How to get a Chinese Motorcycle License

[Worr]

Ok, my 5 cents here :).

Some disclaimer first:
I had moto & car license originally. I also have working visa. I do not know what is the situation with any other case (no license, no visa, no chinese name etc)

This is a copy of tutorial written for our friends by me & Konrad (who is not present here), so part of the credit goes to him. Ok, here we go:

All information here is valid as of date of creation - March 2011

Converting your foreigners' drivers license in Beijing

Main steps in short:

1. Get a medical check.
2. Go to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to register for the theory test.
3. Go to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to pass the test.
That's all.

Requirements:

- 4x 1 inch (smaller than those for visa) pictures with a white background
- Copy of your passport
- Copy of your residence permit (the one in your passport). You MUST have a residence permit, a visa will not be accepted.
- Copy of your temporary registration with the local police station
- Copy of BOTH sides of your drivers license
- Chinese name :) - I'm not sure it's necessary, but it definitely helps filling the forms

Notes

- All forms were available at designated places
- The total process will take about 2-3 weeks, depending on how fast you can take the theory test.

Step 1: Medical check

If you don't know chinese, that's the place where you could use help of someone who understands what's going on

Official list of hospitals where you can do a medical check: Link

Required:

- 2 small photos (we got them 9 pics for 15RMB)

You need to find the hospital from link above that suits your best. I cannot share here too much, since you'll probably pick different one than I. Basically, go there, pick the form, fill it, use 2 pics. After filling out the forms, pay 10RMB for the test. Next, walk to actual test place. In our case they did not test anything, just filled out the form and stamped it. In out case, tests were only done from Mon to Fri in the morning, if we remember correctly between 7am - 10.40am.

Step 2: Application

Required:

- Medical form from Step 1
- 2 photos as far as we remember. Might be better to bring one or two spares. - These MUST be the same as on the medical certificate.
- Copy of your passport ID page
- Copy of your residence permit (the one in your passport). You MUST have a residence permit, a visa will not be accepted.
- Copy of your temporary registration with the local police station
- Copy of BOTH sides of your drivers license
- All of the above copies' ORIGINALS, they do check

Notes:

- if you don't have copies, you can make them at the DMV (main hall, second floor)
- you will have to fill two forms.
- when we were there, there was chinese guy who spoke english and who was helping people

Take all the documents mentioned above and go to the DMV on the south-east of the 4th ring.

The Foreign Affairs Department of Beijing Motor Vehicle Administration
Address: No.18 Southeast 4th ring, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100023
Tel: 86-10-87625150
东南四环18号的北京市公安局公安交通管理局
The taxi driver will probably (never depend on this) know it as 交通局 [jiao1 tong1 ju2].

Picture of the building (from Blog with more interesting information)

Note that there is also another DMV building in Beijing, make sure you are going to this one!

When you get there, you need to take the entrance on the left side of the building, instead of taking the main entrance. This is the international affairs office. Here you first fill out two forms (all are available there):

- Application form: all your details together with the categories you apply for.
- Translation form: use this to translate all the details on you drivers license. In theory, translation should be done by sworn translator. In practice, officials there tell you to translate and sign it by yourself

For the translation and application form you need to know the Chinese categories to apply for:

- C1 - normal car with manual transmission (includes C2 and C3 privileges)
- C2 - normal car with automatic transmission
- D - three-wheel motorcycles (includes E privileges)
- E - two-wheel motorcycles

EU categories may differ from country to country, i.e Konrad had separate category for automatic transmission, while I didn't. Generally, A is equal to D, B is equal to C1. In best case, you apply for C1D :)

After your application is approved (immediately), you can schedule your test. Usually you can do it within 1-2 weeks, it costs 50RMB. Test start at 10AM and 11AM, pick one. You will receive receipt with your test code and test date (day / hour) . You need to bring it with you on Step 3.

Notes:

- you can buy English version of book with all the question on second floor (near copy machine) for 90rmb.
- there is app for Iphone/Ipad/Ipod with all the questions, practice test Itunes Link . Full version: 5USD/4EUR. Quite useful since it gives you full randomness.
- it looked like the Chinese version of the book had explanations of the traffic rules. The foreign ones only have test questions.
- You will have to study about 8 hours of study in order to pass the test. Don't save it all for the last day, because the Chinglish is tiresome to read.

Step 3: Test

Required:

- receipt with test code - you will have to enter your code to start the test
- passport - they do check it
- optional - home / office address for shipping license

Notes:

- there are around 1300 questions in total
- you have 100 random questions at test
- you have 45 mins (plenty of time)
- you need to have at least 90% correct (90 questions ;) )
- sometimes order of answers is switched read before you pick :)
- if you fail, you can schedule another test date for free. After second fail, you need to pay again
- unconfirmed by us if you are taking full course for motorbikes (driving lessons, driving test), you might have questions that are not in the test book or iOS app

At the day of test, go back to DMV, to the international affairs section. Wait for you hour, then follow all the people to test room (second floor). Enter your test code, pass the test. After passing, go to the front desk, show your receipt - officer will mark your score. Go back to international affairs section, pay 10RMB for driving license. You can pick your license by yourself or go to the second floor to order the courier (fill the form with your or the office address). The fee is 20RMB. Officially it will arrive 3 days later, we were lucky to get it one day early.

That's all ;). As you can see, the book is most expensive part of the whole process. If you stick with the app (it has the same questions), you don't need it at all.

Ps. Mods, if you think formatting may benefit from a bit of tweaking, please feel free to do it :)

[euphonius]

Worr, wow! You've outdone yourself. This is the single most useful post I've seen in MCM in months. On behalf of many others who will be following this path, thanks! Seems an elaborate process, but actually pretty simple, straightforward, and inexpensive -- and really shows the benefits of having a valid foreign license with motorcycle endorsement!

Awesome post!

[xiaoqiang]

I got my license in Beijing.

The only place a foregner can do this is at the LaoShan driving school in the west part of Beijing, it is at #10 LaoShan road West.

Take your passport, visa and residence permit with 5, 1 inch pictures to the ShiJingShan Hospital for your eye test. The hospital is on the south side of Shijingshan road opposite the Bajiao subway station. You can get the pictures taken 15 meters from the hospital, the girl at the hospital can show you where.

When you get your eye test the girl will inspect you to make sure you are not missing any body parts, then test your eyes using a book with colored dots to make sure you are not color blind. This costs 10 rmb. Choose a Chinese name if you do not already have one, pay the fee and take the paper to the Laoshan (#10 LaoShan road West)school. You can get a ride on a modi or motorcycle taxi up the hill for about 10 rmb. I paid 2000 rmb for the class, which is not really a class.

The LaoShan driving school will call you in 2 or 3 weeks to have you meet a person from the school at the DMV near Shibalidian Nan Qiao. (Shibalidian South Bridge) where you will book your written test. You will get a reciept with time, date and test instructions written on the back. You can buy the English version of the driving manual on the 2nd floor. 2 weeks later you will write the test. If you fail the first time you get a free re write. You need to bring your passport, resident certificate and the receipt with you to write the test.

The test is 50 questions, you have 45 minutes to write it and you need to get 90% to pass.
When you pass the test, take the receipt you have from the written test back to the school (LaoShan) and then start the class.

The class at LaoShan is to get used to riding their motorbikes, they do not teach you how to ride. They just help you to prepare for the test. The motorbikes are not in good mechanical shape, but do not worry the school knows that. You will have 4 days to practice riding them. You ride over a ramp, 2x around a figure 8 track and then up a hill, stop and start on the hill. Go to the top of the hill and then turn around and come down the hill. This is what you practice and this is the same as the test. Don't worry if you do not speak Chinese well, I don't. Many people there can help you with translation. The instructor doesn't speak English at all, in fact none of the staff there can speak English.

I took the class in the morning, from 8:30 to 11:30 Monday - Thursday, the test was on Friday. Get there early. Even though you pay them money for the class they do not bring the motorbikes out, they will ask you to do this. I always got there at 8:00 am so I could have the bike ready for 8:30. Also if the motorbike runs out of gas they will not refill them for the next day, they will ask you to push the bike to their gas pump and then they will fill it for you. They have a few different models of bikes and they are 90cc I think. Find a bike you like and remember the plate number of the bike you practice with so you can use that one for the test.

(I rode my GJSY R9 to class every day with no license, just parked around the corner and walked in.)

The day of the test I arrived at the school at 8:00 am went to get the bike and practiced a couple of times. The test started at 9:30. After you pass this test, they will ask you to sign your Chinese name on your paper. You do not need your passport on test day.

Return to the school 2 weeks after your test, on Saturday, to get your license. You must go on a Saturday to get your license.

[ZMC888]

THank you for getting us back on topic Worr and Xiaoqing.

[fahni]

Ok, my 5 cents here :).


- unconfirmed by us if you are taking full course for motorbikes (driving lessons, driving test), you might have questions that are not in the test book or iOS app

I can confirm that the Test for motorcycles only contains a set of motorcycle-specific questions. The whole set of questions is only around 800 and on test day you have to have 45 out of 50 correct. There is a thread on the Beijinger with a link to a word document with the motorcycle-specific questions. If you can't find it, PM me and I will be happy to mail them.

[euphonius]

My motorcycle written test, taken in Shanghai, had at most two questions about motorcycles (although not the one I wanted, about whether it's legal to ride in stiletto heels...). There are two sets of study questions, one ostensibly motorcycle-related, the other not, but there is huge overlap between the two sets. Most of the questions you get will be about driving rules and safety, regardless of wheel count.

[euphonius]

Dear Worr,

Just totalled it up. Are you saying your entire license cost just 55 rmb including pix and health check and courier to get it to you, plus another 90 for the study guide? Did I miss something?

So it seems the heavy expense is the "driving" course, which of course doesn't really teach much of anything but does get you on a ratty bike for some practice of skills you'll need to demonstrate in the road test. Sad that China does this stuff so half-baked, and produces gazillions of hapless "drivers" with really little or no driving skill, and little or no knowledge about safety, rules of the road and courtesy. The place is screaming for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation program!

cheers!

[bigdamo]

Depends which part of China you live dictates how easy it is to get the license and how many hurdles you have to jump over.

[Lao Jia Hou]

Depends which part of China you live dictates how easy it is to get the license and how many hurdles you have to jump over.

Yes, definitely. Beijing is rather painless. I'm only familiar with one other city (Harbin) - a foreign friend who tried it up there had lots of difficulty and finally gave up.

BTW, I've been trying to follow the Chinese forum motorfans.com (Beijing component) ... and over the past couple of months there have been a notable increase in the number of posts about riders saying they've been stopped/checked/fined/bike seized by police. According to many posters, it seems pretty likely that it is up to 15 days detention for no driving license.

[Worr]

euphonius:

It's 105rmb, actually :). I think you skipped 50rmb fee for actual test. After whole experience, I can say that book is unnecessary and iphone app is more than enough ;)