Lost, Damaged or Changed Details? How to Replace Your Chinese Driver's License
Your Chinese driver’s license is a valuable document, and the rules treat different problems differently. This guide covers the common cases: loss, damage, a change of details, a change in your health, and delays caused by being abroad. The deadlines come from the Ministry of Public Security’s licensing provisions.
If you lose your license
You apply for a replacement (补发) at the vehicle administration office that issued the license, or at another vehicle administration office.
- Bring: your identity document. For foreigners that means your passport, valid visa or residence permit and the accommodation registration certificate, or the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card.
- Timing: if you qualify, the office reissues the license within one working day.
- The old license: once you receive a replacement, the old one is void and you may not use it. Continuing to use the old license after replacing it can lead to a fine of 20 to 200 yuan, and the police will confiscate it.
- You cannot apply while your license is held. If the license was seized, held or suspended by the police, you cannot apply for a replacement. Trying to get a replacement by hiding that fact is punishable by a fine of 200 to 500 yuan and the new license will be taken back.
- Safeguards: because lost and replaced licenses can be abused, the office may investigate if you replace your license very often. In that case an online application can be turned into a counter application.
Note: you may not drive while your license is lost. The law lists loss, damage, expiry and being held as periods when you must not drive.
If your license is damaged
If the license is damaged so that it cannot be read, apply for a replacement (换证) within 30 days. Bring your identity document. The office will replace it within one working day and take back the old license.
If your details change
If the information recorded on your license changes within the area of the issuing office, apply to replace it within 30 days. This covers things like name, nationality or identity document number. Bring:
- your identity document,
- your current license, and
- for a change of identity document number, the relevant proof of the change.
The Beijing government’s English page says that foreigners with changes in name, nationality or identity documents in Beijing must complete the process at the General Vehicle Administration Office. Other cities may use different counters, so ask locally.
Contact details
If your phone number or address changes, you should record the change with the issuing office within 30 days. Holders of licenses for large vehicles must also report a change of employer within 30 days (to the vehicle administration office where the employer is located). Failing to report can lead to a fine of 20 to 200 yuan for large-vehicle license holders.
If your health changes
- Your condition no longer meets the standard for your class, but you still meet a lower class: apply to downgrade your class within 30 days. Bring your identity document and a medical certificate.
- You no longer meet the medical standard at all, or you develop a condition that bars you from driving: apply to cancel your license within 30 days. Driving with a condition that makes you unfit is prohibited and can be fined 200 to 500 yuan.
- If you wear glasses or a hearing aid under your license conditions, you must wear them when driving.
If you move or live outside the issuing area
You may replace or renew the license at the vehicle administration office where you live, not only where it was issued. If you handle a renewal or replacement away from the issuing office, the provisions say your records are transferred to the new office at the same time.
If you are abroad, in the army or otherwise unable to renew
If you cannot renew your license, complete the verification, or submit the medical certificate on time because of military service or leaving the country, you can ask the issuing office for a delay. You must apply during the license’s validity or within one year after it expires. The delay can last up to three years, and you may not drive during the delay.
Can someone else handle this for me?
Yes. The provisions let a driver appoint an agent to handle renewal, replacement, medical certificate submission, verification, delays and cancellation. The agent brings their own identity document and your letter of authorization. Beijing says that if you authorize someone online through the Traffic Management 12123 app, a paper letter is not needed.
Summary table
| Situation | Deadline | Where | Time to issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| License lost | As soon as possible. Do not drive until replaced | Issuing office or any office | Within 1 working day |
| License damaged | Within 30 days | Issuing office or any office | Within 1 working day |
| Name, nationality or ID changes | Within 30 days | Issuing office (local rules vary) | Within 1 working day |
| Health no longer meets the class | Within 30 days (downgrade or cancel) | Issuing office | Within 1 working day |
| Contact details change | Within 30 days (record with the office) | Issuing office | n/a |