Tips for expats on getting a Chinese driving license

If you’re intending to drive in China, you’ll need to get a Chinese driving license as the country doesn’t accept international driving permits.

So you’ve arrived in China, but miss self-drive as a way of life and aren’t sure about what’s needed to allow you to get behind the wheel! It’s the same story for many expats new to this confusing country and its bureaucracy, with getting a Chinese driving license just one of the many challenges awaiting expats.

First of all you’ll need to get together all the documentation needed, starting with your passport, Chinese visa for a stay of at least three months and your residency permit. Also necessary is proof of your temporary registration at the local police station along with one photocopy. Slightly more of a nuisance is a certified and translated version of your home country driver’s licence, obtained only at an authorised translation office. Lastly, you'll need your medical check report and five full-colour photos taken against a white background.

At this point it gets scary as you’ll need to pass a written exam which isn’t always available in the English language, dependent on your location. In smaller cities you’ll need to get a translator to help, but in Shanghai there’s no problem except for the exam itself – 100 multi-choice questions to be answered within 45 minutes – with 90 per cent of your answers needing to be correct! If you fail, you can try again the same day.

If you don’t have a driving license, it’s far easier to go everywhere by taxi as you’ll have to take no less than four exams. The first is a 100-question paper on traffic laws and regulations as well as the mechanical aspects of cars. The second, off-road test involves basic driving skills on a track, and the third is another written test involving 50 questions on correct driving habits. The last is an on-road driving test and paperwork requirements are as described above. As yet, there are no statistics on the average success rates of expat drivers!