License Verification and Driving After 63 or 70 in China
China’s Road Traffic Safety Law says traffic police shall regularly examine and check driver’s licenses. The Ministry of Public Security’s provisions turn that into the license verification (审验) system. Drivers aged 63 and over, and 70 and over, also face special rules. This guide explains who must do what, in plain English.
What verification checks
Verification covers three things:
- how you have handled traffic violations and accidents,
- whether you still meet the physical condition requirements, and
- your penalty points, including study and tests after reaching 12 points.
You fail verification if you have unresolved violations or accidents, if your health no longer meets the standard, or if you did not complete required study, education or tests.
When you renew your license (see renewing a license), you also go through verification as part of the same process.
Who must do a verification, and when
| Who | When |
|---|---|
| Holders of large bus, heavy tractor-trailer, city bus, medium bus or large truck licenses | Within 30 days after each scoring cycle ends. If you had no points in the cycle, you are exempt for that cycle |
| Holders of other classes (for example car classes) who caused a fatal accident with equal or greater responsibility and kept their license | Within 30 days after the scoring cycle ends |
| Drivers aged 70 and over who caused a serious injury or fatal accident with responsibility | Within 30 days after the scoring cycle ends |
| Everyone else | At license renewal |
So an ordinary car driver with no serious accident is verified when the license is replaced (every six or ten years, then at the long-term stage).
Extra study during verification
Drivers of large vehicles who had points in the cycle, and car-class drivers who caused a fatal accident, must complete at least three hours of study on traffic law, safe driving and emergency response, and receive accident case warnings. Drivers aged 70 and over must also pass the memory, judgment and reaction tests.
What happens if you skip it
- Driving after missing the verification deadline can lead to a fine of 200 to 500 yuan.
- Verification cannot be passed while violations or accidents remain unresolved, or while required study has not been completed.
Drivers aged 63 and over
- At 63, you may no longer drive a large bus, heavy tractor-trailer, city bus, medium bus, large truck, wheeled special machinery, trolleybus or tram.
- If you hold one of those licenses, you must exchange it for a small car or small automatic car license. If you hold a heavy tractor-trailer license, you can keep the light trailer class.
- Exception: if you want to continue with the larger vehicles, you can apply in the year before you turn 63 for an extension, if you pass memory, judgment and reaction tests. The extension lasts at most three years.
- The office will tell you to make the exchange within 30 days. If you do not, the larger classes are declared void.
Drivers aged 70 and over
- At 70, you may no longer drive low-speed freight vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, light trailers, or ordinary motorcycles. Motorcycle licenses are exchanged for a light moped; licenses including a light trailer are exchanged for a small car license.
- You can still hold a small car or small automatic car license, but you must:
- pass the memory, judgment and reaction tests when you renew or apply,
- have a physical examination every year, handed to the office within 30 days after the scoring cycle ends.
- If you do not submit the medical certificate within one year after the cycle ends, the license is cancelled. You can recover it by submitting a certificate if the license is still valid or expired by less than a year.
Foreign residents aged 70 and over
The Beijing government’s page says that people from outside the Chinese mainland who are 70 or older must complete renewal formalities at the General Vehicle Administration Office, and take the capacity test at a branch office first. Applicants for a temporary driving permit aged 70 or over must first pass a capacity test at a theory test room (see the temporary permit guide).
Quick answers
Do I need to do verification every year? No. For car classes it happens at renewal and after a serious at-fault accident. Large-vehicle drivers do it after each scoring cycle.
What if I am out of the country? You can ask for a delay. See replace a lost or damaged license.
Where are the tests? The Traffic Management 12123 app lists the driver theory test rooms.
Related
Sources
- Provisions on the Application for and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses (机动车驾驶证申领和使用规定), Articles 14, 65, 72, 73, 74, 79, 99
- Beijing Municipal Government (English): Renewal and Examination of Driving License
- Road Traffic Safety Law of the PRC, English translation (Supreme People's Court English site), provisions on drivers