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Driver file · 01

How to Get a Temporary Chinese Driving Permit

A foreign licence or International Driving Permit does not by itself authorize you to drive in mainland China. You need a Chinese temporary driving permit or a full Chinese licence. If you bring a foreign-registered vehicle into China, the temporary permit must match both the category on your foreign licence and the imported vehicle. The vehicle's separate road permission controls the route and is valid for no more than three months; the longer-stay rule for driving Chinese vehicles is a different path.

Check my driver and vehicle class Open the driver checklist
Field verification2026-08-27China · overland

ADriver path and class

Separate the permit path before checking the category.

The result below is planning guidance. The Chinese issuing authority makes the final classification.
Foreign vehicle path: the driver permit must match the foreign licence and the imported vehicle. The vehicle road document is capped at three months.

Planning result

Enter the original licence category for a planning result.Use registration weight, seats and vehicle category—not appearance—for the filing.

Driver document checklist

01Foreign-vehicle driver file

Prepare the driver evidence around the actual vehicle.

Identity and licence

National rule
  • Entry/exit identity document
  • Valid foreign driving licence
  • Chinese translation when the licence is not in Chinese
  • Two recent one-inch, white-background colour photographs under Order No. 90

Fitness and activity file

National rule
  • Evidence that age and physical conditions meet the applicable Chinese class requirements
  • Organized-tour or activity evidence where the route relies on that process
  • The linked temporary vehicle-document file for a self-brought vehicle

Translation format

Local procedure

Translation provider, notarization and format are local acceptance details. Confirm them with the actual issuing office; do not assume one city's list applies nationally.

02Issuance dependency

Pre-check the driver before the border day.

Before and after vehicle admission

Operational advice
  • Pre-review driver class, name spelling and translations with the coordinator.
  • Complete customs admission, insurance and inspection for the vehicle.
  • Submit vehicle and driver road-document files in the sequence used by the issuing city.

Learning and final check

National rule
  • Complete the required Chinese road-safety law and regulation learning.
  • Check name, permitted class and validity on the issued document.
  • Carry the temporary permit, original foreign licence and Chinese translation together.

03Two paths, two clocks

The one-year rule is not a foreign-vehicle extension.

Self-brought foreign vehicle

National rule

Order No. 90 limits the temporary vehicle plate and registration to no more than three months and does not allow extension. The road journey cannot outlive that vehicle permission.

Chinese vehicle and a longer stay

Local procedure

Shanghai's current guidance describes a temporary driving permit of up to one year for a stay longer than three months. This does not extend a temporarily imported foreign vehicle's road permission.

04Failure conditions

Resolve mismatches before the appointment.

File and history risks

National rule
  • Invalid, incomplete or inconsistent evidence
  • Unresolved Chinese traffic violations or crashes
  • A Chinese hit-and-run record
  • Missing required road-law learning

Class and points risks

National rule
  • Foreign licence class does not match the imported vehicle
  • RV, trailer, heavy or motorcycle category cannot be safely inferred from appearance
  • A temporary driver reaching 12 points has the temporary permit cancelled

05Carry together

A permit is only one piece of the roadside wallet.

Driver and vehicle

National rule
  • Passport or entry/exit identity document
  • Temporary Chinese driving permit
  • Original foreign licence and Chinese translation
  • Temporary vehicle plate and registration document
  • Chinese compulsory insurance proof
  • Coordinator or interpreter contact where applicable

Evidence file

Sources and change log

Open an original source to verify scope. A source can support a national rule without confirming a specific port operation.
  1. 01

    Ministry of Public Security / State Council Gazette

    Provisions on Temporary-Entry Motor Vehicles and Drivers (Order No. 90) Retrieved 2026-08-27 · Temporary vehicle plates, driver permits, document requirements, route limits and three-month validity.
  2. 02

    Shanghai Municipal Government / Traffic Police

    How Foreign Visitors Apply for a Temporary Driving Permit Retrieved 2026-08-27 · Local application path and the separate rule for longer stays while driving Chinese vehicles.
  3. 03

    Ministry of Public Security / China Government

    Measures for the Administration of Points for Road Traffic Safety Violations Retrieved 2026-08-27 · Three points for hand-held phone use and cancellation of a temporary permit at 12 points.

Change log

2026-08-27Initial publication. Correctly separated the three-month foreign-vehicle road path from the longer-stay Chinese-vehicle permit path.