Do you need an International Driving Permit for China?

Q: Do you need an International Driving Permit for China?

No - and neither will any IDP help. China does not recognize International Driving Permits at all, so you need a temporary Chinese license. China is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, and the 1968 Vienna Convention has never been written into Chinese domestic law. Under Article 19 of the Road Traffic Safety Law, anyone driving on Chinese roads must hold a Chinese license. An IDP has no legal standing. Visitors who want to drive must apply for a temporary Chinese driving permit, generally valid for up to 90 days for a short stay and extendable to a year where the authorized stay is longer. Applications are made locally on arrival and typically require your passport, visa, license, a health check, and a translation. This is the single most common IDP misconception among travellers to Asia. Buying an IDP for a China trip is money wasted.

Do You Need an IDP for China? No

The rule for a US licence

China is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, and the 1968 Vienna Convention has never been written into Chinese domestic law. Under Article 19 of the Road Traffic Safety Law, anyone driving on Chinese roads must hold a Chinese license. An IDP has no legal standing.

Visitors who want to drive must apply for a temporary Chinese driving permit, generally valid for up to 90 days for a short stay and extendable to a year where the authorized stay is longer. Applications are made locally on arrival and typically require your passport, visa, license, a health check, and a translation.

This is the single most common IDP misconception among travellers to Asia. Buying an IDP for a China trip is money wasted.

Live in China?

A licence issued in China is what you drive on at home - an IDP translates a foreign licence, so it does not apply to you here. If your licence is from somewhere else, check that licence country: the rule depends on where the licence was issued, not only on where you are driving.

What it costs to get this wrong

Driving without a valid Chinese license is treated as unlicensed driving and can bring a fine, administrative detention, and impoundment of the vehicle. Confirm current penalties with the local authorities before you drive.

At the rental counter

Rental companies in China cannot rent you a self-drive vehicle without a Chinese license. Hiring a car with a driver is the usual alternative.

What the permit covers

An International Driving Permit is a translation of your licence into a standard multilingual booklet, issued under the 1949 and 1968 road traffic conventions. It is not a licence, and it is never valid on its own: you carry it with your own licence, and police expect to see both.

It is issued against the vehicle classes already on your home licence, and it never adds one. If your licence does not cover motorcycles, an IDP does not let you ride a scooter in China; if it does not cover a heavier vehicle, the permit will not cover a camper or a minibus either. The permit restates what you already hold, in a form the local authorities can read.

Driving in more than one country?

Check every destination on your trip at once - China is already filled in.

Check your trip

Other destinations

Informational only, not legal advice. Requirements change and vary by length of stay, rental company, and vehicle class. Always confirm with the destination's embassy or your automobile association before you drive.