New Southbound Policy Portal

A memorandum of understanding on driver’s license exchanges was concluded by Taiwan and the U.K. Dec. 23, underscoring the commitment of the like-minded partners to further expanding bilateral exchanges, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
 
Inked by Kelly Wu-chiao Hsieh, head of Taipei Representative Office in the U.K., and British Office Taipei Rep. John Dennis, the pact takes effect Jan. 1, 2022.
 
Overseeing the signing ceremony were MOFA Deputy Minister Harry Ho-jen Tseng and Chen Wen-ruey, director-general of the Department of Railways and Highways under Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
 
According to the MOFA, the pact follows many mutually beneficial agreements between the two sides spanning double taxation avoidance, language learning and working holidays. It is expected to offer greater convenience to drivers and promote people-to-people exchanges while stimulating respective economic development, he said.
 
In response, Dennis said the agreement came after much anticipation and a lot of hard work. It will provide major flexibility to long-term U.K. residents of Taiwan, and symbolizes the powerful and deepening cooperation between the two sides in so many areas, he added.
 
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the MOFA said: “Deputy Minister Tseng & #MOTC DG Chen helped keep #Taiwan-#UK ties powering ahead by overseeing the signing of an MOU on exchanging driver’s licenses. @Taiwan_in_UK Rep. Hsieh & @UKinTaiwan Rep. @JohnDennisFCO did the honors for the pact deepening bonds between our countries.”
 
The U.K. is the 14th European country entering into a driver’s license agreement with Taiwan, the MOFA said. The country also has similar arrangements with Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kingdom of Eswatini, Saudi Arabia, nine provinces in South Africa and 36 U.S. states. (SFC-E)
 
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw