New Member: Beijing next year!

[bikerdoc]

I decided to post a thread from another valuable forum that I participate in, that might answer some of the OP questions. http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...3421#post13421 (mods, I may not have posted this is in the right/correct forum so please feel free to move it and make it a sticky if you wish).

[CantDecide]

Bikerdoc, that is fantastic information, it really should be a sticky at the top of a forum!

What is special about Hebei plates that would want to make people fake them?

What is special about black plates?

I'll try and post some of the other links I've discovered that are useful to that thread as well.

[CantDecide]

It looks like for me the biggest issue with riding legally in China will be the residence permit. My wife will have a student visa, which gives her a residence permit, but I don't think the visa extends to me, so I would most likely have to visit on a tourist visa, which won't get me a license. Alternatively, I guess I could try and get a work visa.

"CantDecide" indeed.

[chinabiker]

Hi, and welcome first - well in advance

Hi All,

My wife won a grant to go to Beijing for 14 months September, and I'm going to try and join her for as much of that as I can. Part of the deal was that I could have a motorcycle while we were there, but the more I look into it the more complicated that seems to be.

I hope it wasn't your wife who agreed on the part of the deal
Honestly, it would be very helpful to know on what kind of assignment your wife will be in BJ. If you don't want to disclose it publically, feel free to PM me.

I've read quite a bit about the license requirements and all that, so I think I know what I would need to do on that end. What I'm curious about is the requirements for the bike itself.

If you talk about the driver's license, there are 3 levels for bikes. "F" is for the small two wheel bikes 50cc or so max displacement. "E" id for the ones above and "D" for the three wheelers. If you stay on a residence permit, have an overseas dl, you are entitled to do the computer exam and subsequently get a license as soon passed.
If you are referring to bike registration, only legal bikes can be registered. Most of the bigger bikes - I am talking 250 cc and above - in China are illegal, with no or faked plates, counterfeit paperwork and without insurance. Most probably one in a hundred bikes is a legal one and this indicates how much authorities as well as riders care about regulations.

IHow do you make sure a bike is properly registered?

Find a trusted source to confirm or have the registration (plate) number as well as the engine number to perform a web check yourself.

IAre there special rules about having motorbikes in Beijing?

One China law: Every village different rules.

IIs there a buyer's guide for bikes in China (or specifically, Beijing?)

Many wish ther was one, but mostly you have to rely on someone you know, trust or better both

I watched the video of the bike gathering on the main page, and it mentions something about hoping the rules change for bikes in Beijing and downtown (I think thats what Sabine says). What was she talking about?

Everyone who takes recreational riding serious, hopes for the better, not only in Beijing but all over the country. Currently I don't see any reason why there should be any improvements on this subject - there are more serious issues for the gvt. to think of, really

I'm a beginning biker (I just took the MSF training course here in the States last year, and that's it!), and I probably can't get a bike here when we are trying to sell all our stuff to move to China, so this whole idea might not work out, but the idea of the adventure of it has got me hooked.

What is the MSF

Thanks for any advice you might have!

Generally it will depend on how much you want to spend for a bike and if you go for legality or, what some feel an adventure, for the dark gray area.

P.S. is great up here around BJ

[euphonius]

It looks like for me the biggest issue with riding legally in China will be the residence permit. My wife will have a student visa, which gives her a residence permit, but I don't think the visa extends to me, so I would most likely have to visit on a tourist visa, which won't get me a license. Alternatively, I guess I could try and get a work visa.

"CantDecide" indeed.

Breathe easy, CD. As a teacher or student your wife will be on a residence permit, and you as spouse are eligible for precisely the same permit. Having the residence permit is essential for both the chinese driver's license and registration of any bike. As a spouse your permit technically will not allow you to work, but you'll discover that, as TexasAggie put it in a similar context last week, "The easy is impossible and the impossible is easy."

I think you'll enjoy your experience here.

[chinabiker]

... As a teacher or student your wife will be on a residence permit, ...

As a real teacher, yes. As a student she'll be on a student visa, which, afaik, doesn't come with the spouse bonus.
However, the bike is not the problem, just reg it under another name (if it is a 200cc one, you'll have to do that anyway). In BJ you can get a temp dl in less than an hour, unless you are colorblind.

[bikerdoc]

It looks like for me the biggest issue with riding legally in China will be the residence permit. My wife will have a student visa, which gives her a residence permit, but I don't think the visa extends to me, so I would most likely have to visit on a tourist visa, which won't get me a license. Alternatively, I guess I could try and get a work visa.
"CantDecide" indeed.

If your wife is on a 'student visa' sorry to say she and you will not have a residence visa and therefore will not be able to legally get a drivers license. If your wife though gets a legal legit visa as a teacher then she will get a 'temporary residence permit' which is a must for getting a drivers license aside from other things. You will have a accompanying visa as the spouse.

[ZMC888]

I thought students started out with 'X' visas, and these are converted to student residency visas/permits. Also that teachers and other company workers start on 'Z' visas and these are also transferred to residency visas/permits too?

[euphonius]

ZMC888, I think you are right. All official references (from various Chinese consulate sites) say the X visa is good for 3 months, and the student should apply for a residence permit within 30 days of arrival.

As for spouses and children of students, there's not much about this online, but there are some references. Highlighted in red below, for example, is one that says a person entering on an X student visa can apply to their consulate for entry by their spouse and children. You probably need to get your marriage license translated and notarized to provide as "authorization".

Can't hurt to ask!

http://www.worldti.com/visarequirement.html

Student visas are generally issued to applicants who intend to study in China for more than 6 months.
1. One completely filled out Visa Application Form for the P.R. China (Q-1).

2. Two recently taken 2X2 in. photos showing entire face without a hat on ( both ears must be seen). Only color photo is accepted. Do not crop your photos to fit into the photo box, simply staple it on the photo box in the application form. We do not recommend clients printing their own photos, photos taken by a FedEx Kinko's, UPS Store, Walgreens or Wal-Mart is recommended.

3. Original passport with at least 1 blank visa page and valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of application. Worldti.com can help you add more visa pages or renew your passport.

4. A visa application form for international students (JW-202) issued by the Ministry of Education of China, and an admission letter with proper school seal are required.

5. A Physical Examination Record for Foreigner (Q-2) filled out and signed by a doctor.

6. An applicant born in China (including Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore) who is applying for a Chinese visa with his or her new passport (without prior Chinese visa on it) is required to submit his or her Chinese passport or last foreign passport. If passport is not in possession, applicant must send in a notarized affidavit stating how the passport was lost.

7. A child of Chinese descent and born outside of China who applies for a Chinese visa for the first time is required to submit his or her Birth Certificate and current Passport. One of his or her parents' Chinese passport with Alien Card (Green Card), or current non-Chinese passport are also required. Notarized copies are accepted.

8. If the spouse or children of the applicant are going to China to live with the applicant on a long-term basis, they are required to submit authenticated (by the China Consulate) Marriage Certificate or Birth Certificate to prove their relationship with the applicant. Authentication service please see authentication.

9. Student Visas are generally valid for 3 month. Applicants should apply for residence permit from a local county level Public Security Bureau within 30 days after entering China.

[bikerdoc]

I must correct my post above concerning the eligibility and applicable visas allowing one to apply for and gain a Chinese Drivers License. We contacted the city drivers licensing dept/bureau today and we were told that provided the visa (any visa category) provides and allows for 90+ days of continuous stay inside PRC then one can apply. This would therefore exclude someone holding a 90 day F visa though that allows only a 30 day maximum stay.