor was for the final station of the examination. Here I was asked to do some movements like raising my arms and probably others but nothing too difficult or memorable. He then had me sit down with my back facing him and gave me a string of instructions which I had initially thought meant to raise my hand every time I heard the tuning fork, but he had actually meant to raise the hand on the side I was hearing the tuning fork. Again, I took a slight chiding for that.

All in all, it went relatively smoothly, and I was out of the clinic in half an hour or so.

Theory Test

I then had to make my way back to the station, where I had to register myself for the theory test. I was asked if I needed any more time to prepare, and decided that I simply wanted to get it done (quite the gamble in hindsight).

Anyhow, after confirming that I wanted to do the test in English, they registered me for the test and I was asked to go into a room that with cubicles. When I entered the room I was asked to put my personal belongings on a shelf at my own cubicle. I was the only one in the room at the time. The interface on the computer was very similar to that of the mock exam. When I completed the test, much like the mock exam, the result is displayed immediately and I was quite relieved to have passed (story for another time).

With the test completed, I looked forward to getting my TDL.

Don’t Forget Your Passport!

Well after waiting in line for a bit, I was eventually told that without my passport, I could not get my TDL on the day and would need to return another day to complete the process. I was quite frustrated at myself for forgetting my passport but well eventually I did go back another day and got it all done and I finally had my TDL!

All in all, it was less daunting than I thought it might be.