Driving In China

[TootTaLu]

Lots of information about driving in China.

Interesting section about "Right Of Way" in China.

 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China

 

Lately I have been seeing foreigners driving

ChangJiang 750 Motorcycles w/Sidecar.

 

http://www.chang-jiang.com/bmw/welcome.html

 

I think its very easy to get a temporary Chinese drivers license,that lasts as long as your China visa is valid.

 

The link says in ChengDu,you can take an English languang,"multiple choice" test to get a license.

[Tony_onrock]

It is very easy to get a driving license in China. In Shanghai, you just have to do a written test, all the questions and answers are provided right before the test and they test you on the exact same questions.

 

Driving is another matter. I bought a car and thus far did not attempt to drive myself.

[TootTaLu]

It is very easy to get a driving license in China. In Shanghai, you just have to do a written test, all the questions and answers are provided right before the test and they test you on the exact same questions.

 

Driving is another matter. I bought a car and thus far did not attempt to drive myself.

Its my idea to drive across China,probably on a motorcycle with sidecar.

I expect that I will get a 1 Year China Visa,because I will be married to a Chinese person,so I should be able to get a 1 Year Driving License.

 

My Chinese spouse can "own" the vehicle.

 

I would like to be able to drive from China to Laos/Thailand,or to Kazakhstan/Russia/Europe.

(I think there are situations where a "foreigner" is not allowed to drive the vehicle across the border,but can easily hire a driver for the actual border crossing.)

[toy_rn65]

How about riding a "HOG" across China. They have a Harley dealer in Beijing now. That would be a lot of fun!

[TootTaLu]

How about riding a "HOG" across China. They have a Harley dealer in Beijing now. That would be a lot of fun!

 

How much does a "knock off" Harley Davidson cost these days?

(What kind of people would name their kid "Harley" anyway???)

 

When I was in Japan I met many Harley owners.

[TootTaLu]

Lots of information about driving in China.

Interesting section about "Right Of Way" in China.

 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China

 

 

 

http://www.chang-jiang.com/bmw/welcome.html

 

 

 

The link says in ChengDu,you can take an English languang,"multiple choice" test to get a license.

Bump

[GZBILL]

It is very easy to get a driving license in China. In Shanghai, you just have to do a written test, all the questions and answers are provided right before the test and they test you on the exact same questions.

 

Driving is another matter. I bought a car and thus far did not attempt to drive myself.

Its my idea to drive across China,probably on a motorcycle with sidecar.

I expect that I will get a 1 Year China Visa,because I will be married to a Chinese person,so I should be able to get a 1 Year Driving License.

 

My Chinese spouse can "own" the vehicle.

 

I would like to be able to drive from China to Laos/Thailand,or to Kazakhstan/Russia/Europe.

(I think there are situations where a "foreigner" is not allowed to drive the vehicle across the border,but can easily hire a driver for the actual border crossing.)

 

Unless you have a resident permit allowing work or study in China and have held such for at least one year, you are not eligible to obtain a license in China. This rule may not be enforced very strictly in smaller cities and towns.

 

You can, however, buy a vehicle in your name without limitations. The rule is: have cash, can own.

Edited August 4, 2007 by GZBILL (see edit history)

[TootTaLu]

It is very easy to get a driving license in China. In Shanghai, you just have to do a written test, all the questions and answers are provided right before the test and they test you on the exact same questions.

 

Driving is another matter. I bought a car and thus far did not attempt to drive myself.

Its my idea to drive across China,probably on a motorcycle with sidecar.

I expect that I will get a 1 Year China Visa,because I will be married to a Chinese person,so I should be able to get a 1 Year Driving License.

 

My Chinese spouse can "own" the vehicle.

 

I would like to be able to drive from China to Laos/Thailand,or to Kazakhstan/Russia/Europe.

(I think there are situations where a "foreigner" is not allowed to drive the vehicle across the border,but can easily hire a driver for the actual border crossing.)

 

Unless you have a resident permit allowing work or study in China and have held such for at least one year, you are not eligible to obtain a license in China. This rule may not be enforced very strictly in smaller cities and towns.

 

You can, however, buy a vehicle in your name without limitations. The rule is: have cash, can own.

I saw a story recently on CCTV English about "renting" cars and getting "temporary driving license" for tourists.

This story was about Beijing and the 2008 Olympics,but they said this new driving law was for "China".

They even mentioned foreigners bringing cars in to China on a temporary basis,not exceeding the time limit on their "Tourist Visa".(Often I see MyanMar plates on cars in YunNan,and I have seen "car ferry" from Japan/South Korea advertised on the internet).

 

I have ran in to several foreign tourists recently in China owning and legally driving large motorcycles.

When I ask them,they tell me they are allowed to go "anywhere" in China legally,but they have "L" Visas,and they are really just travelers,not "English Teachers".

[GZBILL]

I saw a story recently on CCTV English about "renting" cars and getting "temporary driving license" for tourists.

This story was about Beijing and the 2008 Olympics,but they said this new driving law was for "China".

They even mentioned foreigners bringing cars in to China on a temporary basis,not exceeding the time limit on their "Tourist Visa".(Often I see MyanMar plates on cars in YunNan,and I have seen "car ferry" from Japan/South Korea advertised on the internet).

 

They are talking about Hong Kongers and those few countries bordering China where vehicular traffic is allowed. You will not see cars with North Korean plates, Vietnamese plates or Indian plates.

 

Yes, certain categories of foreigners (i.e. from non-adjacent countries) can import cars, put they must be new cars and the process takes at least a month to get the necessary paperwork. "L" visa holders are not amongst these and I seriously doubt Beijing will allow this for the Olympics when they already have 3 million domestic vehicles in Beijing and about 50% of them will be banned from driving during the Olympic period.

 

I have ran in to several foreign tourists recently in China owning and legally driving large motorcycles.

When I ask them,they tell me they are allowed to go "anywhere" in China legally,but they have "L" Visas,and they are really just travelers,not "English Teachers".

 

A lie. Don't believe everything you hear. Large motorcycles are available for purchase here, of course, but they are not able to be imported. Also, nobody can drive "everywhere" because there are several cities (i.e. Shanghai, Guangzhou & Beijing, amongst others) where nobody can operate a motorcycle, period. Another issue is that on a tourist visa you may be able to get a temporary license, you cannot get a temporary motorcycle license. The license system is not like in the States where you can get a car license which automatically allows you to operate a motorcycle. A car license and a motorcycle license are two distinct items here.

 

The vast majority of those "L" visa people you have met are really English teachers (over 50% work on "L" visas and "F" visas anyhow) and they stick to rural Hooterville type places just because there they do not get hassled for unlicensed operation ... yet. I know a lot of people like that, too, and the US consulate gets to meet quite a few of these people when they get into an accident and the cops are forced to take action because they were not authorized to operate a motorcycle -- usually 14 days detention and if there is bodily injury it can be a few months. The consulate has a stock of vitamins all ready for these people because that's all the consulate can do: listen to them cry once a month and give them a bottle of vitamins. Not a pretty picture. What kind of vitamins do you prefer?

 

Oh, and renting cars here means you rent the car and pay the rental company's driver to operate the car for you. Operations where you drive the car you rent yourself are very few and far between and I seriously doubt that they will let just anybody with a license rent a car like this unless you have a serious cash downpayment and ties to the country that far surpass an "L" visa.

Edited August 9, 2007 by GZBILL (see edit history)

[TootTaLu]

I found this website.

There is a photo of a Foreigner's Temporary Driving License.

 

The photos roll by.so if anyone here knows how to copy this photo and post it here,please do.

 

http://www.sidecar-solution.com/trip.htm

 

This license seems to be issued for a period of 14 days.

 

I know these "Motorcycle Rental" places have ways to get around the driving license problem,so this is not the "proper" way for a foreign spouse of a Chinese citizen to obtain a legitimate Chinese Driving License.

Also,there are special colored license plates for foreigners to use,and those are usually limited to a spicific city.

There are "black" colored license plates for foreigners to legally drive around in China,but these are expensive and difficult to get.

 

Im sure,having a Chinese spouse,I will be able to make this kind of "cross country" motorcycle trip in the future,independently without the assistance of a travel agency.

 

Theres a Spanish guy living regularly here in JingHong,and he is a famous Vespa motorcycle traveler and has written books about it.

He has a "driving license" for China,but even his is not "normal".Some Chinese person had to help him get it.

 

Im not any kind of motorcycle entheusiest,but I have decided a Chinese Motorcycle w/Sidecar is the most practical way for me to drive across China,possibly in to Russia and Europe.

 

 

I saw a story recently on CCTV English about "renting" cars and getting "temporary driving license" for tourists.

This story was about Beijing and the 2008 Olympics,but they said this new driving law was for "China".

They even mentioned foreigners bringing cars in to China on a temporary basis,not exceeding the time limit on their "Tourist Visa".(Often I see MyanMar plates on cars in YunNan,and I have seen "car ferry" from Japan/South Korea advertised on the internet).

 

They are talking about Hong Kongers and those few countries bordering China where vehicular traffic is allowed. You will not see cars with North Korean plates, Vietnamese plates or Indian plates.

 

Yes, certain categories of foreigners (i.e. from non-adjacent countries) can import cars, put they must be new cars and the process takes at least a month to get the necessary paperwork. "L" visa holders are not amongst these and I seriously doubt Beijing will allow this for the Olympics when they already have 3 million domestic vehicles in Beijing and about 50% of them will be banned from driving during the Olympic period.

 

I have ran in to several foreign tourists recently in China owning and legally driving large motorcycles.

When I ask them,they tell me they are allowed to go "anywhere" in China legally,but they have "L" Visas,and they are really just travelers,not "English Teachers".

 

A lie. Don't believe everything you hear. Large motorcycles are available for purchase here, of course, but they are not able to be imported. Also, nobody can drive "everywhere" because there are several cities (i.e. Shanghai, Guangzhou & Beijing, amongst others) where nobody can operate a motorcycle, period. Another issue is that on a tourist visa you may be able to get a temporary license, you cannot get a temporary motorcycle license. The license system is not like in the States where you can get a car license which automatically allows you to operate a motorcycle. A car license and a motorcycle license are two distinct items here.

 

The vast majority of those "L" visa people you have met are really English teachers (over 50% work on "L" visas and "F" visas anyhow) and they stick to rural Hooterville type places just because there they do not get hassled for unlicensed operation ... yet. I know a lot of people like that, too, and the US consulate gets to meet quite a few of these people when they get into an accident and the cops are forced to take action because they were not authorized to operate a motorcycle -- usually 14 days detention and if there is bodily injury it can be a few months. The consulate has a stock of vitamins all ready for these people because that's all the consulate can do: listen to them cry once a month and give them a bottle of vitamins. Not a pretty picture. What kind of vitamins do you prefer?

 

Oh, and renting cars here means you rent the car and pay the rental company's driver to operate the car for you. Operations where you drive the car you rent yourself are very few and far between and I seriously doubt that they will let just anybody with a license rent a car like this unless you have a serious cash downpayment and ties to the country that far surpass an "L" visa.

[GZBILL]

I found this website.

There is a photo of a Foreigner's Temporary Driving License.

The license on the website is fake.

 

The Shanghai and Beijing newspapers have recently run a lot of stores about dealers selling Japanese and European motorcycles as well as CJ 750's, solo and with sidecar, with fake or fraudulent documents and license plates -- usually produced in Hebei Province

 

It is impossible for a private individual to legally own a CJ 750 on the Mainland. Only specially formed businesses may buy them and then can lease them to an individual without the individual ever being to claim ownership. No imported motorcycles or motorcycles over 250cc can be licensed unless they have certification of import and proof of customs duty payment. Unless the motorcycle is licensed, it cannot be operated legally on any public roads.

 

Since it is cost prohibitive to legally import motorcycle, the vast majority of imported or over 250cc bikes found in China have been either illegally smuggled, stolen or the product of chop shops.

 

Between Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, there are a couple of dozen expats locked up for riding bikes with fraudulent documentation and / or driver licenses. Generally they are given 10 days detention, but new rules now allow up to 21 days without court process. The vast majority are deported once they complete the prescribed number of days in jail.

 

The US consulate is limited to visiting you once a month in jail and providing vitamins, recycled clothing and paper & pencil to write a letter home. Before you start your trip, let me know what kind of vitamins you prefer.

[TootTaLu]

I found this website.

There is a photo of a Foreigner's Temporary Driving License.

The license on the website is fake.

 

The Shanghai and Beijing newspapers have recently run a lot of stores about dealers selling Japanese and European motorcycles as well as CJ 750's, solo and with sidecar, with fake or fraudulent documents and license plates -- usually produced in Hebei Province

 

It is impossible for a private individual to legally own a CJ 750 on the Mainland. Only specially formed businesses may buy them and then can lease them to an individual without the individual ever being to claim ownership. No imported motorcycles or motorcycles over 250cc can be licensed unless they have certification of import and proof of customs duty payment. Unless the motorcycle is licensed, it cannot be operated legally on any public roads.

 

Since it is cost prohibitive to legally import motorcycle, the vast majority of imported or over 250cc bikes found in China have been either illegally smuggled, stolen or the product of chop shops.

 

Between Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, there are a couple of dozen expats locked up for riding bikes with fraudulent documentation and / or driver licenses. Generally they are given 10 days detention, but new rules now allow up to 21 days without court process. The vast majority are deported once they complete the prescribed number of days in jail.

 

The US consulate is limited to visiting you once a month in jail and providing vitamins, recycled clothing and paper & pencil to write a letter home. Before you start your trip, let me know what kind of vitamins you prefer.

Heres my plan (though Im not hell-bent on using a motorcycle,maybe Ill switch to Donkey Cart):

 

Be married to a Chinese person in America who is a legal licensed driver in China.

Return someday to China.

Buy one of those lovely Sidecar style motorcycles,my Chinese spouse being the legal "owner".

License and Register the vehicle in my Chinese spouse's name.

Wear an Uncle Sam suit,top hat and everything,cover the vehicle with "BOYCOTT BEIJING 2008 OLYMPICS" bumperstickers,fill the sky with jubulent gunfire and drive around china,the sidecar filled with XinJiang ditch weed.

 

Is dinner free in Chinese jail?

[GZBILL]

Heres my plan (though Im not hell-bent on using a motorcycle,maybe Ill switch to Donkey Cart):

 

Be married to a Chinese person in America who is a legal licensed driver in China.

Return someday to China.

Buy one of those lovely Sidecar style motorcycles,my Chinese spouse being the legal "owner".

License and Register the vehicle in my Chinese spouse's name.

Wear an Uncle Sam suit,top hat and everything,cover the vehicle with "BOYCOTT BEIJING 2008 OLYMPICS" bumperstickers,fill the sky with jubulent gunfire and drive around china,the sidecar filled with XinJiang ditch weed.

 

Is dinner free in Chinese jail?

 

Yeah, it's free, but do you think you'd really want to eat it?

[shaffej7070]

Heres my plan (though Im not hell-bent on using a motorcycle,maybe Ill switch to Donkey Cart):

 

Be married to a Chinese person in America who is a legal licensed driver in China.

Return someday to China.

Buy one of those lovely Sidecar style motorcycles,my Chinese spouse being the legal "owner".

License and Register the vehicle in my Chinese spouse's name.

Wear an Uncle Sam suit,top hat and everything,cover the vehicle with "BOYCOTT BEIJING 2008 OLYMPICS" bumperstickers,fill the sky with jubulent gunfire and drive around china,the sidecar filled with XinJiang ditch weed.

 

Is dinner free in Chinese jail?

 

Yeah, it's free, but do you think you'd really want to eat it?

 

Food is probably mixed with cardboard.

[DMikeS4321]

Lots of information about driving in China.

Interesting section about "Right Of Way" in China.

 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China

 

Lately I have been seeing foreigners driving

ChangJiang 750 Motorcycles w/Sidecar.

 

http://www.chang-jiang.com/bmw/welcome.html

 

I think its very easy to get a temporary Chinese drivers license,that lasts as long as your China visa is valid.

 

The link says in ChengDu,you can take an English languang,"multiple choice" test to get a license.

 

Wow, this is a GREAT thread!!! I've always been under the impression that it was next to impossible to get a Chinese drivers license. This is very, very interesting.

 

Also, the link to the Chinese BMW-like motorcycles is great. I've owned several BMW's in my life (most people don't know.... BMW stands for - Best Motorcycles in the World!) and I've been fantasizing about riding in China.

 

THANKS!!!