Ⅰ. Eligibility

Holders of foreign motor vehicle driving licenses staying for short-term entry in China may apply for a provisional driving permit valid for three months. Where their permitted period of stay exceeds three months, the validity period of the driving permit shall be consistent with their permitted stay duration, and shall not exceed one year.

II. Requirements for Application

 i. Requirements for age:

1. Those who apply for the driving category of small cars, small automatic transmission cars, small automatic passenger vehicles for persons with disabilities and mopeds shall be aged 18 and above;

2. Those who apply for the driving category of ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles and ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles shall be aged between 18 and 70 years;

3. Those who apply for the driving category of light tractor-trailers shall be aged between 20 and 70;

4. Those who apply for the driving category of low-speed cargo vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles and wheeled special-purpose machinery vehicles shall be aged between 18 and 63;

5. Those who apply for the driving category of city buses, medium-sized buses, large cargo vehicles, trolleybuses or trams shall be aged between 20 and 63;

6. Those who apply for the driving category of large buses or heavy tractor-trailers shall be aged between 22 and 63.

ii. Requirements for physical conditions:

1. Height: Those who apply for the driving category of large passenger vehicles, heavy tractor-trailers, city buses, large cargo vehicles, and trolleybuses shall have a height of 155 centimeters or above. Those who apply for the driving category of medium-sized passenger vehicles shall have a height of 150 centimeters or above;

2. Visual acuity: Those who apply for the driving category of large passenger buses, heavy tractor-trailers, city buses, medium-sized passenger vehicles, large cargo vehicles, trolleybuses, or trams shall have uncorrected or corrected visual acuity of 5.0 or above in both eyes on the logarithmic visual acuity chart. For those who apply for other driving categories, their uncorrected or corrected visual acuity of both eyes shall be 4.9 or above on the standard logarithmic visual acuity chart. Persons with monocular visual impairment, whose better eye has uncorrected or corrected visual acuity of 5.0 or above on the logarithmic visual acuity chart and a horizontal field of view of 150 degrees, may apply for a motor vehicle driving license for the driving category of small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, and small automatic passenger vehicles for persons with disabilities;

3. Color perception: No red-green color blindness;

4. Hearing: Applicants shall be able to identify the direction of a sound source when a tuning fork is placed 50 centimeters away from each ear, with each ear tested separately. Applicants with hearing impairment who can satisfy the above requirement with hearing aids may apply for a motor vehicle driving license for the driving category of small cars and small automatic transmission cars;

5. Upper limbs: Both thumbs shall be intact, each hand shall have at least three other intact fingers, and limbs and fingers shall have normal motor function. However, applicants with incomplete distal finger segments, or those with at least three intact fingers on the left hand and intact palms on both hands, may apply for a motor vehicle driving license for the driving category of small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles and three-wheeled vehicles;

6. Lower limbs: Both lower limbs shall be intact with normal motor function, and the length difference between the two limbs shall not exceed 5 centimeters. Applicants whose left lower limb alone is missing or has lost motor function while the right lower limb remains normal may apply for a motor vehicle driving license for the driving category of small automatic transmission cars;

7. Trunk and neck: No impairment of motor function;

8. Applicants whose right lower limb or both lower limbs are missing or have lost motor function may apply for a motor vehicle driving license for the driving category of small automatic passenger vehicles for persons with disabilities, provided they can sit upright independently and their upper limbs comply with the provisions of Item 5 of this subsection. Applicants missing one palm may also apply for the aforesaid driving category, on condition that the other hand has an intact thumb plus at least two other intact fingers, upper limbs and fingers have normal motor function, and their lower limbs comply with the provisions of Item 6 of this subsection;

9. Applicants aged 70 or above who pass the tests covering memory, judgment, reaction capacity and other cognitive abilities may apply for a motor vehicle driving license for the driving category of small cars, small automatic transmission cars, small automatic passenger vehicles for persons with disabilities and mopeds.

iii. Circumstances Rendering an Applicant Ineligible

1. Applicants suffering from any disease that endangers safe driving, including organic heart disease, epilepsy, Meniere's syndrome, vertigo, hysteria, paralysis agitans, mental illness, dementia, and neurological disorders affecting limb mobility;

2. Applicants who take or inject illicit drugs, or have an unremitted addiction caused by long-term use of dependence-forming psychotropic substances;

3. Applicants whose submitted certificates and supporting documents are invalid;

4. Applicants who fail to satisfy the eligibility requirements prescribed by Chinese laws and regulations;

5. Applicants with outstanding road traffic violations or unresolved traffic accidents incurred during their previous entry into China;

6. Applicants with a record of motor vehicle hit-and-run offences committed within China;

7. Other circumstances as stipulated by laws and administrative regulations.

III. Driving Categories Available for Application

Applicants may apply for driving categories consistent with those specified on their overseas motor vehicle driving licenses and shall comply with the following provisions:

i. For applicants driving motor vehicles brought into China on a temporary entry basis, the driving categories specified on their Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit shall also match the categories of such imported vehicles;

ii. For applicants driving motor vehicles rented in China, the driving categories covered by the Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit shall be small cars (C1) and small automatic transmission cars (C2).

IV. Relevant Provisions

i. Where a driver of a temporarily imported motor vehicle drives a motor vehicle temporarily imported by the driver on roads within China, and the place of entry or the place of departure is within this municipality, the driver shall apply to the traffic management department of the public security organ of this municipality for a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit;

ii. Where a temporarily entered motor vehicle driver drives a rented Chinese motor vehicle, the driver shall apply to the traffic management department of the public security organ of the municipality directly under the Central Government or the city divided into districts where the motor vehicle rental entity is located for a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit.

iii. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, Chinese citizens residing abroad, and foreign nationals holding driving licenses issued by France covering driving categories AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE, C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE, whose stay or residence in China does not exceed one year, who meet the requirements under the Provisions on the Application for and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses, shall be exempted from physical examination, training and tests and may directly apply for a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit valid for no more than one year. The permit covers driving categories B1, B2, C1, C2, D, E and F. Applicants for categories C1 and C2 may only drive rented motor vehicles, while applicants for categories B1, B2, D, E and F may only drive motor vehicles brought into China temporarily by themselves.

iv. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, Chinese citizens residing abroad, and foreign nationals holding driving licenses issued by Serbia covering 14 driving categories including AM and A1, whose stay or residence in China does not exceed one year, who meet the requirements under the Provisions on the Application for and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses, shall be exempted from physical examination, training and tests and may directly apply for a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit valid for no more than one year. The permit covers driving categories C1, C2, D, E and F. Applicants for categories C1 and C2 may only drive rented motor vehicles; applicants for categories D, E and F may only drive motor vehicles brought into China temporarily by themselves.

 V. Processing Agency

Vehicle Management Office of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau

VI. Application Locations

i. The General Vehicle Administration Office and its branches. Overseas applicants aged 70 or above must apply at the general office;

ii. The Vehicle Management Station on the first floor of Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport, and the Vehicle Management Station of Beijing Daxing International Airport.

iii. Beijing Government Service Center

VII. Required Documents

i. Entry and exit identity document of the applicant;

1. For Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents: Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, or Travel Document of the People's Republic of China issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

2. For non-Chinese permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region: Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Nationals);

3. For Chinese citizens settled abroad: Passport of the People's Republic of China;

 4. For foreign nationals: passport or other valid entry-exit document used upon entry into China, together with a valid visa, stay permit or residence permit; or Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card. For visa-free entry, the entry-exit identity document shall be the passport or other valid entry-exit document used upon entry into China.

"Permitted entry period" refers to the period of stay endorsed on the entry-exit identity document held by persons entering China temporarily.

5. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents holding the Mainland Residence Permit for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Residents who apply for a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit shall be exempt from submitting entry-exit identity documents.

ii. Overseas motor vehicle driving license held by the applicant. Where the license is not issued in Chinese, a Chinese translation issued by a translation agency or notarized by a notary public shall also be provided;

iii. Physical Condition Certificate for Motor Vehicle Drivers issued by medical institutions with health examination qualifications designated by the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, including hospitals at or above Grade II, township health centers, community health service centers and health examination centers; or physical fitness certificates issued by medical institutions at or above the regimental level designated by the Chinese People's Liberation Army or the Chinese People's Armed Police. Persons entering China temporarily applying for a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit for small cars or motorcycles are exempt from submitting such certificates. A hard copy certificate is not required if relevant information has been transmitted online;

iv. Temporary entrants taking part in organized competitions and other exchange activities shall also submit supporting documents issued by the relevant competent authorities of China;

v. Applicants who will drive motor vehicles brought into China temporarily shall also submit the license plate and vehicle registration certificate for such vehicles;

vi. Where a travel agency organizes foreigners to tour China in their own motor vehicles, supporting documents proving compliance with Chinese driving permit requirements shall be submitted;

vii. Two recent one-inch color photos, half-length, front view, bareheaded and taken against a plain white background.

VIII. Procedures for Drivers Who Accumulate 12 Demerit Points

i. Where a motor vehicle driver holding a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit issued by this Municipality accumulates 12 demerit points within one scoring cycle, the Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit shall be revoked. The driver shall complete the mandatory study and examination on road traffic safety laws in accordance with Beijing's policies for drivers who reach 12 demerit points;

ii. Where the holder of a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit for temporary entry accumulates 12 demerit points within one scoring cycle and fails to complete the prescribed study and examination on road traffic safety laws, regulations and relevant knowledge, the applicant shall not apply for a motor vehicle driving license or re-apply for a Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit.

IX. Processing Time

The application shall be completed within three working days upon acceptance.

X. Fee Standard

Cost of production for the Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit: 10 yuan per permit.

XI. Processing Procedure

Acceptance and review → Where the application complies with the applicable requirements, the competent authorities shall collect and retain the submitted documents and input the information → Production and issuance of the Provisional Motor Vehicle Driving Permit.

XII. Office Hours

The General Vehicle Administration Office and its branches: 8:30–18:00 from Monday to Friday; 9:00–16:00 on Saturdays and Sundays (excluding national statutory holidays).

The office hours of the Vehicle Management Service Station on Level 1 of Terminal 3, Beijing Capital International Airport, the Vehicle Management Service Station of Beijing Daxing International Airport and the Beijing Government Service Center shall be subject to their publicly announced opening hours.

VIII. Inquiry Hotline

+86-10-12123