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Why You May Need a Chinese Driver’s License

For people like me who live overseas long-term, it can be really inconvenient to return to China and need a car for travel.

  • First, there is the cost issue. If you need to get around frequently, ride-hailing and taxi costs add up quickly.
  • Second, in many places it is not convenient to get a taxi at all, especially in smaller cities or resort areas where ride coverage is limited. Sometimes you can wait 20 to 30 minutes and still not get a car.

I happened to be planning a trip to Sanya after finishing finals and graduating, and since the major attractions and recreational facilities in Sanya are fairly spread out, it is especially well suited for renting a car and driving yourself. So I immediately started searching various platforms for the steps and required documents to convert my license. That said, all document requirements are ultimately subject to the rules of your local vehicle administration office.

Relevant Regulations

According to Article 34 of the Provisions on the Application for and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses issued by the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China:

Article 34: A person holding an overseas motor vehicle driver’s license who applies for a motor vehicle driver’s license shall take Subject 1. If applying for a license for large passenger vehicles, tractor-trailers, city buses, medium passenger vehicles, or large trucks, the applicant must also take Subject 3.

If a mainland resident holds an overseas motor vehicle driver’s license but, at the time the license was obtained, had resided continuously in the issuing country or region for less than three months, that person must take Subject 1, Subject 2, and Subject 3.


The key point is that you must have resided continuously for three months in order to be exempt from Subject 2 and Subject 3. In general, the local vehicle administration office will use your immigration entry/exit records to determine whether you stayed overseas continuously for three months, and will not consider the exact date when you obtained the license. However, some offices can be stricter and may carefully compare the date you got the license with your entry date. If you do not meet their interpretation of the requirement, I would suggest trying a different vehicle administration office or going back on another day.

Conversion Steps and Required Documents

Because standards vary somewhat by region, below I will use my own experience converting a New York State driver’s license at the Nanchang Vehicle Administration Office as an example. These are the documents and materials you need to prepare before applying:

  1. Original ID card
  2. Original passport
  3. Original foreign driver’s license (must still be valid)
  4. Chinese translation of the foreign driver’s license plus the translation agency’s business license
  5. Make sure you stayed overseas for at least three months
  6. Medical exam certificate [Editor’s note: Some vehicle administration offices work with designated medical exam providers that are fast, convenient, and reasonably priced.]
  7. Two 1-inch color photos with a white background [Editor’s note: Some vehicle administration offices provide free photo-taking and printing.]
  8. A Subject 1 exam score of at least 90 out of 100 [Editor’s note: Definitely practice the question bank in advance; apps such as 驾考宝典 can help.]

Here is a more detailed explanation of what these items mean:

  • 1/2/3: Self-explanatory; originals are required.
  • 4: In Nanchang, the translation must be done by a translation agency designated by the Nanchang Vehicle Administration Office.
  • 5: The vehicle administration office will use your identity information to check with the National Immigration Administration whether you stayed overseas for at least three months.
  • 6/7: Both can be handled at the self-service machines on the first floor of the vehicle administration office.
  • 8: After paying the application fee, you can usually be scheduled directly for the exam.

One thing to emphasize: some US driver’s licenses have the word Temporary printed on them because, when we applied, we held F1 status or another temporary nonimmigrant status, and some states add that wording. What it means is that the license was issued on a temporary basis, with the expiration date tied to your F1 or other immigration status expiration date.

So when getting the license translated, it is best to explain this clearly to the translation company: the temporary aspect refers to your immigration status, not that the license itself is a “temporary driver’s license.” Do not let them translate it directly as “temporary driver’s license,” because some vehicle administration offices may reject the conversion as soon as they see that wording. As for the exact translation, you should coordinate with both the translation company and your local vehicle administration office. Once the situation is explained clearly, they usually will not make things difficult.

Costs

Continuing with my own case as an example, excluding transportation costs:

  • Translation: 150rmb
  • Medical exam and white-background photos: 40rmb total
  • Application fee and license issuance fee: 52rmb
  • Total: 242rmb【Nanchang; prices may vary by region】

How to Convert Your License Efficiently

I was able to get my Chinese driver’s license within one day at relatively low cost. Here is a reference process:

  • I recommend calling your local vehicle administration office first and specifically asking whether your household registration location affects your ability to apply.
  • Confirm exactly what materials the local office requires and whether photos and the medical exam can be done on site.
  • Ask whether you must use a designated translation agency (as far as I know, in some places such as Beijing, you may be able to translate it yourself based on a template).
  • Also confirm the office’s processing hours, then download a test-prep app such as 驾考宝典 to simulate the Subject 1 exam.

Recommended order:

  • Download one or more driver’s test apps and practice the Subject 1 question bank, especially your incorrect answers. Only consider converting your license once you can consistently score above 95 on practice tests [Editor’s note: Take this seriously; getting 90 with no prep is fairly difficult].
  • Go directly to the translation company for the translation.
  • Go to the vehicle administration office for photos and the medical exam.
  • Go to the service counter to apply and tell the staff you want to convert an overseas driver’s license to a domestic one.
  • Take the Subject 1 exam on site [Editor’s note: You get two chances on site; if you fail once, you can usually take the second attempt right away].
  • After passing, the license is issued on the spot.

If you have done your homework in advance, the whole process can be completed in one day without making multiple trips, which saves a lot of time.

Finally, if you later move back to the US, it seems that renting a car in the US through Chinese platforms using a Chinese driver’s license can be cheaper than renting through US platforms.

Editor’s Additional Notes

Why would we want to convert a US driver’s license into a Chinese one? There are actually quite a few opportunities here.

A Roundabout but Effective Way to Get a Mainland Driver’s License Quickly and Cheaply

The US driving test is relatively easy, and the cost of getting a license is also low. If you first obtain a US driver’s license and then convert it into a Chinese driver’s license by only taking Subject 1, it can be a very convenient, fast, and low-cost path. This avoids the cumbersome and expensive process of attending driving school in China.

Many US states allow people on tourist visas (B1/B2) and dependent visas (such as J2 and F2) to apply for a US driver’s license. You can study for and obtain a US driver’s license while in the US, then convert it after returning to China.

We recommend trying to convert to a Chinese driver’s license only after you are already comfortable driving in the US. Do not abuse this rule, and definitely do not convert if you do not yet know how to drive.

Using a Chinese Driver’s License to Rent Cars Cheaply in the US

The contributor mentioned this angle, so we want to note it here briefly as well. We will write a separate walkthrough later.

One important point: not every state supports driving with a Chinese driver’s license in the US, but most US rental car companies do allow pickup using a Chinese driver’s license, and rental prices can be far lower than when renting with a US driver’s license.

So if you hold both Chinese and US driver’s licenses, you are in a very advantageous position when renting cars in the US【you can both secure lower rental prices and remain legally able to drive in all states】.

In the US, foreign renters often get lower rental prices than local residents. In principle, you generally need to book through a non-US OTA, and when picking up the car in person you should present your Chinese driver’s license (although many rental companies do not strictly verify the Chinese license, and in some cases even a US license may work for pickup, it is still safer to have the Chinese license ready).

We will do a practical walkthrough of the exact steps in a future article.