After more than a year of negotiations, Ireland has made it possible for Taiwanese nationals to get an Irish driver’s license without having to take a test if they have a valid license from Taiwan.
Taiwanese nationals will be able to use the Irish driver’s license to travel to 26 member countries in the EU, and the move could also prod the UK and other countries to follow suit.
Taiwanese Representative to Ireland David Lee (李南陽) expressed his appreciation to the Irish government for taking the initiative and described it as the second major breakthrough in bilateral relations since July last year.
FRIENDLY MOVE
“This is another friendly gesture after the Irish government granted visa-free treatment to Taiwanese passport holders in July 2009,” he said, adding that it shows Ireland attaches great importance to Taiwanese tourists, students and investors.
Upon hearing the news, Taiwanese expatriates in Ireland called it a major diplomatic breakthrough that will help them tremendously.
“This is indeed very good news with the low passing rates for Irish road tests. It will be more convenient to travel around European Union countries after the new policy,” said Wang Chi-sui (王綺穗), who was invited to teach at Dublin City University two years ago.
Johnnie Lin (林政德), director of Engineering and Quality at technology company Bizlink, said obtaining an Irish driver’s license would be a blessing for Taiwanese businessmen and students.
It will save time and money because there will be no need to prepare for the written test or to attend driving classes before the driving test, Lin added.
SPECIAL TREATMENT
Ireland has become the 10th country to grant Taiwanese nationals the special treatment, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Finland and Switzerland.
Since Ireland offered visa-free treatment to Taiwanese nationals on July 1 last year, bilateral trade and tourism, and science and technology and academic exchanges have grown substantially, according to official Irish statistics.
Bilateral trade totaled about 532 million euros (US$686 million) last year, with Taiwan becoming Ireland’s 23rd-largest trading partner and the 20th-biggest source of its imported goods.
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