Hi, newbie here. I am interested in getting one of those small motor bikes or electric bikes so I can go to Carrefour without taking a taxi. Anyone know if I need some type of drivers license for the bike? Also, I would I approach getting a drivers license for a car if I choose to buy one?

No need for the electric bikes. They cost around the price of an iPod (2500 rmb). Great value and fun except the battery is heavy and a pain to charge.

For drivers license you can convert your foreign one to a local one as long as you are a resident (not visiting) but I can't remember the place you have to go to I am sure many others will fill you in.

No written test is requried? How do I apply for residency? through work? Thanks

Thanks chingiskan, those electric scooters looks like fun to cruise around Pudong (not much traffic around Century Park), but they sure are HEAVY. The Carrefour salesman told me I needed to register as a temporary resident of Shanghai and get a special permit to operate an electric scooter. Do I still need a Shanghai resident ID card (if there is such a thing) if I have a Chinese permanent resident card and don't need a visa getting in and out of China?

As for the drivers license, I would like to know how I would approach getting one.

Search the threads....this has been highly detailed before.

Use the search button at the topp of this page....

Good Luck!

Tiger1, I am a also from the US and just went through all this drivers license stuff. It is fairly simple if your US license is still valid. You need to have your license translated, you need to complete an application in chinese so you will need help, you then go to get photo's physical check and take a test. You can not take the test the same day, they will usually schedule a week or more later. They give you a pamphlet with all the questions and answers in it, study for a little while and then take the test on the given day. The test is a piece of cake, but some rules are different here so you should study a little. Also, if you are color blind or have some hearing problems, you can almost entirely forget about getting a license here. I tell you this last statement because if you go and try the physical exam and fail for colorblind or hearing it will be recorded in the system and very difficult to get yourself removed from the system even if you can find some relationship/friend to help you get past the health check. You have been warned. BTW if you search the site I am sure you can find addresses and phone numbers, if you have trouble PM me.

antsmarching wrote:No written test is requried? How do I apply for residency? through work? Thanks

If you are legally living here then you should already have a residence permit (in your passport). If you are on a business travel visa or tourist visa then you are obviously NOT a legal resident and therefore can't get a driving license.

Yes, my company arranged all the formalities for me as it should be.

tiger1 wrote:Thanks chingiskan, those electric scooters looks like fun to cruise around Pudong (not much traffic around Century Park), but they sure are HEAVY. The Carrefour salesman told me I needed to register as a temporary resident of Shanghai and get a special permit to operate an electric scooter. Do I still need a Shanghai resident ID card (if there is such a thing) if I have a Chinese permanent resident card and don't need a visa getting in and out of China?

As for the drivers license, I would like to know how I would approach getting one.

Sorry I am confused - you are a Chinese citizen?

HK citizen (born in HK) with a Chinese permanent resident card I got from HK.
I initially did a search for drivers licenses, and didn't find much. Now I searched driving license, and found a lot more information.
Even with the Chinese permanent resident card, I think I still need to register with the police station and get a Shanghai residents card. As I understand it, I will need one to get a drivers license.

Hi Oilman, thank for the detailed answers. Is the test in English or Chinese? If it is in Chinese, then I am in deep s---.

Anybody can tell me how can i apply shanghai driving license?

No need for a license to drive a car either, I do it every day... Just ask around, I have been driving for 4 years, no license. When i get pull overed, just hand them your foreign passport and foreign license. (and speak no Chinese helps too)

antsmarching wrote:Hi Oilman, thank for the detailed answers. Is the test in English or Chinese? If it is in Chinese, then I am in deep s---.

The test for foreigners is in English, obviously!

lliu316 wrote:No need for a license to drive a car either, I do it every day... Just ask around, I have been driving for 4 years, no license. When i get pull overed, just hand them your foreign passport and foreign license. (and speak no Chinese helps too)

I'm not sure that's very sound advice even if you have gotten away with it so far. Your foreign passport isn't going to save you if you are unfortunate enough to have a collision, especially if someone is injured, regardless of fault.

that is very true

chingiskhan wrote:

lliu316 wrote:No need for a license to drive a car either, I do it every day... Just ask around, I have been driving for 4 years, no license. When i get pull overed, just hand them your foreign passport and foreign license. (and speak no Chinese helps too)

I'm not sure that's very sound advice even if you have gotten away with it so far. Your foreign passport isn't going to save you if you are unfortunate enough to have a collision, especially if someone is injured, regardless of fault.

Kind of reminds me of that moped guy without a license who got caught and booted out of China after 10 days in the slammer. That thread was really funny!

I had it done a last year and my friend just did it recently.

Driver License Translation:

You will need to get your driver license translated by the local authorized translation center.
Address: 66 Nanjing Dong Road (Near Peace Hotel by the Bund), Telephone: 21-6323-9181
Please call for office hours.
 Bring your driver license. 50RMB

Shanghai Driver License Center:
Address: 179 Chun Shen Road, Telephone: 21-6498-7070
Please call for office hours.
Directions by Shanghai Metro (40 minutes from People Square Station): Take the Metro 1 towards Xin Zhuang. Exit at Xin Zhuang station the last stop on the Metro 1 line and transfer to Metro 5. Take Metro 5 and get off Chun Shen Road station (1 stop). Once you exit the station, cross Humin Road and locate 179 Chun Shen Road. It should be about a 3-5 minutes walk.

Items to bring:
 Home country driver license
 Translated driver license
 Passport
 Make copies of your Passport, China Visa page and your driver license.


1. Once you arrive at the location. Go to Building 11.
a) Go to Window #4. Provide your passport, translated driver license, and permanent Shanghai address (in Chinese). Pay a fee.
b) Go to the room and get your picture taken and picture it up at the picture pick up window.
c) Exit the door and go left to the next door to get a health check up. Fill out the form and pay a fee.
2. Go to building #8, 2nd Floor Room 200.
a) Wait on line till your call. Provide the proof of health check, pictures, and copies of your passport, China Visa and driver license and schedule a date to take the written exam. The clerk will provide a taken home study question.

tiger1 wrote:HK citizen (born in HK) with a Chinese permanent resident card I got from HK.
I initially did a search for drivers licenses, and didn't find much. Now I searched driving license, and found a lot more information.
Even with the Chinese permanent resident card, I think I still need to register with the police station and get a Shanghai residents card. As I understand it, I will need one to get a drivers license.

A Hong Kong return home permit is not a Chinese permanent residence permit card!

My wife has a tong xing zheng (通行证).
Remember her saying when she got it that it meant she had "right of abode" in HK. Since HK is now part of China guess that means "right of abode" in China. She can use it to enter CN instead of using a passport.


Hey justdoit075.
Good post on how to do it.

maneo wrote:My wife has a tong xing zheng (通行证).
Remember her saying when she got it that it meant she had "right of abode" in HK. Since HK is now part of China guess that means "right of abode" in China. She can use it to enter CN instead of using a passport.

I also have right of abode in HK (3 star HK ID permanent ID card). I am entitled because one of my parents was born in HK. HK is part of China BUT (and it's a big BUT) it is administered separately. So being a Chinese citizen from the mainland, you still need a special permit to visit or live in HK and HK ID holders still need a visa (or a return home permit which I do not have) to enter mainland China.

Oilman wrote:Tiger1, I am a also from the US and just went through all this drivers license stuff. It is fairly simple if your US license is still valid. You need to have your license translated, you need to complete an application in chinese so you will need help, you then go to get photo's physical check and take a test. You can not take the test the same day, they will usually schedule a week or more later. They give you a pamphlet with all the questions and answers in it, study for a little while and then take the test on the given day. The test is a piece of cake, but some rules are different here so you should study a little. Also, if you are color blind or have some hearing problems, you can almost entirely forget about getting a license here. I tell you this last statement because if you go and try the physical exam and fail for colorblind or hearing it will be recorded in the system and very difficult to get yourself removed from the system even if you can find some relationship/friend to help you get past the health check. You have been warned. BTW if you search the site I am sure you can find addresses and phone numbers, if you have trouble PM me.

hey oilman,

I m going through the same thing getting my US DL switched to the local one, my question is can i get my picture taking and physical check done at their place in Ming Hang on the same day? or i have do these at different places different time? thanx for the reply

justdoit075 wrote:I had it done a last year and my friend just did it recently.

Driver License Translation:

You will need to get your driver license translated by the local authorized translation center.
Address: 66 Nanjing Dong Road (Near Peace Hotel by the Bund), Telephone: 21-6323-9181
Please call for office hours.
 Bring your driver license. 50RMB

Shanghai Driver License Center:
Address: 179 Chun Shen Road, Telephone: 21-6498-7070
Please call for office hours.
Directions by Shanghai Metro (40 minutes from People Square Station): Take the Metro 1 towards Xin Zhuang. Exit at Xin Zhuang station the last stop on the Metro 1 line and transfer to Metro 5. Take Metro 5 and get off Chun Shen Road station (1 stop). Once you exit the station, cross Humin Road and locate 179 Chun Shen Road. It should be about a 3-5 minutes walk.

Items to bring:
 Home country driver license
 Translated driver license
 Passport
 Make copies of your Passport, China Visa page and your driver license.


1. Once you arrive at the location. Go to Building 11.
a) Go to Window #4. Provide your passport, translated driver license, and permanent Shanghai address (in Chinese). Pay a fee.
b) Go to the room and get your picture taken and picture it up at the picture pick up window.
c) Exit the door and go left to the next door to get a health check up. Fill out the form and pay a fee.
2. Go to building #8, 2nd Floor Room 200.
a) Wait on line till your call. Provide the proof of health check, pictures, and copies of your passport, China Visa and driver license and schedule a date to take the written exam. The clerk will provide a taken home study question.

hi there,

your info is more than helpful, however i found it online that the address is 179 Qin Chun Lu, which one is it?? Chun Shen Lu or Qin Chun Lu? can somebody clarify for me please? thanks !!

Thanks Oilman and justdoit075. I will try to change my US license next time I am in town. Since I didn't use a passport or visa to get into China (Return Home Permit), I will have to call to see if they accept the RHP and my passport as ID. I appreciate everyone's input.

tiger1 wrote:Hi, newbie here.

Welcome newbie.

Another "Tiger" on the boards . . . .

lliu316 wrote:No need for a license to drive a car either

That's total BS. Every foreigner I know drives a car with a Chinese DL issued in Shanghai.
It costed me 300 RMB including translation since mine is Dutch and I had to do only theory test (really BREEZE).
Look at some old threads and you will see how to apply.

Tiger1

You can goto either. Howeever if you go to the above you can do everything there and it is much easier, with the exception of the translation of drivers liscences. The best part is tha the lescences lasts for 6 years and you do not have to submit yours from home.

good luck

Anyone got up to date info on where and how to get a drivers license?

Ive got a NZ license do i need to set a practical etc?

@Tiger1 : If you have the Home Return Permit (the pinkish/orange one) you can just change your HK license to a Chinese one the next time you are back in HK.

HK Chinese cant get points deducted from their license as well So you would be better off getting one that way