The short answer: you can legally ride a scooter or drive a car in Taiwan only with the right licence. For most visitors that means an International Driving Permit (IDP) from a country that has a reciprocity agreement with Taiwan, valid for up to 30 days. Japanese visitors use their own licence plus an official Chinese translation instead. If you don't have either, leave the driving to others: buses, Uber, taxis and YouBike cover Tainan well.
Below: the licence rules, helmets and seat belts, scooter apps and rental shops, car rental counters, and the easy options if you'd rather not drive at all.
Licences
An IDP for up to 30 days. Under Article 55 of Taiwan's road traffic safety rules, a visitor holding an IDP from a country with reciprocity may drive without any endorsement for up to 30 days after entry. To stay on the road longer, you need an endorsement from a motor vehicle office, valid for up to a year or until your licence or residence document expires, whichever comes first. In Taiwan's traffic law the word for motor vehicles (汽車) includes motorcycles, so the same rule covers scooters.
Check your country. Not every country's IDP is accepted. The Directorate General of Highways publishes the reciprocity table; look for your country there before you plan a self-drive trip.
Make sure your IDP covers motorcycles. IDP vehicle classes follow the international convention, so if you want to ride a scooter, check that your permit is stamped for motorcycles as well as cars. If it only covers cars, stick to cars.
Visitors from Japan. Japan's IDP is not accepted in Taiwan. Instead, carry your Japanese licence (the conventional card, not the My Number licence), a Chinese translation issued by JAF or by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association's Taipei or Kaohsiung office, and your passport. With these you may drive for up to one year from each entry, in the classes your licence covers, including motorcycles and mopeds (原付). JAF charges a fee for the translation.
No licence, no ride. Riding or driving without a valid licence brings heavy fines and the vehicle can be impounded. A rental shop handing you the keys doesn't make it legal.
Helmets and seat belts
Scooter riders and passengers must wear a helmet, and the fine goes to the rider: NT$500. In a car, everyone wears a seat belt, including passengers in the back seat.
Tainan's old town has several roundabouts that visitors find tricky. In December 2023 the police asked scooter and car rental shops near Tainan Station to explain the roundabouts to customers before handing over a vehicle, and to remind them to use their turn signals. Take it slowly the first time.
Scooter sharing apps
- GoShare: Tainan is on GoShare's city list, and the app shows the service area. Its terms accept a foreign passport together with an international driver's licence, so this is the one visitors can realistically use. You must be 18 or over and add a credit or debit card. The helmet is in the seat compartment. Prices vary by location and demand, and the app shows the price.
- WeMo: runs in Tainan's West Central, East, North, Anping, South, Yongkang and Rende districts, including Tainan HSR Station. It costs NT$15 for the first 6 minutes, then NT$2.5 a minute, with 3, 6 and 24-hour packages at NT$150, NT$250 and NT$350. Registration asks you to have your national ID card ready, so it may not work for visitors.
- iRent: membership is for ROC nationals and residence permit holders only.
Rental shops
The city's tourism site says there are scooter and car rental shops near Tainan HSR Station and Tainan Station (臺南車站). We don't name shops. Whichever you choose, a good shop asks to see your licence and IDP. Before you ride off, check that the vehicle has plates and insurance, and ask what the insurance covers.
A word on "no licence needed" rentals. In June 2026 a city councillor raised micro electric vehicle rentals around Anping, Guohua Street and Tainan Station that advertised "no licence needed", and questioned whether the vehicles were registered and insured. The mayor promised inspections. We'd give these a miss.
Renting a car
A car makes sense for the countryside and the coast, less so for the old town, which is best explored on foot. Two options with clear rules for foreign renters:
Car Plus (格上租車) has three branches in the Tainan area:
| Branch | Address | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Tainan HSR Station | No. 100 Guiren Boulevard, Guiren District | 07:30 to 21:30 |
| Beimen | No. 111, Section 2, Beimen Road, North District | 08:30 to 20:30 |
| Yongkang | No. 169 Zhongzheng North Road, Yongkang District | 08:30 to 20:30 |
For foreign renters, Car Plus asks for your passport and original IDP within 30 days of entry; from day 31, your passport and a permit from a motor vehicle office. You must be 18 or over and pay with a Visa or Mastercard credit card valid for at least six more months. Debit cards are not accepted.
Enterprise, National and Alamo share a counter inside Tainan HSR Station near Exit 3, open 07:30 to 21:30 daily. In Taiwan, Alamo works with Hotai Rental (和運租車). Enterprise asks for an IDP issued by your passport country, from a country with reciprocity that is party to the Vienna or Geneva convention. Within 30 days of entry, bring your passport, IDP, home licence and proof of entry, plus a credit card. Minimum age is 18.
We haven't found a car rental branch at Tainan Airport that we can confirm, so plan to pick up at the HSR station or in town. → Tainan Airport guide
Other ways to get around
- Uber: in Tainan you can book a taxi or UberXL, and Reserve lets you book up to 90 days ahead. Pickups may take longer than in bigger cities.
- Taxis: wait at the stations and department stores. Most drivers don't speak English, Japanese or Korean, so carry your destination written in Chinese.
- City buses: in 2026, tap an EasyCard, iPASS or iCash 2.0 on the main and branch lines (Green, Blue, Brown, Orange, Yellow and Red) and the base fare, NT$26 for about the first 8 km, is free. Tap on and off. Transfers within 2 hours get NT$9 off. Since June 2026 buses also take transit QR codes from Easy Wallet, iPASS MONEY and icash Pay, without the transfer discount.
- H31 HSR shuttle: free with a same-day HSR ticket, otherwise NT$18 a segment.
- Double-decker sightseeing bus: operated by 府城客運, it runs on weekends and holidays only: a loop from Tainan Station (Chenggong Road, stop A) past Chihkan Tower, the Zhongzheng shopping area, Anping Fisherman's Wharf, the Eternal Golden Castle, Little West Gate and the Confucius Temple, then back to the station. Departures at 09:30, 11:00, 13:00, 14:30, 16:00 and 17:30 (timetable from 28 October 2026). A 24-hour pass is NT$300 (concession NT$150) and a 48-hour pass NT$500 (NT$250).
- Taiwan Tour Bus: the city's tourism site lists half-day and full-day guided packages, a good fit if you want someone else to plan and drive.
- YouBike: rent with a credit card in the app, no licence needed. → Cycling in Tainan
Most of the old town is walkable, and a mix of walking, buses and Uber covers nearly everything a first visit needs. → Getting around Tainan → City center guide → Getting to Tainan
Sources
Licence rules from Taiwan's laws database: Article 55 and Article 51 of the road traffic safety rules, and Articles 3, 21 and 31 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act; reciprocity from the Directorate General of Highways. Japanese licences from the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and JAF. Scooter apps from GoShare and its terms, WeMo (service map, prices, registration) and iRent. Rental shops, taxis and tour buses from Travel in Tainan; roundabouts from Liberty Times; micro electric vehicles from ETtoday. Car rental from Car Plus (branches, foreign renters), Enterprise, National, Alamo and TVBS. Uber from Uber. Buses from Tainan City Government (citizen card, fares, double-decker bus) and UDN. Checked October 2026.