How Foreign Nationals Can Drive Legally and Obtain a License in China

Do not drive without Chinese authorization

To drive a motor vehicle on roads in China, you need either a motor vehicle driving license or a temporary motor vehicle driving permit issued by the Chinese public security traffic authorities. A foreign license, a so-called international driving license, or a booking accepted by a rental company does not by itself give you the right to drive in China. Choose between a temporary permit and a full license according to the length of your stay, and do not collect a vehicle until you have received the document and checked the vehicle categories it covers.

• You are making a short trip and hold a valid foreign driving license.

• Your authorized stay or residence exceeds three months but not one year.

• You live in China long term and intend to apply for a Chinese driving license.

• You will drive a rental vehicle or bring in your own vehicle temporarily.

• The vehicle categories on your foreign license and how you obtained it.

• Which vehicle administration office in your city can handle the application.

For short stays, use a temporary driving permit

A person who holds a valid foreign motor vehicle driving license and enters China for a short stay may apply to a vehicle administration office for a temporary motor vehicle driving permit under the applicable rules. If the authorized stay or residence does not exceed three months, the permit may be valid for three months. If it exceeds three months, the permit may be valid for up to one year, but never beyond the approved period of stay or residence. When driving a rented Chinese motor vehicle, the temporary permit is generally limited to C1 or C2.

• A valid entry and exit identity document.

• A valid foreign motor vehicle driving license.

• A compliant Chinese translation if the license is not in Chinese.

• The application form and photographs generated or required by the service counter.

• Proof of physical fitness if required for the particular vehicle category.

• The required study session on road traffic laws and regulations.

Steps for obtaining a temporary driving permit

1. Check the destination traffic authority's official website for the service location, appointment process, and required documents.

2. Confirm that the foreign license is valid and its details are legible.

3. Obtain a Chinese translation in a form accepted locally.

4. Take your entry and exit document and the originals to the vehicle administration service counter.

5. Have your photograph taken, submit the application, and complete the required traffic-law study session.

6. After receiving the permit, check its validity period and authorized vehicle categories.

7. Carry the permit, your foreign license, and its translation whenever you drive.

Published guidance in Shanghai and other cities indicates that eligible temporary permits can be issued at the service counter, but appointment systems, accepted translation providers, and processing locations may change. Before renting, send images of both sides of the permit to the rental company to confirm the vehicle category, and check whether the insurance covers a driver holding a temporary permit. When collecting the vehicle, keep photographs of its condition, the contract, and the roadside-assistance number.

Long-term residents may apply for a Chinese driving license

A person who holds a foreign motor vehicle driving license and meets China's licensing conditions may apply to the vehicle administration office for their place of residence or authorized stay for a Chinese license covering the corresponding vehicle category. The usual requirements include proof of identity, the foreign license and a Chinese translation, evidence of physical fitness, and the prescribed examinations. For small cars, this generally involves Subject One, the examination on road traffic safety laws and regulations. Other vehicle categories or unusual licensing histories may require additional examinations.

1. Confirm that the place where you obtained the foreign license and your residence history meet the requirements.

2. Check the local application office and approved medical examination providers.

3. Complete the license translation and physical fitness examination.

4. Submit your passport, stay or residence documents, and accommodation or residence information.

5. Book and prepare for the examinations that apply to you.

6. After passing the examinations, complete the license-issuance procedure.

7. On receipt, check your name, vehicle categories, validity period, and address.

Learn Chinese traffic rules before driving

• Review speed limits, traffic lights, right-of-way rules, and lane use.

• Understand the points system, fines, and accident procedures.

• Become familiar with junctions busy with bicycles, e-bikes, and pedestrians.

• Confirm how navigation, parking, and expressway tolls work.

• Check compulsory traffic insurance, commercial insurance, and who is covered to drive.

• Save the numbers for the police, your insurer, and roadside assistance.

• For your first drive, choose daylight hours and a familiar route.

A registered and insured vehicle is not necessarily covered for any person to drive. If borrowing a car, check the vehicle registration, the drivers covered by the policy, and the inspection status. When renting, do not sign liability waivers or damage clauses you do not understand. After a collision, make people safe, call the police, and contact the insurer; do not settle the scene solely through a private transfer of money.

Problems with documents, penalty points, and accidents

A vehicle administration office may reject an application or request further documents if the foreign license has expired, been revoked, does not match its translation, or cannot be supported by evidence of how it was obtained. Applicants aged seventy or over, people with particular medical conditions, diplomatic personnel, and citizens of countries that have mutual license-recognition arrangements with China may be subject to additional or simplified rules. Check the rules that apply to your own status.

If a temporary permit accumulates twelve points and the holder does not complete the required study and examination, this may affect a later application. Unresolved traffic offenses or accidents, expired documents, or an incompatible vehicle category can also prevent an application. If the permit expires, your immigration status changes, or you replace your passport, ask the vehicle administration office whether a replacement or amended document is required. Do not continue driving while waiting for the issue to be resolved.

Differences between cities and vehicle categories

Cities set their own service locations, appointment platforms, accepted translation methods, linked medical-examination systems, and examination languages. The documents and permitted categories differ for motorcycles, large vehicles, personally owned vehicles temporarily brought into China, and rented passenger cars. Nor can rules on urban driving restrictions, license plates, parking, and new-energy vehicles be inferred from the driving-license process.

A Chinese driving license will generally remain usable after you move from one city to another, but contact details, renewals, medical checks, and vehicle services must be handled under the rules of your current place of residence. A temporary permit is closely tied to its validity period and the circumstances of the application. Before renting in another city, confirm acceptance with the local traffic authorities and the rental company.

Official basis and verification date

The validity period, documents, permitted vehicle categories, and conditions of use for temporary motor vehicle driving permits are based on the Ministry of Public Security's Provisions on the Application for and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses and published service guidance from the public security traffic authorities in Shanghai and Beijing. The conditions for using a foreign license to apply for a Chinese license are based on guidance from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Bureau. Information was checked through 2026/8/4. Before applying, follow the latest notice from the vehicle administration office in your current city of residence.