How to get a Chinese Motorcycle License

[humanbeing]

... if China had time zones, would be about three zones west of eastern China...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_China

[euphonius]

Dear Humanbeing,

you are good. you should consider joining The New Yorker as a fact-checker!

OK, amend my comment to "one time zone west of eastern China"....

cheers!

[marcomagica]

Hi all,

I've been lurking around this forum where I must say I found many uselful informations.

I was wondering if someone can shed some light on my wenti

I've a Chinese C1 driving licence, can I legally drive a motorbike with it? (I suppose not)

If negative does anybody knows what I should do to get a valid driving licence for motorbike? what's the code of auto-moto driving licence?

Consider that I hold a european driving license for auto and moto with unlimited HP (AB)

Cheers

[Lao Jia Hou]

Hi all

Welcome Marco! HZ = Hongzhou?

I've a Chinese C1 driving licence, can I legally drive a motorbike with it? (I suppose not) If negative does anybody knows what I should do to get a valid driving licence for motorbike? what's the code of auto-moto driving licence? Consider that I hold a european driving license for auto and moto with unlimited HP (AB)

A C1 is for passenger cars only.

A "D" is for motorcycles (2 wheels) and sidecars/trikes (3 wheels)
An "E" is for motorcycles (2 wheels)

Most commonly, a person will have a C1E (cars and motorcycles)

If you have a valid motorcycle license from Europe, you should be able to "easily" transfer it to a C1E. However, as you already have a C1 (presumably based on your European license), I am not sure what the Traffic Management Branch will think when you come back, asking for a motorcycle ("E") endorsement. I'm guessing it won't be a problem, but one never knows what happens in the minds of those behind the counter.

[marcomagica]

Hi,

thanks for the info, HZ= Hangzhou

In fact when I had my chinese driving licence some 8 years ago I "translated" my european driving licence which was car only.

By then I passed my motorbike exam in Europe and now I have AB for Europe.

Till now I had no interest in driving motorbike here, but with the new JH 600...

I will ask my local traffic management bureau, but I fear the "buzhidao" situation where nobody knows what to do and no police man want to take responsibility :D

I'll keep you posted in case someone else is in the same situation in the future.

Cheers!

[euphonius]

Hangzhou is a "dry town" (no motorcycles) but I would imagine you can still update your driving license to include a motorcycle endorsement. If your European license is valid, you will need to have it translated, and notarized, and then pass a written exam. If your european license is no longer valid, it's question: Will a dry town have systems to teach you to drink? Hope you don't get a "don't know" response. Chinese law has provisions for obtaining all kinds of driving licenses, including motorcycle licenses. Why would HZ be any different?

Good luck, and hope you can report back your findings!

[marcomagica]

Yes,
I know Hangzhou is a dry town, however my C1 licence was issued here and I have residence address registered here. If this is a problem (I hope not) I'll just move my residence outside just for the driving licence purposes.

While this may be a "regulated" situation for our chinese brothers I'm not sure my case is contemplated for the laowai.

In fact I know that if a chinese wanted to do this he would need to re-do written exam AND driving, I of course hold a valid european AB driving licence and a C1 driving licence making my case different.

Make me re-do the written paper only wouldn't make any sense according to me... but yet it wouldn't surprise me at all, Chinese laws and regulations never do much sense to a laowai.

So far I've asked help to one person at work which is "asking a friend" with astonishment in her face... I could already read in her face "these laowai are real strange, why would he want to drive a motorbike anyways, motorbikes are for countryside people!"

[slabo]

Hangzhou is a "dry town" (no motorcycles) but I would imagine you can still update your driving license to include a motorcycle endorsement. If your European license is valid, you will need to have it translated, and notarized, and then pass a written exam. If your european license is no longer valid, it's question: Will a dry town have systems to teach you to drink? Hope you don't get a "don't know" response. Chinese law has provisions for obtaining all kinds of driving licenses, including motorcycle licenses. Why would HZ be any different?

Good luck, and hope you can report back your findings!

I really do have a motorcycle license back home, but I here I translated it by myself and stamped it at the office. Really, I might as well put down I'm licensed to drive trailers. All went well..

[euphonius]

I really do have a motorcycle license back home, but I here I translated it by myself and stamped it at the office. Really, I might as well put down I'm licensed to drive trailers. All went well..

Here in Shanghai, thankfully still a wet town, the translation is done by a couple of city-nominated translation houses, which also have a notary at hand. As I recall, it was 50 rmb for the package deal. I made sure that the translation included reference to the M1 motorcycle endorsement; in fact, while the license only reads "M1" the translation read "motorcycle". These people know what they are doing, and it couldn't have been easier.

Hangzhou also has plenty of expats, and I think (hope) they will handle this request with aplomb!

[Lao Jia Hou]

... motorbikes are for countryside people!"

Yup, that's me! I definitely prefer riding in the countryside.

Good luck & report back.