Driving in Taiwan: The European Visitor's Guide to IDPs, the 30-Day Rule and Life on the Road

Driving in Taiwan: The European Visitor's Guide to IDPs, the 30-Day Rule and Life on the Road

GoodCars hosts a lot of European visitors, and Taiwan is an easy place for them to drive: right-hand traffic and left-hand-drive cars, exactly as on the Continent, English on the signs, and no toll booths to stop at. Only two things need sorting in advance — get your International Driving Permit at home, and understand the 30-day rule. This guide gathers the shared rules for visitors from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Poland, Czechia, Denmark, Sweden, Israel and New Zealand into one page.

Taiwan drives on the right, as Continental Europe does — the orientation comes quickly (illustrative image)

Three sentences first

• The IDP must be obtained at home. Taiwanese offices issue permits to Taiwanese licence holders only, so a visitor cannot get one after arriving.
• Up to 30 days, a valid IDP is all you need; beyond 30 days, the permit must be endorsed at a motor vehicles office.
• At pick-up GoodCars checks three documents: the original home licence, the IDP and your passport — the names must match. You will also need a credit card in your name.

Where each country issues the IDP

Here is GoodCars' comparison. In most of Europe the permit comes from either the licensing authority or the national automobile association, and needs little more than your licence, a photo and a modest fee. Procedures change, so confirm with the official source in your country:

⚠️ Remember: an IDP is a multilingual translation of your licence, not a licence itself, usually valid for a year. Without the original home licence, the IDP alone will not release the car.

The 30-day rule

How long you stay decides whether you need one extra trip to the licensing office (illustrative image)

Bring your passport (with the entry stamp), your home licence and IDP (both current), a 1-inch photo taken within the last two years, and NT$150. The endorsement runs up to a year and expires with whichever comes first: the reciprocity terms, the IDP, the licence, or your visa. Students and long-stay visitors should deal with it in week one.

One practical note from GoodCars: the endorsement attaches to you, not to the rental contract. You may rent within the first 30 days and endorse later — but driving past day 30 without it counts as driving unlicensed, and insurance and the damage waiver may not respond. Keep the receipt with the IDP so a roadside check takes one reach.

What feels European here, and what does not

The biggest difference is not the rules — it is the sheer number of scooters (illustrative image)

Familiar: right-hand traffic, left-hand drive, roundabout logic, numbered highways, English on the main signs. The adjustments GoodCars staff mention most:

• Scooters, everywhere. Check your right rear before turning; do not stop in the scooter waiting box.
• No right turn on red at most junctions — different from parts of Europe; follow the signs.
• Speed and red-light cameras are common, including average-speed sections. Slow early.
• No toll booths. Freeway tolls are electronic (NT$1.2 per km for rental cars) and settled when you return the car.
• Kerb colours matter. Red means no stopping, yellow allows a brief stop; white bays are usually metered.
• Narrow city lanes. A large SUV is not necessarily easier here — consider a compact.
• Mountain roads are tight and busy with trucks. Taroko and Alishan take longer than the map suggests.

How charges work: rental, fuel charge and a fuel card

This is the biggest structural difference from renting in Europe. Since June 2025 GoodCars charges rental plus a fuel charge, and every car carries a dedicated fuel card:

• Ask the attendant to fill up and present the card — you never pay for fuel yourself. Self-service pumps may not accept the card.
• No full-to-full. There is nothing to refill before you return the car.
• The fuel charge is (return odometer − pick-up odometer) × a published per-kilometre rate, with no distance cap. See the fuel charge page.
• If you do pay for fuel, keep the receipt — it is credited in full.

Two markets with their own guide

City parking is mostly metered bays and car parks; rates vary by area (illustrative image)

• The German visitor's guide to renting in Taiwan — licence, IDP and the popular routes.
• The UK visitor's guide — Britain drives on the left, so switching sides deserves its own read.

Related: the IDP guide for Taiwan, Taiwan's traffic rules and parking in Taiwan.

Three itineraries European visitors choose

Taiwan is about 400 km north to south — smaller than most people picture (illustrative image)

Pre-trip checklist

• Get the IDP at home and carry it with the original licence.
• Staying over 30 days: schedule the endorsement (1-inch photo, NT$150).
• Remember the fuel card and fuel charge — no refuelling before return.
• Skip the car on city days; take it for the mountains and the coast.
• Travelling with children: child seats are a legal requirement and can be added at booking.

FAQ

Q1. My country is not in the table — can I still drive?

Most European countries and Taiwan recognise each other's permits. Taiwan works on reciprocity, not on the 1949 or 1968 convention format: whether your country counts is set by the Highway Bureau (MOTC) list of driving-licence reciprocity with major countries. If it does, bring the three documents plus a credit card in your name (up to 30 days after entry; beyond that, get the IDP endorsed). Ask GoodCars if you are unsure.

Q2. Can I drive on my national licence alone?

No, and the IDP cannot be issued in Taiwan. Arrange it before you fly.

Q3. Does an EU licence need translating?

No. The IDP is itself the multilingual translation; no separate certified translation is needed.

Q4. Are the cars automatic?

Yes — GoodCars cars are all automatic; manual transmission is only available on our trucks. Drivers used to a manual usually adapt to an automatic very quickly.

Q5. How are freeway tolls paid?

Electronically by distance. The tag is already in the car and tolls are settled when you return the vehicle.

Q6. Do I pay for fuel?

No. The car comes with a fuel card — ask the station attendant to fill up and present the card (self-service pumps may not accept it); fuel is settled through the fuel charge.

Q7. Can I return the car to a different city?

Yes. GoodCars has more than thirty pickup points and supports one-way rentals; the fee depends on the pickup and return locations and is shown in the live quote when you choose “Drop car off at different location”.