Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago
New York, Aug. 7 (CNA) Taiwan and the U.S. state of Iowa signed a reciprocal driver's license agreement Monday in Iowa, which removed the requirement of a road test for their respective eligible citizens residing on the other side.
Calvin C. H. Ho, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, signed the accord with Melissa Spiegel, director of Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Drivers Services at a ceremony chaired by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
With the signing of the pact, Iowa became the 23rd U.S. state to enter into such an agreement with Taiwan.
Under the agreement, which took immediate effect, Taiwanese nationals living in Iowa and holding a valid Taiwan driver's license will be exempt from the road test when they apply for a license there, according to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago.
They will be able to obtain a standard, Class C, driver's license, in Iowa after passing a written test and a vision test, it said.
Similarly, Iowa residents with at least one year's legal permission to reside in Taiwan will be entitled to reciprocal treatment.
The agreement is expected to benefit students, those on academic exchange programs and business people from Taiwan and Iowa who are stationed on the other side, according to the Taipei office.
The other 22 U.S. states that have reciprocal driver's license agreements with Taiwan are Maryland, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Oregon, Arizona, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Nevada, Tennessee, Colorado, Virginia, Kentucky and Hawaii.
