Starting on July 1, most motorists will not have to renew their driver’s license when it expires, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
The policy only applies to Republic of China citizens and foreigners holding alien permanent resident certificates (APRC). Professional drivers, Taiwanese without registered residences, foreigners without APRCs, and residents of China, Hong Kong and Macau would still have to renew their licenses, it said.
Department of Railway and Highways Director-General Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said motorists holding licenses for small passenger cars or motorcycles, or both, would no longer be required to renew their licenses every six years. The licenses will remain effective beyond the stated expiry date, he said.
About 12.08 million people hold licenses for private cars and 13.68 million own licenses for motorcycles, Lin said.
With about 9 million to 10 million people holding both car and motorcycle licenses, an estimated 15 million are set to benefit from the new policy, Lin said.
However, Lin urged motorists who want to use their driving permits in countries that recognize Taiwanese licenses to renew them upon expiration to avoid disputes with the transportation authorities in those countries.
The license renewal waiver is the latest in a series of government moves that included dropping the requirement for motorists to renew their vehicle registration cards in January this year.
Motorists also do not have to pay a fine of NT$300 to NT$600 (US$10 to US$20) if they forget to carry their driver’s license or registration card after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the Act Governing Punishments for Violations of Road Traffic Regulations (道路交通管理處罰條例) in April.
The ministry said that all these new measures are being implemented because of technology that allows traffic police to quickly identify and access information on motor vehicles and drivers.
Hsieh Chieh-tien (謝界田), director of the Directorate-General of Highway’s motor vehicle division, added that only first-time applicants would receive a copy of their driver’s license.
Motorists whose licenses are damaged or lost, who need to make changes to registered information or voluntarily want to have their licenses renewed can also ask for a copy, Hsieh said.
The new policy is estimated to cost the agency about NT$600 million in lost revenue.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all