Your international driving permit does not work in China

This is the one that ends trips at the rental desk. Mainland China does not recognize the International Driving Permit. Not "prefers you have something else". Does not recognize it, because China is not party to the convention that created the thing.

So the document you carefully obtained at home, specifically for this, is worth nothing at the counter, and the person telling you so has had this conversation a hundred times.

What works instead

A temporary Chinese driver's license, 临时机动车驾驶许可, issued against your home license. Ordinary document, routine to get, and the thing the rental company actually wants to see. It costs 10 yuan, lasts three months, and covers an ordinary rented car, manual or automatic. Staying longer than three months, it can run for up to a year.

Two ways to get one

• At the airport. Some major international airports have a vehicle administration desk that issues them on arrival. Beijing has two, in Terminal 3 at Capital and at Daxing. This is the quick route, and the fact that it exists at all tells you how many people land without one.
• At a city vehicle office, or through the rental company, if you send documents ahead. Slower, and it has to start before you travel.

Either way, apply in the city where you collect the car. Bring your passport, your home license, a Chinese translation of it from a translation agency or a notary, and two passport photographs on a white background. An ordinary car needs no medical certificate.

Staying longer: a full Chinese license

With a visa or residence permit of three months or more, you can exchange your home license for a Chinese one. For an ordinary car that is one written theory test. Hong Kong is a separate system again: visitors drive there on a home license or an IDP.

The question worth asking first

Do you want to drive? Intercity rail is superb and DiDi covers cities for very little money. Renting genuinely makes sense for the places trains do not go, and makes very little sense for getting between cities, where you would be choosing traffic and parking over a 300km/h train.

If you do drive

Motorway signage carries pinyin next to the characters, so the roads themselves are navigable. The parking systems, the fuel pumps and every machine you have to operate do not.

And the paperwork is the sharp end. The rental agreement, the insurance options and the deposit terms are Chinese only, and those are precisely the documents where agreeing to the wrong thing is expensive.

Questions people ask

Does an international driving permit work in China?

No. Mainland China does not recognize the IDP, because China is not party to the road traffic conventions behind it. You need a temporary Chinese driver's license, issued against your home license.

How do I get a temporary Chinese driver's license?

At an airport vehicle desk, such as Beijing Capital Terminal 3 or Daxing, or at a vehicle office in the city where you rent. Bring your passport, your home license, a certified Chinese translation and two photographs. It costs 10 yuan and lasts three months.

Can a foreigner get a full Chinese driver's license?

Yes, with a visa or residence permit of three months or more. For an ordinary car you exchange your home license after one written theory test.

Is an international driving permit valid in Hong Kong?

Yes. Hong Kong has its own rules, and visitors can drive there on a valid home license or an IDP.

Should I rent a car in China at all?

For intercity travel, rail is usually faster and easier. Renting makes sense for areas the train network does not reach.

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