Using a Chinese Driver's License in the U.S.

[Doug]

I wonder if AAA will issue you an international DL here, with your English translation and Chinese DL in hand? I only had one once and walked in their office and got it for 10 bucks but that was 15 yrs ago, hah.

 

Ah, now $15. I have no idea how it will work in reverse for you. http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

 

My phone will be on, so let me know. Just give me 5 hrs head start for Houston, or 2-3 hrs for Austin.

[Randy W]

I wonder if AAA will issue you an international DL here, with your English translation and Chinese DL in hand? I only had one once and walked in their office and got it for 10 bucks but that was 15 yrs ago, hah.

 

Ah, now $15. I have no idea how it will work in reverse for you. http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

 

My phone will be on, so let me know. Just give me 5 hrs head start for Houston, or 2-3 hrs for Austin.

 

 

Doug - that is fantastic. I think Plan B will have to be a car rental in Austin - which would make you Plan C.

 

If he tries to get me to sign anything, or anything else, I'll be walking - maybe literally.

 

I don't think the IDL would work in reverse, since they would have to do an actual translation of the Chinese characters. China is NOT a party to that, so they won't even translate INTO Chinese - nor will they even give you a cookie-cutter Chinese translation of an English license.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Doug]

 

I wonder if AAA will issue you an international DL here, with your English translation and Chinese DL in hand? I only had one once and walked in their office and got it for 10 bucks but that was 15 yrs ago, hah.

 

Ah, now $15. I have no idea how it will work in reverse for you. http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

 

My phone will be on, so let me know. Just give me 5 hrs head start for Houston, or 2-3 hrs for Austin.

 

 

Doug - that is fantastic. I think Plan B will have to be a car rental in Austin - which would make you Plan C.

 

If he tries to get me to sign anything, or anything else, I'll be walking - maybe literally.

 

I don't think the IDL would work in reverse, since they would have to do an actual translation of the Chinese characters. China is NOT a party to that, so they won't even translate INTO Chinese - nor will they even give you a cookie-cutter Chinese translation of an English license.

 

You mean you can't even get a white book translation of your Chinese DL?

If you do have one, I would think it easy to get an IDL, but then if a white book, maybe you don't need it....??

Edited January 11, 2015 by Doug (see edit history)

[Randy W]

 

 

I wonder if AAA will issue you an international DL here, with your English translation and Chinese DL in hand? I only had one once and walked in their office and got it for 10 bucks but that was 15 yrs ago, hah.

 

Ah, now $15. I have no idea how it will work in reverse for you. http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

 

My phone will be on, so let me know. Just give me 5 hrs head start for Houston, or 2-3 hrs for Austin.

 

 

Doug - that is fantastic. I think Plan B will have to be a car rental in Austin - which would make you Plan C.

 

If he tries to get me to sign anything, or anything else, I'll be walking - maybe literally.

 

I don't think the IDL would work in reverse, since they would have to do an actual translation of the Chinese characters. China is NOT a party to that, so they won't even translate INTO Chinese - nor will they even give you a cookie-cutter Chinese translation of an English license.

 

You mean you can't even get a white book translation of your Chinese DL?

If you do have one, I would think it easy to get an IDL, but then if a white book, maybe you don't need it....??

 

 

 

I don't think they'd be capable of that kind of translation, but I didn't think to try. Did your friend who rented a car have a white-book translation?

 

I have an "official" translation from the university. But I think for the IDL, the IDL people would need to do their own translation from the actual Chinese driver's license - which I don't think they're capable of,

 

In any event, I'm leaving in about 3 hours.

 

My sister will be there in Pasadena Wednesday around noon.

[Randy W]

I guess they don't get very many Americans trying to leave China with a completely blank passport - I was detained for all of about 5 to 10 minutes while the immigrations people tried to figure me out

 

I'm staying in Hong Kong's Central district for about 24 hours until my flight leaves - IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!

[Randy W]

The Airport Express train from Central is GREAT! You get to check in (including checking your bags) before you ever board the train. Now i get to sit at the airport for 3 hours until my flight leaves. I'm hoping they'll post the gate sometime soon.

[Randy W]

Well, the Texas driver's license seems out of the picture - they now require PROOF of having lived in the state for 30 days before you can take the test (this doesn't apply if you are surrendering a license from another state). That's proof in the form of a utility bill, rental contract, something actually concrete as far as living here - in the past, they've simply accepted a letter addressed (and delivered) to yourself for proof of address.

 

So it looks like I'm stuck with the Chinese license. I have my sister's car for the remainder of this trip, which I'll leave in long term parking until my next trip in March or April, so I really won't know about renting a car with the Chinese license until we try, maybe in October.

 

At least I have a plan, for now.

[Doug]

Well and you drove a car anyway, so all is good.

[Randy W]

Even got a ticket while using the Chinese license - the cop said all he needed was something he could read in English - I showed him the translation from the University. But he did put it on my old (expired) TDL.

[yuehan123]

I wonder if AAA will issue you an international DL here, with your English translation and Chinese DL in hand? I only had one once and walked in their office and got it for 10 bucks but that was 15 yrs ago, hah.

 

Ah, now $15. I have no idea how it will work in reverse for you. http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

 

My phone will be on, so let me know. Just give me 5 hrs head start for Houston, or 2-3 hrs for Austin.

I went to the website referenced and then to the AAA application. The application states "Issuance of Permit is restricted to persons EIGHTEEN YEARS or over who hold a valid U.S.A. or Territorial License."

 

The requirement to "hold a valid U.S.A. or Territoral License" would sweem to rule out this option.

 

Further, my wife tells me (emphatically) that her friend and the friends brother, both from China, and non-US Citizens, reported having and using an IDP (International Driving Permit) during a trip to the US last summer.

 

In addition, the brother is known to have rented a car in several different states with only his Chinese Driver's License and the IDP. No answer to my question to the wife, "How did they get the IDP.?"

[Randy W]

 

I wonder if AAA will issue you an international DL here, with your English translation and Chinese DL in hand? I only had one once and walked in their office and got it for 10 bucks but that was 15 yrs ago, hah.

 

Ah, now $15. I have no idea how it will work in reverse for you. http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

 

My phone will be on, so let me know. Just give me 5 hrs head start for Houston, or 2-3 hrs for Austin.

I went to the website referenced and then to the AAA application. The application states "Issuance of Permit is restricted to persons EIGHTEEN YEARS or over who hold a valid U.S.A. or Territorial License."

 

The requirement to "hold a valid U.S.A. or Territoral License" would sweem to rule out this option.

 

Further, my wife tells me (emphatically) that her friend and the friends brother, both from China, and non-US Citizens, reported having and using an IDP (International Driving Permit) during a trip to the US last summer.

 

In addition, the brother is known to have rented a car in several different states with only his Chinese Driver's License and the IDP. No answer to my question to the wife, "How did they get the IDP.?"

 

 

 

AAA stands for AMERICAN Automobile Association - it would stand to reason that they would ONLY be prepared to generate IDL's for their own members.

 

An IDL is simply an authenticated translation of a foreign (to whatever country you're driving in) driver's license. Like I said, the cop who pulled me over said that he'd just need something he could read.

 

Mine, generated at the Yulin Normal University, was adequate at least for the traffic stop and for a month's worth of driving.

 

They are generated by any number of official to semi-official to not-official-at-all organizations.

[johnny206]

Sorry to be late to the party but I believe Enterprise is the only rental agency that will let you rent with a Chinese driver's license. I got this info from my wife's friends visiting US. You can call Enterprise and confirm.

[Randy W]

Sorry to be late to the party but I believe Enterprise is the only rental agency that will let you rent with a Chinese driver's license. I got this info from my wife's friends visiting US. You can call Enterprise and confirm.

 

 

Thank you very much for that tip - that is exactly who I was planning to check with. I'll need that information for my next trip in March or April.

 

I'm also wondering if I can rent locally, or if I'll have to go to the airport to get the rental, since I'll have my own (sister's former) car initially, but I can figure that out when the time comes.

[Doug]

What did you do about the speeding ticket heheee

[Randy W]

What did you do about the speeding ticket heheee

 

 

Nothing yet - I'll pay it online - by April 5 is the court date. I think it's around $150. To take the Defensive Driving class, it says that I would need a "current Texas driver's license", so I don't think that would work for me.