Age and Health Requirements for a Chinese Driver's License (2022 Rules)
Before you pay for a medical check or book anything, make sure you meet the age and physical conditions for the class you want. The conditions are set nationwide in the Ministry of Public Security’s Provisions on the Application for and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses, which took effect on 1 April 2022.
Older English pages can be out of date. Some English-language summaries still show age limits such as 21 to 50 for buses. The 2022 provisions replaced those figures. This guide follows the 2022 text. Rules can change again, so check with your vehicle administration office (车管所) before you apply.
Age limits by class
| Class | Minimum age | Maximum age |
|---|---|---|
| Small car (C1), small automatic car (C2), small automatic car for people with disabilities, light moped | 18 | No upper limit for applying (see the 70+ rule below) |
| Ordinary three-wheeled and two-wheeled motorcycles | 18 | 70 |
| Light trailer | 20 | 70 |
| Low-speed freight vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, wheeled special machinery | 18 | 63 |
| City bus, medium bus, large truck, trolleybus, tram | 20 | 63 |
| Large bus, heavy tractor-trailer | 22 | 63 |
| Full-time driving vocational students applying for large bus or heavy tractor-trailer | 19 | 63 |
Applicants aged 70 or over may still apply for a small car, small automatic car, small automatic car for people with disabilities or light moped, if they pass tests of memory, judgment and reaction.
For most foreign residents the relevant row is the first one: an adult of 18 or over can apply for a car license.
Physical requirements
| Area | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Height | At least 155 cm for large bus, heavy tractor-trailer, city bus, large truck and trolleybus. At least 150 cm for medium bus. No height rule for car classes |
| Vision | Uncorrected or corrected vision of at least 5.0 on the logarithmic chart in both eyes for large bus, heavy tractor-trailer, city bus, medium bus, large truck, trolleybus and tram. At least 4.9 for other classes |
| Color vision | No red-green color blindness |
| Hearing | Each ear must be able to tell the direction of a sound source from a tuning fork held 50 cm away |
| Upper limbs | Both thumbs intact and at least three other fingers on each hand, with normal movement |
| Lower limbs | Legs intact with normal movement. A difference in leg length of more than 5 cm is not allowed |
| Torso and neck | No movement disorder |
Exceptions the provisions allow
- One-eyed applicants: if the better eye reaches 5.0 and the horizontal field of vision is at least 150 degrees, you may apply for a small car, small automatic car, low-speed freight vehicle, three-wheeled vehicle or small automatic car for people with disabilities.
- Hearing impairment: if you reach the required level with a hearing aid, you may apply for a small car or small automatic car. You must wear the hearing aid when driving.
- Missing fingertips: if the last joints of fingers are missing, or three fingers on the left hand are intact and both palms are complete, you may apply for a small car, small automatic car, low-speed freight vehicle or three-wheeled vehicle.
- Left leg missing or not functioning, right leg normal: you may apply for a small automatic car (C2).
- Right leg or both legs missing or not functioning: if you can sit up on your own and your arms meet the requirement, you may apply for a small automatic car for people with disabilities. That license requires a physical examination every three years.
- Glasses: if you need vision correction, you must wear glasses when driving.
Who cannot apply
You cannot apply for a license if any of these apply:
- You have organic heart disease, epilepsy, Meniere’s disease, vertigo, hysteria, Parkinson-type tremor, mental illness, dementia or a neurological disease affecting limb movement, or another condition that hinders safe driving.
- Within the last three years you took drugs by injection or smoking, or less than three years have passed since mandatory drug detox ended, or you are addicted to dependence-forming psychotropic drugs.
- You committed the crime of fleeing the scene of a traffic accident.
- You committed the crime of causing a major accident while driving after drinking or while drunk.
- Your license was revoked for drunk driving, or for drink driving of a commercial vehicle, less than five years ago (ten years if you were driving a commercial vehicle while drunk).
- Your license was revoked for racing, overloading, speeding or carrying dangerous chemicals in breach of the rules and the act was a crime, less than five years ago. A license revoked after another crime-level major accident bars you for ten years.
- Your license was revoked for another reason less than two years ago.
- Your driving permit was cancelled for fraud less than three years ago.
- You drove without a license and caused a serious injury or fatal accident, with equal or greater responsibility, less than ten years ago.
- You took the driving test for someone else within the last three years.
- Other cases set by law or administrative regulation.
For large buses, heavy tractor-trailers, city buses, medium buses and large trucks there are extra bars: for example, a fatal accident with equal or greater responsibility, ever driving drunk, or a license revoked or cancelled less than ten years ago.
The medical certificate
Your physical condition certificate must be issued by a qualified medical institution. That means a county-level or army regiment-level hospital, or a grade-two or higher hospital, township health center, community health service center or health examination center recognized by the health authority at city level or above. The certificate is valid for six months from the date of issue. In places where the police system is linked to hospital systems, you may not need to submit a paper certificate.
Related
- How foreigners get a Chinese driver’s license
- Who cannot get a Chinese driver’s license
- Chinese license classes and codes