Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Taiwan: 9 legal requirements + 7 other things worth knowing.
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Recommended
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Tick before you go
9 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1949 IDP required: 1968 permit not recognised
Taiwan accepts the 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit alongside your original UK/EU licence; the 1968 Vienna IDP is not valid. UK drivers must obtain a 1949 IDP from the Post Office for GBP 5.50 before departure.
IDP must be validated on arrival for stays over 30 days
Visitors staying longer than 30 days must have the IDP stamped at a local Motor Vehicles Office (DMV) before driving. Bring your passport, original licence, IDP and entry visa stamp.
Carry passport and original licence with IDP
The IDP is only valid when presented together with the original national driving licence and passport. Police checks are common, especially near tourist areas in Hualien and Taitung.
Drive on the RIGHT
Taiwan drives on the right-hand side, the opposite of the UK and Ireland. Take particular care at junctions and roundabouts in the first hours of driving.
Speed limits: 110 motorway / 70-90 rural / 50 urban km/h
National Freeway limit is 100-110 km/h, expressways 90 km/h, rural roads 50-70 km/h and urban areas 40-50 km/h. Speed cameras are extremely common and fines start at TWD 1,200.
BAC limit 0.15 mg/L breath (approx 0.03 g/100ml blood)
Taiwan enforces one of Asia's strictest drink-drive thresholds at 0.15 mg/L exhaled breath, well below the UK 0.35 mg/L. Penalties include fines up to TWD 120,000, vehicle impoundment and possible imprisonment.
Watch for scooters on the inside and at 'hook turns'
Scooters use dedicated lanes on the right and must perform two-stage left turns at major junctions: cars should never block the scooter waiting box ahead of the stop line. Right-on-red is prohibited.
eTag free-flow tolling on National Freeways
Freeways 1, 3 and 5 use the eTag electronic free-flow system (no booths); rentals come pre-fitted and tolls are billed back at TWD 1.2 per km after a 20 km free daily allowance. Expect roughly TWD 100-120 (EUR 2.80-3.40) per 100 km.
Warning triangle and reflective vest mandatory in car
Vehicles must carry a warning triangle (placed 100 m behind on freeways in case of breakdown) and the driver must wear a reflective vest when exiting on a motorway. Rentals include both as standard.
Taiwan accepts the 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit alongside your original UK/EU licence; the 1968 Vienna IDP is not valid. UK drivers must obtain a 1949 IDP from the Post Office for GBP 5.50 before departure.
Visitors staying longer than 30 days must have the IDP stamped at a local Motor Vehicles Office (DMV) before driving. Bring your passport, original licence, IDP and entry visa stamp.
The IDP is only valid when presented together with the original national driving licence and passport. Police checks are common, especially near tourist areas in Hualien and Taitung.
Mandatory third-party insurance is included in rentals, but excess on collision damage can exceed TWD 30,000 (around EUR 850). Top-up CDW is strongly advised given dense scooter traffic.
Taiwan drives on the right-hand side, the opposite of the UK and Ireland. Take particular care at junctions and roundabouts in the first hours of driving.
National Freeway limit is 100-110 km/h, expressways 90 km/h, rural roads 50-70 km/h and urban areas 40-50 km/h. Speed cameras are extremely common and fines start at TWD 1,200.
Taiwan enforces one of Asia's strictest drink-drive thresholds at 0.15 mg/L exhaled breath, well below the UK 0.35 mg/L. Penalties include fines up to TWD 120,000, vehicle impoundment and possible imprisonment.
Scooters use dedicated lanes on the right and must perform two-stage left turns at major junctions: cars should never block the scooter waiting box ahead of the stop line. Right-on-red is prohibited.
Dial 110 for police and 119 for medical or fire emergencies. English-speaking operators are available via the 24-hour tourist hotline 0800-011-765.
Freeways 1, 3 and 5 use the eTag electronic free-flow system (no booths); rentals come pre-fitted and tolls are billed back at TWD 1.2 per km after a 20 km free daily allowance. Expect roughly TWD 100-120 (EUR 2.80-3.40) per 100 km.
There is no windscreen sticker system: all tolling is automatic via eTag plate-reading gantries. Non-eTag vehicles are billed by licence plate and the rental company passes the charge on.
Vehicles must carry a warning triangle (placed 100 m behind on freeways in case of breakdown) and the driver must wear a reflective vest when exiting on a motorway. Rentals include both as standard.
You will be driving a left-hand-drive rental, so no beam-pattern adjustment is required. Dipped headlights are mandatory in all tunnels: Taiwan has many, especially on the Suhua Highway.
Cross-island highways (Provincial Highway 8 / Central Cross-Island, Suhua Highway Tai-9) frequently close after typhoons and landslides. Check the Directorate General of Highways live status before mountain trips.
THB road statusTaiwan has no LEZ-style restrictions on foreign or rental cars in Taipei, Taichung or Kaohsiung. Older two-stroke scooters face restrictions but visitor cars are unaffected.
Currency is TWD; 95-octane unleaded sits around TWD 30/L (about EUR 0.85). Cards work at chain stations (CPC, Formosa) but rural pumps are cash-only; no tipping expected. Declare cash over USD 10,000 or TWD 100,000 at the border.
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Don't get caught out
Taiwan drives on the right-hand side, the opposite of the UK and Ireland. Take particular care at junctions and roundabouts in the first hours of driving.
National Freeway limit is 100-110 km/h, expressways 90 km/h, rural roads 50-70 km/h and urban areas 40-50 km/h. Speed cameras are extremely common and fines start at TWD 1,200.
Taiwan enforces one of Asia's strictest drink-drive thresholds at 0.15 mg/L exhaled breath, well below the UK 0.35 mg/L. Penalties include fines up to TWD 120,000, vehicle impoundment and possible imprisonment.
Scooters use dedicated lanes on the right and must perform two-stage left turns at major junctions: cars should never block the scooter waiting box ahead of the stop line. Right-on-red is prohibited.