TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — International driving permits will add the name "Taiwan" on their cover beginning July 1 to avoid confusion with China, the Directorate General of Highways (DGH) announced Tuesday (May 31).

The measure followed complaints by some users that because the existing version of the permit only mentioned the country’s official name, “Republic of China,” they were often mistaken for citizens of China, CNA reported.

The only change the DGH will make is to add “Taiwan” in large-size upper-case letters above the term “International Driving Permit” on the document’s cover. According to a government estimate, Taiwan issued more than 160,000 international driving permits per year from 2017 to 2019, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the total plunged to 30,000 a year in 2020.

The old permits will remain valid for their original three-year duration, so there is no need for drivers to apply for the new document before the end of the period, the DGH said.

Taiwan concluded reciprocal driver’s license agreements with 95 countries and territories. The DGH said it asked Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) representative offices overseas to explain the new situation to Taiwanese drivers.