Taiwan’s Vehicle Safety Certification Center said on July 9 that Tesla Taiwan’s application for FSD (Supervised) is now in the road-test plan review stage, the first step in a four-stage approval process. The center said it will soon hold a technical review meeting to examine whether the proposed testing can verify traffic situations specific to Taiwan.
Using timelines previously disclosed in a legislative discussion, the process could, if each stage moves forward without delay, allow FSD to complete certification by the end of 2026 and then become available to Tesla owners in Taiwan.
The notice drew unusual attention. An administrative announcement posted on the center’s website surpassed 10,000 views within a few days. For an institution that usually publishes regulatory explanations and certification documents, that level of traffic is rare. The center also rarely issues a public update tied to a single automaker’s filing, and this time it specifically explained the handling of Tesla Taiwan’s FSD (Full Self-Driving, Supervised) application.
The filing has reached the first of four stages
In its July 9 notice, the center confirmed that it had accepted Tesla Taiwan’s application under the rules governing supplementary review reports for new driving technologies. The company must submit a declaration on suitability for Taiwan’s road environment together with related safety validation test reports.
The review process has four stages:
- Stage 1: the company submits a road-test plan. This is the current stage.
- Stage 2: after the review is completed, the case is sent to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for approval, after which the company may begin road testing.
- Stage 3: once testing is finished, the company submits a safety validation report for review.
- Stage 4: after final approval, a type safety certification certificate is issued.
That means Tesla’s June 16 filing has now entered the first gate of the four-step process. The center said the upcoming technical review meeting will first assess whether the test plan can verify localized scenarios, including what it described as traffic situations unique to Taiwan, and will also review functional safety, road suitability and regulatory alignment.
Taiwan’s dense scooter traffic in urban areas, narrow alleys and distinct intersection signal designs are exactly the kinds of situations that cannot simply be covered by validation data gathered in Europe or the United States. The center said it will handle the review with a “rigorous, objective, and scientific” approach while balancing industrial innovation and road-user safety. It added that the review schedule will depend on the company’s testing progress and the timing of related meetings.
The standard pace points to about one to one-and-a-half months for the first two steps
The center did not commit to a specific timetable in the notice, but the standard process had already been discussed before the filing was made. According to records from a June 10 meeting convened by legislator Ko Ju-Chun with Taiwan’s Department of Public Transportation and Supervision under the transport ministry and the certification center, the center would in principle hold its first technical review meeting within two to four weeks after a formal submission to examine the application documents and the road-test plan.
If the initial review finds the plan feasible, the case would then be sent to the ministry for approval, a process expected to take about two weeks, after which road testing could begin. On that basis, the institutional timeline from filing to approval for on-road testing is about one month to one and a half months.
At the same meeting, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said FSD (Supervised) is an SAE Level 2 driver-assistance technology. Because the driver must monitor the vehicle throughout and bears full responsibility, the review and road testing can proceed under current administrative rules, without changes to the law. Only systems at Level 3 or above, where liability shifts, would require legal amendments.
The ministry also said it has accepted the Dutch RDW’s national-level certification result for Tesla FSD as a reference for technical feasibility, meaning Taiwan does not need to wait for the European Union’s final voting schedule. That removes part of the duplicate work that would otherwise fall into the document-review phase. The ministry had also, on May 27, coordinated in advance with the Freeway Bureau and Highway Bureau on testing arrangements for freeways and expressways so the process would not have to start from scratch after the filing.
The main variable is the road test itself
The certification center has said plainly that the review timetable depends on the company’s testing progress. How long the tests run, how much mileage is accumulated and which scenarios must be covered will all depend on the contents of the test plan approved by the technical review meeting. That is the most flexible part of the current timeline.
From the information disclosed so far, road testing will be central not only to timing but also to the substance of the review. Testing across freeways, expressways and urban roads will need to build enough localized validation data to support the later safety validation report.
What expertise may be involved in the technical review meeting
The center’s notice said only that “relevant agencies and experts” will be invited to the technical review meeting and did not release a list of names. Based on the review targets and Taiwan’s usual vehicle certification practice, the advisory and review expertise is expected to cover the following fields:
- Vehicle engineering and functional safety: scholars and certification representatives familiar with ISO 26262 and SOTIF, reviewing safety mechanisms for system failures.
- Traffic engineering and road safety: assessing whether the test plan covers Taiwan-specific scenarios such as mixed scooter traffic, curbside stopping, bus-only lanes and complex intersections, which the notice identified as priority review items.
- Artificial intelligence and perception systems: examining the reliability of a vision-only approach under Taiwan’s road markings, signals and weather conditions.
- Cybersecurity: aligning with UN R155/R156 rules on vehicle cybersecurity and software updates, since FSD functions are delivered through over-the-air updates.
- Human factors and transport regulation: assessing whether the driver monitoring system can keep the driver attentive, and how accident liability, insurance and penalties fit existing rules.
On the government side, the expected participants include the ministry’s Department of Public Transportation and Supervision, the Highway Bureau and the Freeway Bureau, each covering either regulatory interpretation or management of the test routes.
Estimated timeline: earliest by year-end 2026, with first-half 2027 as the more conservative case
Combining the four-stage process laid out in the notice, the standard pace discussed in the legislative meeting and a reasonable road-test window, the timeline can be sketched as follows:
- Technical review meeting: likely in mid-to-late July. Tesla filed on June 16, and under the usual two-to-four-week window the first meeting should take place within July. The center’s notice also said it will be held soon.
- Transport ministry approval of the test plan: around early August. After an initial pass, the filing process to the ministry is expected to take about two weeks. If revisions or supplementary documents are required, the schedule would be pushed back.
- Road testing: about August to November. The estimated duration is roughly three months, covering freeways, expressways and urban roads to gather enough localized validation data. This remains the stage with the greatest timing flexibility.
- Review of the safety validation report and issuance of the certificate: about one to two months. The test report would return to the technical review meeting for examination, and if cleared, would then go to the ministry for final approval and issuance of the type safety certification certificate.
If those four segments connect smoothly, with the test plan approved on the first pass and road testing completed without major issues, FSD could finish certification in December 2026 and then be pushed to Taiwan vehicle owners through over-the-air updates. If any stage requires supplementary filings or broader testing, the process could extend into the first half of 2027.
Tesla’s move to stop selling a one-time FSD buyout option from July 1 and shift to a subscription model has also drawn market attention. The change has been interpreted by the market as preparation for the business model Tesla may use once the feature is opened in Taiwan.
For consumers, the form in which FSD is eventually made available may matter as much as the opening date itself.