The temporary driving permit: can foreigners drive in China and how to get one?
Yes, on the licence you already have. The one extra step is a temporary Chinese driving permit, issued on the spot at the Shanghai and Beijing airports in about 30 minutes. Who is eligible, the five steps, the documents, the cost, and the offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
Yes, you can, and you drive on the licence you already have. The one extra step is a temporary Chinese driving permit (临时驾驶许可), which the traffic police issue against your home licence after you land. There is no driving test and no medical exam. With the permit and your passport, any rental company in mainland China will hand you the keys.
This is the question we hear most, and the step people worry about most, so let us take the worry away. We have done it ourselves many times, and we walk our clients through it. It is a document check, it is predictable, and at the Shanghai and Beijing airport counters it takes about 30 minutes.
- Your home licence is all you need to qualify. There is no driving test and no medical exam.
- The permit is issued on the spot at traffic police counters in Shanghai and Beijing, including at the airports. It takes about 30 minutes at the counter when your documents are ready.
- Bring your passport, your original licence, a certified Chinese translation of it, and two 1-inch ID photos. The translation is the one thing to get before you fly.
- The permit is either free or costs just a few dollars, depending on the city where you apply.
- If you stay up to three months, the permit is valid for three months. If you stay longer, it can run up to a year.
- You do not need an International Driving Permit. China does not use it, so you can save the fee.
On a Dragon Roads trip the permit visit is in your itinerary for the day you land, with the office and its hours. We prepare the translation with you before you fly, and we are one message away while you are at the counter.
So this page is really for doing it all yourself, or for knowing what is going to happen.
Who is eligible?
Almost anyone with a valid licence. These are the conditions:
- You are 18 or older.
- You hold a valid licence from your home country. Bring the original, not a photo of it.
- Your documents are valid, complete and match each other.
- You sit a short briefing on Chinese road safety law before the permit is issued. There is no driving test.
- If you are 70 or older, you must first pass a driving capability test at an approved theory test centre. You get up to five free attempts within a year of the first test.
- You have no record of a hit-and-run in China, no unresolved traffic violations here, and no penalty points that still need a course or an exam. For a first visit this is a formality.
Residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan follow the same process, with their Mainland Travel Permit instead of a passport.
What is the permit, exactly?
It is a short-term driving licence that the Chinese traffic police issue to visitors. If you stay up to three months, you get a permit that is valid for three months. If you stay longer, it can run up to a year. You apply after you land, with the passport you entered on.
A temporary driving Permit issued in Shanghai.
What it lets you do: drive a rental car registered in China, in class C1 (manual) or C2 (automatic), which covers every car you would rent. The class can never be higher than the class on your home licence. It also covers a vehicle you bring into China yourself, which has its own section below.
Drive a private car owned by a Chinese resident, rent a motorbike, or drive into Hong Kong or Macau. Tibet is a different case. The issue there is travel permits rather than driving permits, and foreigners can't self-drive independently.
The five steps
- Get the translation before you fly. You need a certified Chinese translation of your licence, from an agency the traffic police accept. For Shanghai you can order it by email and pay online; the two agencies are listed in the Shanghai section below. That route only works for a permit issued in Shanghai. For translations in Beijing, Guangzhou, or other cities, you'll need to find a certified translation company in China. Try Taobao if you have access to it. You'll also need to arrange for the physical copy to be delivered to your hotel in the city where you land.
- Land, and go to the office. Shanghai and Beijing have traffic police counters at the airports. In Guangzhou you book an appointment at a vehicle management office. The addresses, hours and phone numbers are under Where do I apply? Check the hours against your landing time. The Shanghai airport counters are closed on certain days and only open during business hours.
- Hand over the documents. Your passport, your original licence, the translation and two photos. The officer checks that they are valid, complete and match each other.
- Sit the short road-safety briefing. It covers Chinese traffic law. There is no test if you are under 70.
- Collect the permit. It is approved on the spot. Photograph it, then keep it with your licence and the translation, because you carry all three when you drive and show them at the rental counter and at any police check.
The translation. It has to be a certified one: a translation you did yourself, or one from an app, does not count.
For Shanghai you can order it by email before you land, which keeps the visit to about 30 minutes. If you need help with it, ask us. On our trips we prepare it with you before you fly.
An example of certified translation.
Which documents do I bring?
| Bring | Notes |
|---|---|
| Passport, with your entry stamp or visa | Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents bring the Mainland Travel Permit instead. |
| Original driving licence | The original card. A digital licence on your phone is not accepted. |
| Certified Chinese translation of the licence | By email for Shanghai. Please print it out. For other cities, you need to bring the original documents. |
| Two 1-inch colour photos, white background | Most offices have a paid photo booth or take the picture for you. |
Keep all of it in one envelope. When you drive, you must carry the permit as well as the original licence, and have the rental contract accessible in case the traffic police ask for it.
What does it cost, and how long does it take?
The permit itself costs a small government fee (a few US dollars), or is free in some cities. The translation costs more, typically 15-20 USD. At the Shanghai and Beijing airport counters the visit takes about 30 minutes once your documents are complete, but allow an hour in your plan so that a queue does not spoil the day.
Plan the permit visit for the day you land or the day after, and pick up the car after that. On our trips the visit is in the itinerary for that day, with the office and its hours, and we prepare the translation with you before you fly.
Where do I apply?
Where you land decides how easy it is. Shanghai and Beijing are the two cities where the whole thing happens at the airport, with no appointment, and they are where most of our trips start. Other cities work too, but they take a little planning. The permit is valid in the whole country, so if you land somewhere harder, the simple answer is often to get it in Shanghai or Beijing on the way in. The offices are mostly outside the city centres, so build the time into your plan.
- Shanghai
- Counters at both airports, no appointment, translation by email. Go to Shanghai
- Beijing
- Counters at both airports, bureau open at weekends. Go to Beijing
- Chengdu
- One office, weekdays. Go to Chengdu
- Guangzhou
- No airport counter, appointment by WeChat once you are in China. Go to Guangzhou
Shanghai
This is the smoothest option in China, because there are counters at both airports and you order the translation by email before you fly.
At the airports. The counters belong to the International Airport Traffic Police (国际机场公安分局交警支队).
- Hongqiao Airport
- No. 201 Konggang 1st Road (虹桥机场空港一路201号). Tel. 021 2895 2289.
- Pudong Airport
- No. 805 Huhang Road (浦东机场护航路805号). Tel. 021 6834 3234.
- Pudong Airport, inside the terminal
- Pudong Terminal Police Station (浦东候机楼派出所), 2F, on Middle Wuzhou Path, between T1 and T2. Tel. 021 68345653.
- Monday to Thursday
- 9:00 to 11:00 and 13:00 to 16:00
- Friday
- 9:00 to 11:00
- Public holidays
- Closed
The airport traffic police office at Pudong.
If the airport hours do not fit, these offices also issue the permit. All of them are closed on public holidays.
| Office | Open | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Pudong Traffic Police Brigade (浦东交警支队) | Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 16:30 | Block A, No. 459 Fute West 1st Road, Free Trade Zone (自贸区富特西一路459号A座). Tel. 021 2204 7395. |
| Vehicle Management Office 1 (车辆管理所一分所) | Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 | No. 2999 Huaxia West Road, Pudong (浦东新区华夏西路2999号) |
| Vehicle Management Office 2 (车辆管理所二分所) | Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 | Gate 3, No. 179 Qinchun Road, Minhang (闵行区沁春路179号3号门) |
| Vehicle Management Office 3 (车辆管理所三分所) | Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 | No. 2638 Hunan Highway, Pudong (浦东新区沪南公路2638号) |
| Vehicle Management Office 4 (车辆管理所四分所) | Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 | No. 299 Anfen Road, Baoshan (宝山区安汾路299号) |
The translation, ordered by email. Shanghai accepts a certified translation from the two agencies on its official list. You send a scan of your licence to the agency's email address, pay the fee as instructed (through Alipay transfer), and the certified Chinese translation comes back to you. This only works for permits issued in Shanghai.
- Shanghai SISU Translation Service Co. (上海外国语大学翻译总公司): [email protected], No. 573 Chifeng Road, Hongkou (虹口区赤峰路573号), tel. 021 6536 2032.
- Shanghai Foreign Affairs Translation Workers Association (上海市外事翻译工作者协会): [email protected], Room 1607, No. 1277 Beijing West Road, Jing'an (静安区北京西路1277号1607室), tel. 021 6321 8568 or 021 6323 9910.
Both agencies work Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 16:30.
Shanghai also accepts a translation from your embassy or consulate in China, or one notarized by a Shanghai notary office.
Source: How do people from outside the mainland apply for a temporary driving permit?, Shanghai Municipal Government, December 2024 (in Chinese and English).
Beijing
Beijing has counters at both airports, and a vehicle management bureau that is open at weekends.
- Capital Airport, Terminal 3
- The traffic enforcement station (交通执法站) on Level 1, Gate 7, Zone C, on the east side of the central plaza (北京首都国际机场中心广场东侧T3号航站楼C区1F层7号门). Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 16:30.
- Daxing Airport
- The vehicle management service station (车管服务站) on Level 2 of the terminal, 100 m west of the west exit of domestic arrivals (大兴机场航站楼二层国内到达西出口以西100米). Every day from 9:00 to 16:00, except public holidays.
- Beijing Vehicle Management Bureau, main office
- (北京市公安局交管局车辆管理所总所) No. 18 South 4th Ring East Road, Chaoyang (朝阳区南四环东路18号). Monday to Friday 8:30 to 18:00, weekends 9:00 to 16:00, except public holidays. The branch offices keep the same hours.
Chengdu
Chengdu issues the permit too. We have got it there ourselves. We recommend the following location for getting your drive permit:
- Traffic Police Sub-Bureau No. 3 (交警三分局)
- No. 50 Dongyi Street, Chengdu (东怡街50号), it's near subway station Dongguang, line 7. Monday to Friday 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00-17:00, except public holidays.
The traffic police station in Chengdu for temporary driving permit
Guangzhou
Guangzhou does not issue permits at the airport, and you need an appointment at a vehicle management office. You book it through the "Guangzhou Traffic Police" WeChat official account (广州交警公众号). In the mini program, choose the vehicle management service hall (车管服务大厅), then the appointment (业务预约), and enter a Chinese name. You may make one up.
The booking page does not open from abroad, only once you are in China.
If you find an office or hours that differ from this page, please tell us and we will update it.
What if I bring my own vehicle into China?
If you drive your own car or motorbike into China, the class on your temporary permit has to match the vehicle. You also need two more documents: a Temporary Entry Licence Plate and a Temporary Entry Vehicle Registration Certificate. Both are arranged at the port of entry, or with the traffic police of the city where you first enter, so prepare the papers before you arrive. Overland entry with a foreign vehicle also carries route and guide requirements that vary by region.
Questions we get asked
Can I drive in China with a US, UK, EU, Canadian or Australian licence?
Yes. Any of them is the basis for the temporary permit, which is issued after you land. You carry the permit, your licence and its translation together when you drive.
Does the International Driving Permit work in China?
You do not need one. China is not party to the conventions behind the IDP, so it is not used here. Your home licence and the temporary permit are what you need.
How long is the temporary permit valid?
Three months, if you stay up to three months. If you stay longer, the permit can run up to a year. You apply for it after you land.
Is a permit from Shanghai valid in Xinjiang?
Yes. The permit is national, so where you get it does not limit where you drive. The only limits are the places that are closed to foreigners anyway.
Can I get the permit on a Saturday?
In Beijing, yes, at Daxing airport or at the vehicle management bureau. In Shanghai, no: the airport counters close on Friday at 11:00 and open again on Monday.
Can two of us share the driving?
Yes, each driver needs their own permit, so both of you go to the office with your documents.
Can I rent the car first and get the permit later?
Yes, you can book the car before you have the permit, and upload the permit to your booking once you get it. The rental counter still needs to see the permit before it releases the car, so get the permit on the day you land or the day after, and pick up the car after that.
Can I drive the rental car to Hong Kong, Macau or Tibet?
Not to Hong Kong or Macau, which have their own licences and plates. Tibet needs an organised guided tour and is not an independent self-drive destination for foreigners. Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan are open, and a few border areas need a pass that we arrange.
Do I need to speak Chinese at the office?
No. It is a document check. The officer looks at the translation, the passport and the photos, and the briefing is short. A translation app is enough for any question.
What if I am not sure my licence qualifies?
Ask us. Tell us which licence you hold, and we will check it with you.
Next step
After the permit comes the car.
