Registering a Newly Purchased Bike in China

I recently bought a brand new Lifan 250P off a friend who had won it as a Prize. :clap:

Now I want to register it, as well as get my Chinese motorbike driving licence - I have western bike driving licence.

This shouldn't be difficult as I have western friends with motor cars and many of you own your own bikes, right? Simple, you would think. :rolleyes1:

So to start with I need a document with my western name and my (official) Chinese name. Huh? My visa in my passport states my western name but no Chinese name, and my tax document at work has my Chinese name typed and English name written on it, so that won't work either. :confused1:

So friends, where do I go from here? :confused1:

A proper Chinese puzzle. :gaah::gaah::gaah:

I am not sure about CQ, but in Beijing it is necessary to use your Temporary Residence Registration (both English & Chinese name) to get a driving license and/or register a bike in your name.

Often, your Chinese work unit will hang on to this document. Maybe they have it? Everyone has to have one (residency registration).

Hi LJH, thanks for your reply. I'll check with HR but I think they said that my residency document only has my English name. I'm at an international school with a bunch foreigners and they only seem to have English names on their documentation.

Two colleagues have bought vehicles but they were registered by the company they bought them from. I have someone looking into that.

Thanks again.

Dear Chinggis,

The problem is that the national motor vehicle registries seem unable to handle non-Chinese names. So you need an official document that links your western and Chinese names as both belonging to you. I'm not sure about procedures in CQ, but here in Shanghai you can go get a temporary residence certificate from the police any time, at no cost. Take your passport and work permit showing your western names, and any document you have that shows your Chinese name, and present them at the local 派出所 paichusuo i.e. neighborhood police station. Maybe also a business card if it has both names. Then ask the police to enter both on the Temporary Residency Certificate, and print out and chop a copy for you. That might be enough for getting your bike registered. If not, there may be other methods.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Can't wait to see ride reports and pix of your new steed.

Cheers!

Hi Euphonius

Thanks for the input. I understand from HR that when my residence certificate was issued they only put my English name on it. However it sounds like you're saying they can get another one, which I hadn't thought of. I think HR tried to take a my passport and a document with my Chinese name but the police wouldn't put my Chinese name on my Residence certificate, or wouldn't issue a new one. I'll try going myself. I'll let post the outcome here.

Once all is sorted out I'll definitely be posting ride reports and I've already got pics of the new steed (unlicenced of course) in the Street Forum, Post Pics of your new China Street Bike thread.

Go to the city's notarization office and make a notarized declaration about your both names, combine them with the passport number. Should do the trick. Work permit was never accepted in Kunming.

So, you need 2 things: Chinese Driving License and Bike Plates.

I. Chinese Driving License:

You need the following documents:
1. Original driving license
2. Your temporary residence permit with your Chinese name on it
3. Passport with a valid visa
4. Translation of your driving license in Chinese, stamped by the translating agency

Notes: many translation agencies have that service where you're provided with a translator to take your Chinese License computer. Those translators can do the test extremely well (it's their job) and will tell you the answers for a fee ranging between 300 and 500 yuan. They have some special ID, so they're allowed to the test room at Vehicles Management Department with you. They can also help you sort all the queues and documents when applying for the license.
You get the license 15 minutes after successfully passing the exam.

II. Bike Registration

It depends on if your city has banned the motorbikes or if it hasn't.
If it hasn't, you go to the Traffic Police HQ with the following documents:
1. Bike purchase receipt
2. Bike insurance
3. Bike "compliance" certificate (actually, I got no idea how to translate it correctly. They call it 合格证)
4. Your valid Chinese driving license
Note: Usually all the major bike shops can provide help in that matter and for a fee of 200-400 yuan will handle most of the staff for you.

If your city has banned the bikes, you will need:
1. Bike purchase receipt
2. Bike insurance
3. Bike "compliance" certificate (actually, I got no idea how to translate it correctly. They call it 合格证)
4. Your valid Chinese driving license
5. A paper stating that your bike is "taking place" of the bike that's gone "off the road" (terminally damaged or otherwise). This paper's called 报废单.
Note: in this case it's your best bet to go through a bike shop and the plate's price will be over 8000 RMB. The reason is: you need to buy that precious plate and the demand for them is high. The hole process in this case goes like this:
- The owner of the plate and you go to the 机动车市场 and register a plate in your name.
- Then both of you get the aforementioned documents and go to the Traffic Police HQ to put the plates from the "dead" bike now registered in your name onto your bike.

Hope it makes sense.
Cheers!