Driving in Shanghai

It is suggested that before you consider getting a license you ride in a car for a few weeks to get your bearings and a feel for the flow of traffic. The many bicycles, motor scooters, and pedestrians make driving considerably different from most countries. To get a Driver’s License, you will need to prepare for the following certificates: 

l          Passport

l          Health certificate

l          Shanghai Residence Card

l          Original residence permit in China & its copy

l          Foreign driver’s license or international license – the license must be translated by an official translation bureau listed in Step 3 below) 

The process is then as follows:

1.      go to the Ministry of Automobiles, 1101 Zhongshan Bei Yi Lu , 6516-8168 ext 54787, where you will be given two application forms which must be filed out in Chinese.

2.      Within the completed chopped applications and RMB￥150, you must obtain a health examination test at the Expatriate Department of any hospital above district level.

3.      The original driver’s license must be translated by the Shanghai International Studies University, Dalian Xi Lu, Mr. Lu Wei Guang, 6587-7585  

With all the certificates and documents mentioned above, your digital photo, and RMB￥20, you must tale a written test at the Ministry of Automobile. If you fail the first tim, you must wait for tow weeks to retry.

The test is multiple choice and is in English. The license may be picked up one week later. The test is given on Monday and Thursday 08:30 –11:00 or 13:30—15:30.

This article appeared in Scene Shanghai Magazine Edition April 2003

Want to drive in Shanghai?

‘…If a foreigner wants to drive a motor vehicle in Shanghai, he or she has to have a driving license. How does one go about getting one?

A person of eighteen yrs old, without a disability that prevents them operating a motor vehicle, has the right to apply to the Vehicle Administration Authority (the ‘VAA’) in the district where he or she has habitual residence for a driving license. The same rules apply whether the applicant be a foreigner, resident of Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR or Taiwan.

For those hoping to obtain his or her first driving license, briefly speaking, the following procedural formalities shall be gone through:

1.       Filling our an application form

2.       Submitting an ID card or passport

3.       Raking a health check

4.       Attending a driving training course

5.       Passing driving examination

Where the driving exams are concerned, the applicants have to sit both a paper exam and a practical exam held under the auspice of the VAA. The paper exam tests the applicant’s knowledge of traffic regulations and the results can be obtained on the same day that the exam takes place. The good news is that the exam is now available in several languages including English and Japanese. Having passed the paper exam, the applications shall then attend driving courses at a driving school recognized by the VAA for driving training. The minimum training time required is 35 hours. Having completed the courses, the applications can apply for a physical driving exam. A driving license will be rendered if the exam is passed. Normally, the period of time for going through the above procedures would be around 2-3 months with a fee of approximately RMB￥4,000-5,000 to be paid, including application fee and training fee.

For those who have qualified to drive in foreign countries or have an international driving certificate, they can apply directly for a driving license or temporary driving license. The procedures are straightforward. The applicants shall fill in one registration form, which shall then be notarized by the embassy or consulate of his or her home country. The applicant shall then take a heath check and submit the result to the VAA together with this or her passport or residence permit and his or her original driving license. The applicant may be required to take both paper exam and physical driving exam. If there exists a treaty between China and the applicant’s home country, the paper exam may not be required. Meanwhile, if the applicant’s driving experience is greater than three years, the paper exam can be exempted as well. All documents in foreign languages must be accompanied by Chinese translations and the payment of some small procedural fee may be required. The VAA shall give its approval and issue a driver license of the above requirements have been met.

Generally, the driver license is valid for a team of six years while the validity of the temporary license shall be less than one year. For those who get is or her first driving license, the first year will be the probation period. The holder of a license shall make an application to the VAA to renew the license three months prior to the license’s expiry.

Special requirements may exist in some circumstances. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to consult with detailed regulations for guidance when making his or her applications