eninbolsonova

I plan to visit Guangzhou, China this September

and I heard it is impossible for foreign people to drive in China.

Is that true?

Today I saw this video from youtube
Shanghai Drive Downtown Yan An Elewted RD - DJI Osmo Pocket (July 2019)
(sorry I cant link the address yet)

and a guy actually driving in China.


Anyone have been driving in China,

Please share your experiences. Thank you.

temppeternh

The short answer to this would be that it is impossible for foreign visitors to drive in China. (The long answer is more complicated.)

Foreign residents take the Chinese test and exchange their licenses for Chinese ones.

Foreign visitors have been known to purchase motorbikes in remoter areas and scoot around just hoping not to be stopped.

It's possible to take your own vehicle into China and drive around, but it costs a small fortune, requires a planned itinerary in which all accommodation is booked at excessive rates through the travel agency, and you must pay for an accompanying guide and for all his overheads, too. It can take months to arrange.

There have been some holidays in which foreigners can drive RVs in convoys on a set route. This may still be available.

Car rental from an ordinary outlet without a driver is not available to those without Chinese licenses. Which is to say that there have been some locations where it has at times been available (Beijing Capital Airport, for instance), but gone away again. Even then driving was restricted to within greater Beijing. It may have popped up once more, but the terms are always arduous when it does: it's expensive, requires a huge deposit, the risk of minor collision to those with no previous experience of the anarchy on Chinese roads is as near 100% as makes no difference. Whenever there's an accident foreigners are always in the wrong.

And once you see the driving in China for yourself, you'll understand that you're much better to pay for a driver and let him take the responsibility.

eninbolsonova

Thanks for your detailed answer. I'm so Thankful.

CanadaChinaTraveller

Sure it is possible. I am Canadian and I drive regularly in China. But I have a Chinese driver's license. I obtained mine a while ago on a tourist visa but you need to be there for a while to go through the process as it can take a few weeks. Not something available to the typical tourist.
Another alternative is to obtain a temporary driver's license. For this you just need to complete simple paperwork. At one point this was available at the Beijing Capital airport (terminal 3, big signs as you exit to the main hall). I understand that this can be available at the equivalent of the department of motor vehicles Read this: https://www.travelchinacheaper.com/c...porary-license . In Guangzhou the Guangzhou Traffic Management Bureau is at 1732 Huaguan Lu, Cen Cun, Tianhe district (广州市天河区岑村华观路1732号). You would need to have a Chinese friend go with you as there will be zero English spoken there.
But this is only half the battle. Many (probably most) rental companies will require a credit card issued in China.
So this is not something easy for the typical tourist.

eninbolsonova

Thanks for sharing your experience. It helps me alot!