On Friday Oct. 16, representatives of The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency met with representatives from the government of Taiwan to sign an agreement for the mutual recognition of Driver’s Licenses in Alabama and Taiwan, according to an ALEA press release.
Spencer Collier, Secretary of Law Enforcement, and Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey met with Huei-Yuan Tai, the director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta to sign the agreement.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Taiwan on this plan to streamline the exchange of valid non-commercial driver licenses for the citizens of Alabama who may be living in Taiwan and for the people of Taiwan who may be living in our state,” Collier said in the release.
The agreement benefits Alabama by supporting business investments between Alabama and Taiwan, according to the release. Similar agreements have been made with both Germany and South Korea.
"As Mr. Tai pointed out following the signing, Alabama and Taiwan have been sister states since 1983, and this driver license reciprocity agreement should further encourage students and business professionals to consider moving to Alabama and vice versa," Collier said.
The agreement recognizes that both the governments accept each other’s driving test procedures as holding comparable knowledge and driving skills. This means that individuals whether in Alabama or Taiwan may visit a driver’s license office with only their old license and other necessary documentation and receive a new ID without having to take another driving exam.
According to a post by Hue-Yuan on the TECO website, the office "offers consular, commercial, informational and cultural services to the six states in the Southeastern United States of America: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky and commercial services to Florida."
Though the United States and Taiwan do not have official diplomatic relations, the TECO organization acts as a representation for Taiwan, encouraging both business relations and cultural representations for the country.
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