Shanghai Motorcycle Driving School - complicated question

Yeeeehaaaaaw, I'm going back to China.
This time it's Shanghai, after I used to live in Beijing for several years. I will arrive in 2-3 weeks.
So I have a question about getting a proper D license:

My story so far:
I only hold a foreign car license. So when I lived in BJ, I went to the Laoshan driving school and did my Chinese D license.
Naive as I was I assumed I could just transfer my car license at the same time while taking the computer test. But the friendly lady at the DMV told me that I could only get one at a time - motorcycle OR car - then wait for one year to get the other.
At that time I was not in the financial situation to afford a car, so I opted for the motorcycle D license. Took the weird tests and lived happily for one year.
After waiting 12 months I came back to the DMV asking to transfer my foreign car license into my existing Chinese license. The same lady told me then that a Chinese DL can only be issued ONCE and that I could only add new vehicle classes by passing the exam in a driving school. Transferring a foreign license would mean issuing a Chinese license.

As you can imagine I was outraged. But I had no choice, the Baoan gentleman was already standing next to me, as I voicefully questioned the logic of a Chinese regulation once again... So I called two driving schools to learn that they charged foreigners around 8K for the car license. Anyhow, as I needed the car license soon, that was not really an option. The lady came up with the solution: she could cancel my Chinese D license, then take my application for transferring my foreign car license. After one year I should go back to Laoshan and do the D license again. This way I would "only" lose 2K - the price of the D license at that time.
So, that's what I did. She stamped the papers and handed them to me: "恭喜你"

Then after another year I went back to my home country, as I changed my job and received a 10 month training in my new company's headquarter, before they'll send me to SH next month. That means, I couldn't do the D license then.
Now I am coming back to China and I am eager to ride again.

And here are my questions:
1. My current C1 license has been issued in Beijing. After I now move to Shanghai, can I go to a driving school there and add the D license? That being me having a proper (new) residence permit, working permit, police registration AND NEW PASSPORT. Or do I have to do that in BJ? If so, do I have to have a police registration (居留证) from BJ or is SH ok? I could go to BJ 3-4 times (registration at school, computer test, road test first day, road test exam day), but i don't want to rent an apartment there.

2. If I can do the whole process in SH - as I hope - which driving school offers motorcycle licenses (D preferred) and takes foreigners? (Name and address would be splendid.)

3. Is there anything else that I should know in this situation?

Thanks everyone for your help! :)

Dear Xiaofei,

The woman you dealt with is incredibly stupid and vile, and ignorant -- a typical bureaucrat abusing authority to make her feel superior to others.

I'd check first with the Shanghai authorities, see what can be done. They probably will say you cannot modify an existing license for one year, and perhaps not at all if it was issued elsewhere in China. What you might end up having to do is have your Beijing C1 license canceled and start all over fresh with a Shanghai license, and get the C1E or C1D.

Any chance for an overseas trip to get your motorcycle endorsement sorted? In my home state, California, it can be done in one weekend by taking the two-day Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, then visiting the DMV to upgrade your car license. Having the valid car license with motorcycle endorsement from another country makes things here a whole lot easier...

Welcome to Shanghai. What brings you to this (generally, on a good day) fair city?

euphonius

Hi euphonius,

Thanks for your reply.

I guess you are right, getting the motorcycle license here in Germany, then just transferring both (car & motorcycle) to a new Chinese license would be the easiest in terms of bureaucracy. But here the license is much more expensive and time consuming to get, as it is mandatory to ride several hours on highways, on country roads and at night. Currently, the total price is around 2K Euro (2,700 USD or 17K RMB) and it takes at least 3 months to complete the whole process in an ordinary driving school. Of course there are schools that offer crash courses in one week, but these are even more expensive and I would need to use my holidays (which I already needed for a 3 week trip to the US by the way. :) Beautiful country! But unfortunately we arrived two days before the government shutdown and so didn't get into any of the National Parks. Still, the reservations and the State parks were great!)
Last but not least, I still have the small hope that I can find a solution in China and spend the saved cash on the next bike or plate. ;-)

Assuming the Shanghai DMV ladies/regulations are actually letting me change my address (BJ to SH) and then apply for the D license upgrade, where can I find a driving school in SH that offers D/E classes (D preferred) and also takes foreigners?

About my upcoming engagement in SH: I am an industrial engineer, used to work in BJ as a project manager for a small company developing energy and environmental projects. In early 2013 I took the offer of an SME that is trading all types of fasteners. They needed someone in their Shanghai branch to take care of the technical issues. As a preparation they gave me a 10 months training in Germany and will now send me to China after the holidays (and the arrival of my invitation letter).

I used to ride in Beijing, mostly on the dirt track, in the mountains and the river beds. Still have one bike, a CQR250, parked over there and a loyal friend who guards it. In Shanghai I am looking to buy a Shineray X2 for the dirt and an affordable yet plateable (probably Waidi or 沪C) scooter for the road. In Germany I had a 2009 Honda CRF 250R, which the Chinese custom guys probably won't let me bring in. :(

Dear Xiaofei,

Sounds like a good gig you've worked out. If you are employed with income, Shanghai is a good place to live. If you like mountains and wilderness, you'll need to allocate a portion of that income to making it happen, since there's nary a tree nor a mountain within 3-4 hours' ride from here.

No, you won't be able to bring your 2009 Honda in. Only new bikes can be imported and registered, and that, by bikerdoc's and others' telling, is complicated, expensive and time-consuming. Generally not worth the trouble.

As for the license, the motor vehicle management bureaucracy here is relatively transparent and efficient, and we rarely hear about bullshit-spewing tyrants like the one you encountered in Beijing a few years ago. I do expect that they'll suggest you cancel your C1 license, since it's from a different jurisdiction, and start from scratch on a C1E. The "Getting a License" thread has recent tales from people who've done just that, and you can PM them for specific advice about where they went. Don't hold your breath for an English- (or German-) speaking training center; most probably don't even speak good Mandarin, only Shanghainese. But this has not been an obstacle for other expats in recent memory. If you can figure out how to make a tattered old carcass of a 125cc bike run in a straight line, up a little incline (OK I lied about there being no mountains) and down the other side, and maybe run through a few turns, you'll be one of the most supremely qualified riders on the streets of Shanghai! (For many local riders, the only "straight line" is the short cut across seven lanes of traffic and down the wrong side of the street to avoid an intersection, and they will be the bane of your riding existence.)

Too bad you didn't apply for a motorcycle license during your US trip. Driving licenses are a birthright in America! For what it costs there in Germany, you could finance another trip to the US, including the two-day MSF certification...

Which holidays are you arriving after? The one tomorrow, or the Chinese New Year? We'll see if we can get a handful of MCM denizens out of their frigid caves for a welcoming Glühwein...

cheers
euphonius

I got info from GZ
8800¥ they pay off the dmv etc then the same day you get legal car and bike license
Job done so it seems

Happy New Year!

Yes, I meant the (western) New Year holidays. The flight is booked and I will arrive on 16 Jan. I'm excited!
Looking forward to that Glühwein! :thumbsup::clap:

The driving school drill seems pretty much the same as in Beijing. It took less than 2 minutes to complete. The two guys from the DMV didn't even leave their VW Passat, they used arrived, rolled down the windows and as soon as the crowd hit the course, they started writing and handing out the documents through the windows. :lol8:

Ok, I found one school through MCM, which offers D:

Shanghai Junti Qiche Jiashi Peixun
http://www.shjtpx.com/


Next steps: arriving in SH, converting the Z-Entry-Visa into a 1-year Residence Permit (before CNY, haha), changing the address on my Chinese C1 license from BJ to SH, registering for D license.
Wish me luck!

Cheers
xfei

Quote:

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Originally Posted by euphonius

[...] For many local riders, the only "straight line" is the short cut across seven lanes of traffic and down the wrong side of the street to avoid an intersection, and they will be the bane of your riding existence. [...]
cheers
euphonius

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^ LOL ^

Yea be ready for those..

- - -

Here are a few other addresses that might come in handy depending on where u're located in SH.

This is where I passed my C1E license in 2010, south of Xujiahue (that info is vintage 2009, still I doubt those move):

Shanghai Drivers License Building:
Gate 3, 179 Qing Chun Road , Xin Zhuang (Near Chun Shen Road / Hu Min Road ). The tel. no. is 021-64987070 x 54280 or 54279


Found this too, seems to have a different address, vintage 2009 too:

Attachment 14788


There's also this traffic center on Hami rd, those pics are new, west side of Shanghai this time, between inner ring and Hongqiao Airport:

Attachment 14789

That's all traffic centers I know of, there probably are more.

Best of luck.

Great info! Thank you!
I have finally arrived in Shanghai. Next week I'll target the next step on my todo list. :mwink:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xiaofei

Great info! Thank you!
I have finally arrived in Shanghai. Next week I'll target the next step on my todo list. :mwink:

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Exit strategy perhaps... ummm okay... call me cynical... or just my jaded view having spent the better part of 3 weeks riding over in here Thailand on a Honda CB500X on all manner of road surfaces including rough and ready trails including single track which the very road biased Pirelli Scorpions have coped admirably with... no the real difference is the courtesy, road awareness of pretty much 99% of the other road users here display... something sorely lacking in PRC. I've not once in the 4000-5000km covered thus far felt the need to use the horn button... not once. In PRC, that is a minute to minute occurrence.

Opps, seems like a thread hijack... back to the topic at hand... good luck with the D/L... might be better to start from scratch in SH as opposed to dealing with the likely bureaucracy of undertaking the BJ-SH D/L transfer process... oh, no there's the cynical view again.

I'd only add that I've found the perfect bike to riding in PRC... a CB500X.... awesome ride...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bikerdoc

I'd only add that I've found the perfect bike to riding in PRC... a CB500X.... awesome ride...

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I haven't even ridden one but I agree 100%. that's becuase I've ridden two examples of their older CB500 and CBF500, so with the updates, well all I can say is Sundiro Honda need an award for 'dumbest most short-sighted factory of the decade award' for not pushing Honda Japan into allowing them to manufacture the CB500 in China.

Here's an update:

I went to the Cheguansuo in Hamilu today. Unfortunately, it is only possible to do this kind of buerocratic stuff during the work hours Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. So I had to wait until our company shuts down due to power blackout, which did not take that long.

After taking the pictures, doing the 体检, paying several small bills and waiting for two hours in building #1 the unfriendly officer (why are they all dick heads? Ok, the girls at the 体检 weren't.) told me I should go to Beijing first and change the passport number on my driving license. Then I could come back and change the address in Shanghai...
Gee, what an uncomplicated process. Why have access to other cities' system in the same country, if you have some annual vacation left, can buy cheap flight tickets and just fly there?! But for the really lazy people, who prefer to use their vacation for family time and their money for PM2.5 masks we still have agencies, who do their guanxi-magic for just half the price of the air fare.
Sometimes I hate this country... ok, most of the time.

So that's the next step: tomorrow i will shunfeng my old and new passports together with my Beijing DL, an original Paichusuo Dengji Biao (police registration) and a one pager description of the situation (情况说明) in my best Putonghua to a trustful agent in Beijing I just googled. He claims he can do it and shunfeng everything back in two days for just 800 precious RMB. (They have an English website, so that's enough for me to trust him with my passports and residence permit.)

Ahh, China, what a lovely country. Too bad they don't sell firearms here. I could have used some today.

Lol yea, stupid laws everywhere... They probably send one dude on a train so it's only 800 RMB...

I also feel the urge of discharging a firearm at times, since u're in shanghai there's a shooting range on the north side of Hongqiao rd, between Huaihai rd and Panyu rd, it's between 8 and 10 RMB per 22LR round, there ain't bigger, which is lamely overpriced and underpowered but hey, we're in China.. Bad news is u'll need ur passport, or ur driving license lol...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by braillce

Lol yea, stupid laws everywhere... They probably send one dude on a train so it's only 800 RMB...

I also feel the urge of discharging a firearm at times, since u're in shanghai there's a shooting range on the north side of Hongqiao rd, between Huaihai rd and Panyu rd, it's between 8 and 10 RMB per 22LR round, there ain't bigger, which is lamely overpriced and underpowered but hey, we're in China.. Bad news is u'll need ur passport, or ur driving license lol...

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I was thinking about swords....medieval broadswords.

So I sent my documents to this agent guy (Mr. Kevin Lu of cn-visa.com). We agreed on the phone that he would get everything done, send the documents back to me and then I would make the money transfer. As usual, it did not happen like this... He received the docs, claimed to have finished everything 3 hours later and sent me a message, that I should transfer the money now. TIC.
After a fruitless discussion over the phone, he agreed that I would send a friend to pick up my stuff. Cash on delivery (with pick up instead of delivery) so to say. After all, I couldn't go there myself to kick his butt, because I had no travel documents... I only have one friend left in Beijing whom I trusted this task and he was not really enthused to meet Mr. Lu, but eventually (after promising to treat him a full Peisan Ktv experience) he agreed. Later that day I did more VPN-aided google research on Mr. Lu and only found positive results among lots of self-praising ads. Since some search results dated back to 2006 or so, I figured he is long enough in business to not only trust him my documents, but also my money. (Yes, I haven't learned anything in China.) So I transferred the money and he immediately sent me a confirmation and promised to send the docs the next day. He did. They arrived and looked good. Anyways, I am yet to evaluate, if the new driving license is genuine or just a Taobao fake. I will know after the next blackout comes, my office shuts down and I can go to the DMV during work hours again.
Stay tuned.

Regarding Mr. Lu I am not sure, if I can recommend his services. He seems to get things done, but doesn't stick to his word. You may decide for yourself, if you want to have business with him. Regardless of the outcome, I will still slap him in the face next time I go to Beijing.

I know a former colleague who got a motorcycle license because he taught a policeman's daughter. So TIC and it certainly possible you've gotten yourself a real license. Fingers crossed 80% chance.

I successfully changed the address. It only took one hour, 10 RMB and I could take the new DL home already.
Of course nobody at the Hamilu DMV knew, if or when a translation of the second test is coming. But I spoke to the beautiful Jane Shao at Yiqi Motorcycle Co. next to the DMV and she confirmed that it is only 800 questions, multiple choice, one correct answer.
Challenge accepted.

Now I must pause for a two weeks lung recreation trip home, then I will baoming at Junti Training centre on 19th April.
I won't give up so easily.