Temporary Driving Permit in China 2026: How Foreigners Can Drive Legally外国人临时驾照 2026：哪些城市能办、怎么办

1 Who can get a temporary driving permit in China 谁能拿到中国临时驾照

Most visitors assume the answer is no. That assumption costs them the whole experience. The governing rule is Article 21 of the Motor Vehicle Driving Licence Application and Use Regulations (Public Security Ministry Order No. 172, in force since 1 January 2025in force since 1 January 2025). It reads: holders of a foreign driving licence who need to drive temporarily in China should apply to the vehicle management office for a temporary driving permit, also written as a temporary motor vehicle driving permit. Visitors on short stays can be granted a permit valid for three months, and those staying longer than three months may extend it to one year. Foreigners, Hong Kong and Macao residents, and Taiwan residents can all apply.多数游客以为办不了。因为这个误会，许多人白白放弃了一种玩法。依据是《机动车驾驶证申领和使用规定》（公安部令第172 号，2025 年 1 月 1 日施行）第二十一条：持有境外机动车驾驶证，需要临时驾驶机动车的，应当按规定向车辆管理所申领临时机动车驾驶许可。对入境短期停留的，可以申领有效期为三个月的临时机动车驾驶许可；停居留时间超过三个月的，有效期可以延长至一年。外国人、香港澳门居民、台湾居民均可申请。

Note what this means. A short stay is not a barrier. If you are in China on a normal tourist visa for two weeks, you are eligible to apply. There is no minimum length-of-stay requirement to get a permit, and no need to extend your visa. Several English-language sites still claim short-term visitors cannot qualify. That is wrong, and it is the single most damaging piece of misinformation in this area. Beijing's own guidanceBeijing's own guidance confirms an IDP alone cannot be used to drive on the mainland.注意这意味着什么。短期停留不是障碍。如果你持普通旅游签证在华两周，你就有资格申请。申领许可没有最短停留期限要求，也不需要延长签证。仍有若干英文站声称短期访客不符合条件，这是错的，也是这一领域危害最大的错误信息。

One warning about older sources. The original 2007 regulation on temporary entry vehicles said the permit could never exceed three months and could not be extended. That version was superseded by Order No. 172. Some government pages still reproduce the old text, which is why you will find conflicting answers. The 2025 rule is the one that applies.关于旧资料的一个提醒。2007 年的《临时入境机动车和驾驶人管理规定》规定许可最长不超过三个月且不得延期，该版本已被第 172 号令取代。部分政府页面仍在转载旧文本，所以你才会看到互相矛盾的说法。适用的是 2025 年新规。

2 What it costs and how long it takes 费用与时长

The permit costs 10 RMB. That is the whole government fee, and there is no exam to pass for small vehicles. What does take time is the traffic safety education session organised by the traffic police, which every applicant must attend. Many offices now run this as a short video or a same-visit briefing, so the whole process is often completed while you wait.许可工本费 10 元，这就是全部政府费用，小型车也没有考试要考。真正花时间的是所有申请人都必须参加的、由交警组织的道路交通安全法规学习。如今多数车管所已将其做成短视频或现场讲解，整个流程常常在等待期间就完成。

• Government fee: 10 RMB per permit工本费：10 元/证
• Statutory processing time: within 3 working days法定办结时限：3 个工作日内
• Typical reality at airport counters: same visit, 15 to 30 minutes in the best cases机场窗口实际体验：当场办结，最快案例 15–30 分钟
• Traffic safety education: required for everyone, but usually short and on site交规学习：所有人都要参加，但通常很短且在现场完成
• Medical certificate: not required if you are applying for a small car or motorcycle permit体检证明：申请小型汽车或摩托车许可者免予提交

Photos are the one thing nobody warns you about. Requirements are not uniform. Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing ask for two one-inch white-background photos. Shenzhen asks for three. Some offices offer an on-site photo service, so you can skip this altogether. But do not count on it, and do not bring only two photos if you are going to Shenzhen.照片是最没人会提醒你的一件事。要求并不统一。北京、上海、重庆要求两张一寸白底彩照，深圳要求三张。部分窗口提供现场拍照服务，落地后再买照片可以完全跳过这一项，但不要默认有，也不要只带两张就去深圳。

3 Where to get a temporary driving permit in China, city by city 逐城办理点

This is the part almost no English-language guide gets right. The permit is national in law but local in practice, and the difference matters enormously. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Kunming have counters at or inside their airports. In other cities you may need to visit a vehicle management office in person, and in a few you may need to plan around opening hours that do not match your flight.这正是几乎所有英文指南都没讲准的部分。该许可在法律上是全国统一的，但执行是本地化的，两者差别极大。北京、上海、深圳、杭州、成都、昆明都在机场内或航站楼设有窗口。其他城市可能需要专程前往车管所，个别城市还需迁就与航班不匹配的办公时间。

Two calls worth making before you fly. First, I could not confirm a permit counter at Lanzhou airport or Lanzhou railway station, nor at Xi'an Xianyang airport, nor at Chongqing Jiangbei airport. If you are flying into one of those and intend to pick up a car immediately, confirm by phone first, because showing up at the airport and finding no counter costs you a day. Second, this is a fast-moving area. Hangzhou only launched its airport service in May 2026. Verify before you book a non-refundable rental.出发前有两通电话值得打。第一，我未能确认兰州中川机场、兰州火车站、西安咸阳机场、重庆江北机场设有许可窗口。如果你从这些机场落地并打算立即取车，请先电话确认——到了机场发现办不了，代价是一整天。第二，这是个快速变化的领域。杭州的机场服务 2026 年 5 月才启动。预订不可退的租车前请先核实。

Two practical notes before you go. If you have not yet decided whether a car is worth the paperwork, our guide to whether renting a car in China is worth itwhether renting a car in China is worth it walks through that decision. If you plan to arrive by air and pick up a car the same day, allow for the permit plus the rental pickup, and read our first 24 hours in China guideour first 24 hours in China guide first so you know what that day looks like either way.出发前有两点实用提醒。若还没决定值不值得为租车办手续，我们的「在中国租车到底值不值」「在中国租车到底值不值」 讲透了这层决策。若打算落地当天就取车，请为「办许可 + 取车」留出时间，并先读抵达中国最初的 24 小时抵达中国最初的 24 小时，无论取不取车，那天怎么过你都需要心里有数。

4 Documents for a temporary driving permit 材料清单

Bring your passport with a valid visa or stay document, your original foreign driving licence, an official Chinese translation if the licence is not in Chinese, and your photographs. The translation must be issued by a qualified translation agency or notarised. Shanghai publishes the names of accepted agencies, and embassy- or consulate-issued translations are also accepted in several cities. The licence translation should cover both the front and the back of the document, including any restriction or condition notes.需携带：持有效签证或停留证件的护照 · 境外驾照原件 · 非中文驾照的官方中文翻译件 · 照片。翻译件须由有资质的翻译机构出具或经公证机构公证。上海公布了受理机构名录，多地也接受使领馆出具的翻译件。翻译件需覆盖正反面，包括限制与备注条件。

If you are driving a rented Chinese car, your temporary driving permit only covers small vehicles, C1 and C2 — meaning small cars and small automatic-transmission cars. If you drove your own vehicle into China, the permit class must match your foreign licence and the vehicle. Apply within two days of entering.如驾驶租赁的中国机动车，许可仅限小型汽车 C1 与小型自动挡汽车 C2。如驾驶自带入境机动车，准驾车型须与境外驾照及自带车辆一致，且须在入境后二日内提出申请。

While driving, carry three things at all times: the temporary permit, your original foreign licence, and its Chinese translation. If you are driving a rental, also keep the rental contract in the vehicle, because police may ask for it. Insurance coverage is void if you drive without a valid permit, so this is not a technicality.驾驶时须始终同时携带三样：临时驾驶许可 · 境外驾照原件 · 中文翻译件。租车还需随车携带租赁合同备查。无有效许可驾驶将导致保险失效——这点不是小事，别当耳边风。

5 What renting costs, and what insurance excludes 租金与保险条款

Expect to pay a deposit. Major operators such as eHi and CAR Inc. are the most used by foreign renters, and both accept the temporary permit. Typical daily rates for a small car run from roughly 230 to 440 RMB including basic insurance, with optional damage waivers at 60 to 100 RMB per day. Credit card deposits commonly range from 3,000 to 10,000 RMB and may be held for up to 30 days after you return the car. These are market figures rather than regulated ones, so confirm the exact amount with the branch you are using.需准备押金。一嗨（eHi）与神州（CAR Inc.）是外国人使用最多的租车公司，两者均接受临时驾驶许可。小型车日租含基础保险约 230–440 元，附加免赔额险约 60–100 元/天。信用卡押金常见为 3,000–10,000 元，可能在还车后仍冻结至 30 天。 这些是市场行情而非法定标准，具体金额请以实际门店为准。

Two deposit holds exist, and visitors are often surprised by the second. There is the security deposit on the vehicle, and separately a traffic violation deposit that many operators retain after you return the car while they process camera records. Ask for the amount, the release timetable and the refund method in writing before you sign anything.实际存在两笔押金，多数人对第二笔感到意外。一笔是车辆安全押金，另一笔是交通违法押金——许多租车公司在你还车后仍会暂扣，用于处理监控记录。签字前应书面确认金额、解冻时间与退款方式。

On insurance, read the exclusions rather than the headline. Tyres, wheels, glass, underbody and interior damage are commonly excluded. Driving on unpaved roads may void coverage entirely, which matters if your plan includes rural routes. Driving without a valid permit voids everything.关于保险， 要看免责条款而不是宣传语。轮胎、轮毂、玻璃、底盘与内饰损坏通常被排除。在非铺装路面行驶可能导致保险完全失效——若你的行程包含乡村路段尤其要注意。无有效许可驾驶则一切失效。

6 At the counter: what to do before you drive off 取车现场：开走前要做什么

The permit gets you legally to the counter. The counter is where the real friction lives, and it pays to know the rules before you sign. The deposits are covered above; what people miss is that a successful online booking payment is not proof the pickup deposit will clear.许可能让你合法走到取车柜台，而真正的摩擦在柜台。看清规则再签字能省下不少麻烦。押金已在上一节说明；这里要提醒的是：线上预订付款成功，并不等于取车时押金一定刷得出来。

The exclusion visitors miss most is unregistered drivers. If your companion will take the wheel at any point, add them to the contract properly. The single most damaging lapse is letting an unregistered friend drive for twenty minutes.最容易被忽略的一条免责是「未登记的驾驶人」。同行者只要可能开车，就应正式登记进合同——危害最大的失误，是让未登记的朋友接手开二十分钟。

Photograph the car before you move it, including the wheels, the fuel gauge and any existing damage, and note the odometer. After a collision, do not move the vehicle unless safety requires it, photograph the scene, call the police on 122 and the rental company, and make no private settlement without the insurer. The traffic police number is 122 and medical emergency is 120. Save an offline card with both numbers, the rental branch and your insurer's claims line.车辆起步前拍照留证，包含轮胎、油量表与已有损伤，并记录里程数。发生碰撞后，除安全需要外不要移动车辆，拍摄现场，拨打 122 与租车公司电话，未与保险公司沟通前不要私下私了。交通警察 122，急救 120。请把两个号码、租车门店与保险公司理赔电话存入离线卡片。

Finally, confirm whether the branch permits cross-province travel or one-way returns. Both are often restricted, and the long rural runs that attract self-drivers are exactly the kind of journey some operators decline. Ask before you sign, not at the counter.最后确认门店是否允许跨省行驶或异地还车。这两项常被限制，而吸引自驾者的长途乡村线路，恰恰是某些公司不愿承接的行程。请在签约前问清，不要到柜台才提。

7 How many foreigners actually use it 究竟有多少外国人在用

The numbers are tiny — and that is the story. Hangzhou airport launched its permit service on 1 May 2026 and had issued 30 permits from 13 countries by the end of August. Beijing Daxing handled 150-plus foreign applicants across 2024. Hangzhou airport rental volume peaked near 400 cars a day during the May holiday, of which foreign renters were about 10 percent. Inbound rental bookings in Hangzhou were up 20 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2026.数字很小——这恰恰是重点。杭州机场 2026 年 5 月 1 日启动许可服务，至 8 月底发出 30 份许可，来自 13 个国家/地区。北京大兴机场 2024 年全年办理 150 余名外籍申请者。五一假期杭州机场租车量峰值近 400 台/天，其中外国租车者约占 10%。2026 年一季度杭州入境租车订单同比增长 20%。

Put those numbers together and one thing stands out. Demand is real and rising, the channel has just opened, and almost nobody knows it exists. Most English guides still tell readers this is impossible. The counters above exist anyway. That is the gap worth knowing about.把这些数字放在一起，有一件事很突出：需求真实且在上升，通道刚刚打开，而几乎没人知道它存在。多数英文指南仍在告诉读者这不可能——可上面那些窗口是真实存在的。这个落差本身就值得知道。

8 Dates, sources and what to recheck 日期、来源与复核建议

Everything here was checked in October 2026. This is a fast-moving area, and two details show why. The airport counters are new: Hangzhou only started in May 2026, and Chengdu's 24-hour service is a recent addition. Airport counter hours are set separately from the main vehicle management offices and shift during public holidays. Treat the city list as a starting point and confirm by phone before committing to a non-refundable rental.本文所有信息于 2026 年 10 月核实。这个领域变化很快，两点可以说明。机场窗口是较新事物——杭州 2026 年 5 月才启动，成都的 24 小时服务也是近期新增。机场窗口办公时间由机场与车管所分别规定，与本部不同步，法定假期期间会调整。请把城市清单当作起点，在预订不可退租车前先电话确认。

On the rules themselves, Article 21 of Public Security Ministry Order No. 172, in force since 1 January 2025, governs validity periods, and the three-month versus one-year split is confirmed by both the Suzhou Public Security Bureau and Hainan traffic police. Permit application guidance comes from the Beijing traffic police bureau and from the Shanghai municipal government, which publishes both a bilingual guide and an English-only version. The Shenzhen and Hangzhou airport programmes are documented by the Shenzhen vehicle management office and the Hangzhou culture and tourism bureau. The actual issuance figures come from media reporting on those two programmes.规则层面，2025 年 1 月 1 日施行的公安部令第 172 号第二十一条规定有效期，三个月与一年之别由苏州市公安局与海南交警共同确认。办理指引来自北京交管局与上海市政府（后者同时发布双语版与纯英文版）。深圳与杭州机场项目分别由深圳车管所与杭州市文旅局记载。实际办理量数据来自这两个项目的媒体报道。

If you are planning a specific route, our China high-speed rail guideChina high-speed rail guide covers the alternative that removes this whole question, and China domestic flightsChina domestic flights explains the booking rules that decide which city you land in. If you would rather not drive at all, see Didi and ride-hailingDidi and ride-hailing and China maps and navigationChina maps and navigation.若你有具体路线规划，我们的 中国高铁指南中国高铁指南介绍了能彻底绕开这一问题的替代方案；中国国内航班中国国内航班 则解释了决定你在哪座城市落地的订票规则。如果完全不想开车，可以看 滴滴与网约车滴滴与网约车 和 中国地图与导航中国地图与导航。

Frequently asked questions常见问题