Temporary driving license...really only for cars?

I was checking this out........

http://www.4panda.com/special/drive/t-driver.htm

I was thinking would it really be impossible for a foreigner to actually obtain a temporary driving license for motorcycle? It appears there are license categories on the license application.

It appears to me that the procedure is identical to to a permanent license, except at the end you have a license only valid for 3 months.

Maybe it's a serious hassle studying for the multi-choice, doing the medical having the photos done, and license translation, it's hardly what you want to do....spend up to a week doing bureaucracy before you set off, :deal: but it appears that being legal is at least theoretically possible, and people telling others that they can't legally ride in China is actually wrong! :riding:

I might ask about this at my local PSB, if this is possible...the ZMC can then help people fully legally, with no risk of upsetting Andy! :lol8:

I like your thinking here, and I do believe it's possible for a foreigner to get a temp, but not in all cities.

I seem to recall that the temporary license can only be issued to those with an automobile rental contract, or those registered for an official tour. There are several companies that run motorcycle tours in China and they all advertise a temporary license (90 days) being issued for the trip.

Good overview here http://www.ontheroadinchina.com/driving_in_china

I'm sure Andy can enlighten us on this :mwink:

Cheers!
ChinaV

I am watching this thread with much interest. Any ideas which cities are more forthcoming in issuing licences?:riding:

Well, it won't hurt to ask at the local PSB, as the laws can change quickly in China! :lol8: As every province is administered differently, so not to dismiss the possibility of doing this where I am, or in a larger city such as Qingdao. Also we shouldn't forget how many Taiwanese and Koreans there can be here. Of course they largely go unnoticed by us and the local Chinese, but don't forget that they also do these processes regularly too. :deal:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

it appears that being legal is at least theoretically possible

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:lol8:

I've had a temporary...........in Shanghai, first licence I got, didn't cost the $150-250 that the link you posted suggested.

When I applied and asked if I could get a D endorsement I was categorically told it was not valid for anything other than a passenger car...........and it was valid for a year.

Sure the rules and regulations could have changed again and then again once more. TIC.

I believe the Temporary Licences that allow you to ride a bike are available when you join an organised tour.........you are essentially renting a vehicle and thus are granted a licence under the "rental vehicle" part of the regulation and that it is up to the province to determine the "vehicle" part of the regulation. As with everything else that determination will probably change with status...... IE the tour company pays a "premium" for the consideration of the determination of the regulation. A regular punter in off the street wanting a temporary licence to ride a bike might not be shown the same courtesy.

I think it's a situation of who you know rather than what you know. I'll be pleased to be proven wrong but so far I've seen nothing that says a temp bike licence is available for just anyone.

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

I might ask about this at my local PSB, if this is possible...the ZMC can then help people fully legally, with no risk of upsetting Andy! :lol8:

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:lol8::lol8::lol8:

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Originally Posted by ChinaV

I'm sure Andy can enlighten us on this http://1.2.3.10/bmi/www.mychinamoto....dern/mwink.gif

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I'll try to :lol8:.
It is definitely possible to obtain a temporary dl for motorcycles. The procedure is pretty straightforward.
Participating in a race, performance show, or cultural exchange event is one way to a temporary dl - no wonder why all the real bike rentals are registered under the cultural exchange thing. There aren't many real rentals or organized tour organizers btw.

Another way is the good old Guanxi, easier once the channel is established :icon10:


I am doing a trial run (both ways) on a temp dl at the moment and will try to keep you updated.

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Originally Posted by someone on the HUBB

I didn't bother with rego plates or insurance - just rode from Qinzhou north to Xian, north east to Beijing, north west to Mongolia, and south east to Shanghai - 7,500kms in 30 days. In short, I broke every rule (no licence/rego/insurance as foreign visitors are not allowed to purchase or drive vehicles in China) but was warmly welcomed and assisted by local police at every interaction - at least 4 to 5 times daily as I had to keep asking them for assistance with directions.

......the difference is that in Australia 99 out of 100 local drivers have a licence and the rules are rigidly enforced. In China the percentage of licenced drivers is far less. I specifically spoke to Chinese in Australia (who had recently emigrated from China) before I elected to take the risk. Their advice was to ignore what you would do in Australia and instead to do the things the Chinese way - specifically that in China there was a far more relaxed approach to the road rules.... and given my experiences in China I can certainly attest to this fact.

Look at the number of children riding/driving, the poor and unsafe condition of most vehicles, the chaotic driving and continual ignoring of road rules.

Look at the fact that the police, far from impeding my travels, actively condoned and encouraged me whenever they could. I had one, and only one, experience on my second last day in Shanghai, where I inadvertently broke one of the traffic rules and the policeman demanded to see my licence. I showed him my international one and he said this was not valid for China, told me to get off the bike and push it instead. I did, around the corner before hopping back on again - a far cry from being detained for 10 days before deportation.

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Now the opinions of this guy, they aren't really wrong exactly. Yes you could do what he did and ride around China with nothing in terms of being legal, as so many other of the locals do...but you could also ride around China without a crash helmet.....it's fine until you get in an accident, or you ride past a swarming bee hive! :eek2:

Us long termers here should try to assist people who want to ride here, and do everything we can to help fellow riders be as legal as possible, and avoid the above from happening, whether we do this ourselves hands-on or just help people to deal with Chinese bureaucracy and give good advice about the procedures for being legal on the web.

I doubt the local Chinese would have any objection as they won't lose any money and could gain some money!

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Originally Posted by Someone

Look at the fact that the police, far from impeding my travels, actively condoned and encouraged me whenever they could. I had one, and only one, experience on my second last day in Shanghai, where I inadvertently broke one of the traffic rules and the policeman demanded to see my licence. I showed him my international one and he said this was not valid for China, told me to get off the bike and push it instead. I did, around the corner before hopping back on again - a far cry from being detained for 10 days before deportation.

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I get very frustrated when people tell me "it's no big deal" about the licenses. I see the police trucks with confiscated scooters daily in Shanghai, and I know someone who was deported over riding without a license. If you manage to get away with it, good for you, but as someone who has plans to stay and work here for at least another year it seems like a very foolish gamble.

I've been living in Jiangsu and regularly riding my scooter across the border for the last 6 months. I've been stopped just once at the PSB checkpoint on the 318, and they merely pointed at my lack of a proper plate then sent me on my way. My other foreign friends and I are trying to get our licenses together for motorcycles and we're hoping to go down for the test in Wujiang sometime either this week or next. We have full residence permits so we believe it should be possible.

I wasn't suggesting that people should ride without documentation :confused1:

I'm saying that there are people out there who believe that riding without documentation is fine, and the word is spreading. I'm not one of them. Perhaps read the thread more carefully?

What I have noticed in the past, and this is just my opinion is that there are lots of long term people who detest the fact that some people come to China and ride illegally/partially legally. However people who don't have residency visas have been told repeatedly that it's not legal for them to ride here at all, and that they should not, but this information may be incorrect. These same long term residents have also done very little to keep up to date with the latest driving and riding laws, and have also done very little to help anyone.

So rather than do nothing my opinion is that long term residents (of which I am one) who ride in China should learn current laws and use our connections to try to help experienced riders who want to come to China to ride do so legally if this is possible.

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

I wasn't suggesting that people should ride without documentation :confused1:

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Hmmm, not my intention to imply that you were, which is why I carefully changed the quote to read "someone" and not you :).

That's OK then, sorry! :lol8:

Hi guys - I arrived in China a week ago, and I'm very keen to ride here for 3 to 4 weeks (my total duration in China will be 7 weeks).

A month or so ago, I did quite a bit of research into the legalities/practicalities of riding here, which got mixed responses both on this forum, and on the HUBB.

So, now I'm here, and keen to ride, and stumbled across this thread. Has anyone been able to shed any more light on the topic of a legal temporary dl for people on tourist visas?

Also, I was thinking of trying to get a bike in Chengdu, in 7 to 10 days time. Can anyone recommend someone/somewhere to contact in that area to get a decent bike capable of 3-4 weeks touring?

In short, I'm here to see China, and have a good time whilst I'm doing it. I love touring by motorbike, but I'm not trying to set any records or break too many rules. If riding a bike will mean waiting 2 weeks to clear paperwork, then I'm not interested, as I don't want to sacrifice that amount of time waiting for a license. I'd rather travel by bus/train and see more of the country and it's people.

Thanks in advance for your time...

Jimmy

Unfortunately processing things takes time here. how long down there I don't know.

If you can't speak and read and write the language it will take you even longer.

I have been going through the process of getting my license here in Xinjiang for 2/3 weeks now I'd say I have got another 2 weeks before I get it and I have people helping me.That is if they don't throw some thing new at me again.

I did see I can rent a car here for $500.00 rmb a day they supply a driver. I have to use there driver.

I spent an entire day with this guy from the UK, running around to different beaurocracies in Kunming trying to get this 'temporary license.' We just kept getting passed on and it seemed clear that NO ONE knew what we were talking about. In the end, I think it's not worth the trouble if you can just use your temporary license and hope the cops look the other way.

I wrote about it in other posts on this site, but I had several run-ins with the cops and always got off scott-free.

Chris Maupin
www.chrison2wheels.com