Xinyi Driving Guide

← All guides

How Foreigners Get a Chinese Driver's License From a Foreign License

Last verified against sources: . Rules change, so please confirm with your local vehicle administration office.

If you live in mainland China and want to drive, you need a Chinese driver’s license. The Road Traffic Safety Law says a person with a foreign motor vehicle driver’s license who meets the Ministry of Public Security’s conditions and passes the traffic police examination is issued a Chinese license. The Beijing government’s English FAQ confirms that foreigners who drive in Chinese territory must hold a Chinese driver’s license.

The good news is that, if you already hold a full license from another country, you do not start from zero. This guide explains the national rules in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2022 provisions. If you are only visiting, read about the temporary driving permit instead.

Local practice differs. The rules below are national. Offices, appointment systems, fees and exemption lists are local or change over time, so confirm with your own vehicle administration office (车管所) before you go.

Flow chart with six steps: check your foreign license and 90-day residence, check age and health, gather documents, apply at the vehicle administration office, pass the Subject 1 written test, then complete safety education and the oath ceremony to receive the license.
The conversion route for a foreign car license, step by step.

Step 1: Check that your foreign license counts

Under the provisions, a foreign license means a formal license that gives you the right to drive on your own, issued by a foreign country or by Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan. Learner’s licenses, temporary licenses and probationary licenses do not count.

Step 2: Check the 90-day residence rule

You can apply for the matching Chinese class if you meet the Chinese age and health conditions and you stayed in the issuing country or region for a cumulative 90 days or more within one year when you obtained that license. For a large bus, heavy tractor-trailer or medium bus license, you must also have held the matching foreign class for at least two years.

The office may check your entry and exit records against this rule.

Step 3: Meet the age and health conditions

See age and health requirements. If you do not meet a condition for a class, you can ask for a lower class.

Step 4: Gather your documents

According to the provisions you submit:

  1. Your identity documents: a valid passport or other international travel document, a visa valid for three months or longer or a stay or residence permit, and the accommodation registration certificate issued by the police (or, if you have one, the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card).
  2. A medical certificate of your physical condition. The office can waive it if it can check the record electronically.
  3. Your foreign license. If it is not in Chinese, you also need a Chinese translation issued by a translation agency or notarized.

The Beijing FAQ also lists the application form and photographs. See documents foreigners need.

Apply at the vehicle administration office where you live or reside. Foreign nationals do not have to apply in a household registration location the way Chinese citizens do.

Step 5: Take Subject 1 (and only Subject 1 for car classes)

Here is the key point many guides get wrong. Under the provisions, a foreign license holder applying for a Chinese license takes Subject 1 only, the written test on traffic laws. You do not take the field or road test for a car class.

The exception is large vehicles. If you apply for a large bus, heavy tractor-trailer, city bus, medium bus or large truck, you must take all three subjects.

Pass mark: 90 out of 100 points. See Subject 1 explained.

You must complete the required exams within three years of the office accepting your application.

Step 6: Safety education, oath and license

After you pass, you must complete at least 30 minutes of safe and civilized driving education and accident case warnings, and take part in a license oath ceremony. The office issues the license on the day of the oath. For applications that need no exam, the office issues the license within one working day.

You can also apply for an electronic copy, which has the same legal effect as the paper license. See electronic license and the 12123 app.

Who may be exempt from the test

Article 104 says that where two countries have a mutual recognition agreement on driver’s licenses, the agreement applies. The Beijing page lists examples of what that looks like in practice, such as holders of certain Belgian, French, Serbian, UAE or Macao licenses who may receive a Chinese license without an exam if they meet stated conditions. Staff of foreign embassies and consulates and international organizations are handled on the principle of diplomatic reciprocity; Beijing says they receive a Chinese license within five working days. These lists are local and change, so do not assume your country is exempt until your office confirms it.

Checklist

Questions people ask

Can I use my home license while living in China? According to the Beijing government FAQ, no. Foreigners who drive in China must hold a Chinese license.

Do I need a driving school? Not for the conversion route as described in the provisions, because you take only Subject 1. If you apply from scratch, the full test process applies. See the three subjects explained.

What if I only need to drive for a few weeks? See temporary permit or full license: which do you need?

Sources

Our text is an original summary and translation. If it differs from the Chinese original, the original prevails. See the disclaimer.