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Q: Is your home drivers license valid in China?
Can it be translated and you get yourself Chinese license with same vehicle categories?
In particular I am interested in having gasoline motorbike (125 ccm), for which you usually need driving license for car only, but anything above 125 ccm you you need motorbike driving license.
If it can't be just translated or something, do you have to go through all of the procedure or what?
11 years 12 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
I never confessed this before. I came to China so I could drive like drug crazed mad man and yet no one would notice. i drive like everyone else in China.
If you want to be legal, you need a Chinese license. They don't accept an international drivers license. Probably not everyone driving a bike has a license. I rented a motorcycle from a taxi driver. You definately need a license plate. lf you buy a bike, get the place to get a plate for it.
Hugh.G.Rection:
Ted you don't need either a license plate or a driving license for an e-bike (at least not in Nanning), I've checked and rechecked that quite a few times.
Edit: I've just re-read the OP and I understand you're probably talking about motorbikes. My bad.Shining_brow:
Which mean - no, a translation of your license is not sufficient! You need to go through the whole process from scratch. (including knowing enough Chinese to do the written test...)
Hugh.G.Rection:
Shining Brow: I did the 'written test' for the car license and you need almost zero Chinese. The test is computer based and can be in the language of your choice (there are limits but English is a choice) the only Chinese you need are the 3 or 4 signs that are written in Hanzi. iirc the stop sign, the taxi parking sign, and I cannot recall any more off the top of my head. The most difficult part of the test are the police hand signals, in fact the whole test is difficult, every bit as difficult as the UK one, which of course begs the question, 'if the test is so difficult / good why is the driving so moronic?'
You do not 'have-to' go through the whole process of getting a Chinese license, I think that's a waste of good time. There are companies in China that will take a valid International/Foreign License and a copy of a reasonably clean driving history, plus the usual 'fee' and give you a standard none-forged Chinese license. I did this myself two years ago in Shanghai. It cost me 3500 rmb.Though, I do think you should have a good command of Chinese characters (so you can understand what is posted along the road).
Be careful with going to "reputable companies" to get a Chinese drivers license. A local friend paid 1,000 Rmb to such a company in Shenzhen, and got what it looked as a genuine one, until he had an accident a few months later and even if he had a license, there was nothing on the records (computer)to back up the license, and thus was charged with driving without a license. We think someone stole some blank licenses and was "issuing" them.
You can request the written exam in English, must answer 90 out of 100 questions correctly to pass. Google for sample questions, they are available. Or you can bring a translator with you and take the exam in Mandarin, and use him/her for answering questions too.
E-bikes do not need a license, but you must have a bill of sale to prove ownership, or risk confiscation. Gasoline powered bikes do need a drivers license, but the legal ones are 250 cc or under.
If you have a valid driver license from back home, current, and are under either 60 or 65 years of age, you present it and have to take only the written test. Under 70 years of age, after medical examination, you can get one valid for 1 year if in good health, instead of the normal 5 years.
International Driver Licenses are not accepted at all anywhere in China. Using one is the same as driving without a license.
I have an ebike, and I drive it legally without a license, and have never been stopped to ask for one. But have seen many traffic cops stopping gas bikes.
Mr_spoon:
In addition to the gasoline-powered bikes, in Beijing:
Forbidden inside the 2nd ring.
Allowed to ride up to the border of the 2nd ring with a 京A plate.
Allowed to ride up to the border of the 4th ring with a 京B plate.
No plate nor license: Allowed everywhere as long as you avoid the police. Or pretend you don't speak Chinese nor English.
So if I understand correctly, if you are under 60, you present your home license and take an exam with 80-100 questions with no driving.
I drive an ebike, but tired of caring batteries just about every day. Also, don't want lithium batteries, but good old gasoline.
Having legal license probably wouldn't do much in traffic itself. As one poster pointed out, I too witnessed cops stopping gasoline motorbikes, but almost never ebikes. Chances for getting stopped with gasoline motorbike are slim, considering the amount of traffic. But if an accident happen, having legal license would for sure help, although in an accident that might be not your biggest concern 
.
Hugh.G.Rection:
Yes, if you have a valid driving license from your home nation (with some exceptions e.g. Egypt and a few others) you do not need to take a driving exam just the theory exam.
But be warned, despite the idiotic standard of driving out here, the theory test is difficult, I haven't heard of a single foreigner who has passed it first time without some study. Personally I studied the questions for 6 months before I felt confident enough to pass and I scored 94%.
Edit: Cooter below has actually come up with a good point, if your original driving license doesn't allow motorcycles I'm not sure if you will be exempt a motorcycle driving test.
The written test is different for getting a driving license for cars and motorcycles, in that the motorcycle test will include motorcycle specific questions not found on the car test. I am not sure if they will grant the license without taking the practical test (actually demonstrating you know how to ride), especially since your original license doesn't include the motorcycle endorsement. Also, the question list was recently updated as of January first, so make sure you find the newest set of questions before you set to memorizing all 1300+ possible question/answers. 
From where I come from, when one pass driving license for a car, he is granted to ride motorcycles 125 ccm and below too.
Does anybody know how is this in China? If you have a license for car, how strong motorcycles can you ride?
Scandinavian:
As Cooter writes, the tests differ for different types vehicles, although the theory book is the same for all, the question pool used is the same, but questions chosen for the written test will differ.
Also be aware that China does not allow bikes with particularly big engines, I think 250CC is the limit (or is that a Guangdong thing) Of course there are some rich kids racing the streets at night on far more powerful BMW/Honda/Ducati bikes. I would guess they have some kind of knowledge as to when and where the police would look for such offenses.
Only if you are from Belgium. It is the only nation to have an agreement with China on drivers licenses.
cooter:
Cringing at the thought of FOB Chinese tourists driving in Belgium 
Scandinavian:
I would hope it only works one way, Belgians being able to trade in their Belgian drivers license for a Chinese.
the test is in english i just showed my california d/l they gave me the rules in english took the computer test 100 questions you have to score 90 or better and i got my license
Need to get the license translated and notarized along with your passport and visa which must have at least 30 days remaining. Then get an eye test at a city level hospital. After that you can take the test. All in all will cost less than 500rmb...if you don't want to study there are agents who can process all this and have someone else take the test for you and it's about 6,000-10,000rmb.
hmmm... what a waste of time/energy/effort.
chance/hong bao/taxi is All u need. lol DL's in Asia are just a fkn goof... if u wanna take part in Road Warrior,, best get some cojones... 
