Vehicle Classification Does Not Comply with Taiwan Regulations, Registration Authority Deems It Unregistrable
Li Nan-ru, section chief of the Vehicle Management Division at the Chiayi Motor Vehicle Registration Office, stated that the recently spotlighted cabin-style electric trike does not fall under any category of vehicles recognized in Taiwan, including automobiles, motorcycles, or micro electric two-wheelers. Under current regulations, Taiwan only permits two-wheeled micro electric vehicles to be registered for road use. Since this vehicle features a three-wheel design, it cannot obtain a legal license plate. Li emphasized that if such vehicles are driven on public roads, they violate the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, and the registration office will not permit them to operate on roads.
The vehicle owner, Ms. Liu, admitted that the license plate mounted on the trike was self-made from acrylic material, intended to allow the parking lot’s license plate recognition system to function properly. However, Chen Yen-jui, deputy captain of the Chiayi City Police Department’s Traffic Division, pointed out that the acrylic plate’s appearance could easily mislead the public into believing it was an officially issued license plate from the registration authority. This constitutes the illegal act of operating a vehicle with a counterfeit license plate. Police issued a violation ticket to the owner and ordered the immediate removal of the fake plate.
Import Process Raises Serious Questions, Customs Authorities Launch Investigation
Ms. Liu stated that the cabin-style electric trike was purchased from a Chinese seller in 2022 and imported to Taiwan through a local Taiwanese business. During the import process, customs initially required a deposit ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$50,000, with the final determined customs duty amounting to between NT$14,000 and NT$24,000. Liu claimed that all relevant taxes and fees were paid as required, but the Customs Administration expressed reservations about this account and will further investigate whether the import process was fully compliant with the law.
According to regulations from the Bureau of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance, fully assembled Chinese-made passenger cars, chassis, motorcycles, and engines are all prohibited from import. If there is a special need, an application for a special import permit must be submitted to the competent authority and approved before importation is allowed. The conditions for special import permits include small quantities, special purposes, or cases where the product is not domestically manufactured. Kuo Kuan-yuan, director of the Investigation Division at the Customs Administration, stated that customs will strictly enforce import inspection procedures in accordance with the Bureau of Foreign Trade’s regulations.
Recently, the Bureau of Foreign Trade and the Customs Administration have launched a joint crackdown on the practice of importing Chinese-made heavy motorcycle parts in batches into Taiwan for assembly into complete vehicles. Since fully assembled Chinese-made heavy motorcycles and engines are prohibited from import, some businesses have allegedly imported them under the guise of parts and assembled them in Taiwan to circumvent regulations. During the crackdown, customs has seized multiple vehicles involved in the case and is tracing the import channels. This case highlights the complexity of regulating the import of Chinese-made vehicles and parts. Relevant authorities will continue to strengthen inspection efforts to prevent similar illegal activities from recurring.
The Motor Vehicle Registration Office reminds the public that if there is a need to import special vehicles, they should first confirm the vehicle classification and registration eligibility with the registration authority to avoid violating the law. Police also urge the public that manufacturing or displaying counterfeit license plates will result in severe penalties, and people should not risk breaking the law. The Customs Administration stated that it will continue to cooperate with relevant agencies to strictly monitor the legality of imported vehicles and parts, ensuring market order and traffic safety.
