Motor Vehicle Driving License

The Motor Vehicle Driving License (simplified Chinese: 机动车驾驶证; traditional Chinese: 機動車駕駛證; pinyin: Jīdòngchē Jiàshǐzhèng) is the legal driving license within China excluding the two special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). In these two territories separate driving license must be obtained from their respective traffic authorities. It is issued, ratified and regularly inspected by the traffic administrative department of the public security organ. Minimum age varies from 18 (for cars) all the way up to 26 (for large buses) in the country. Learner's licenses, although granted, have little effect, as most training takes place within the confines of specially-designed training areas inaccessible, on paper, to the general motoring public. Previously, expressways were inaccessible even for holders of a normal driver's license if they did not possess the license for a full year; however, such a regulation has now been invalidated. Drivers with licenses less than a year old, however, are still considered "intern drivers" or "new drivers" (Chinese: 实习司机; pinyin: shíxí siji), and certain limitations apply to them (for example, they must display a uniform label on the car when they are driving). The PRC considers the driving license, under a new law, an administrative license (Chinese: 行政许可; pinyin: xíngzhèng xuke).

Some areas do not issue motorcycle licenses or three-wheeler licenses any more. This promotes driving without a license, a fake license or an illegally purchased license.

Types of license

Type	Name	Chinese	Other categories included	Intl. Eqs.
A1	Heavy passenger vehicles	大型客車	A3, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, C4, M	D
A2	Tractors	牽引車	B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, C4, M	E
A3	City buses	城市公交車	C1, C2, C3, C4	D
B1	Middle passenger vehicles	中型客車	C1, C2, C3, C4, M	D1
B2	Heavy goods vehicles	大型貨車	C1, C2, C3, C4, M	C
C1	Light motor vehicle, camper	小型汽車	C2, C3, C4	B
C2	Automatic transmission light motor vehicle	小型自動檔汽車
C3	Low-speed goods vehicle	低速載貨汽車	C4
C4	Three-wheel motor vehicles	三輪汽車		B1
D	Ordinary three-wheel motorcycles	普通三輪摩托車	E, F
E	Ordinary two-wheel motorcycles	普通二輪摩托車	F	A
F	Light motorcycles	輕便摩托車		A1
M	Wheel type automobiles	輪式自行機械車		N/A
N	Trolleybuses	無軌電車
P	Trams	有軌電車

Note: A Class C5 license has been introduced for 残疾人专用小型自动挡载客汽车 (small passenger cars with automatic transmission for people with disabilities).

External links

• Motor Vehicle Driver's License Number Information Service Network