Driving license in China
The Driving License of the People's Republic of China is the legal driving license of the People's Republic of China. It is issued, ratified, and regularly inspected by the traffic administrative department of the public security organ. The minimum age varies from 18 for cars to 26 for large buses.
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 their license was less than a year old. However, this restriction has now been removed. Drivers with licenses less than a year old, however, are still considered "intern drivers" or "new drivers", and certain limitations apply to them. The PRC considers the driving license, under a new law, an administrative license.
The PRC is not a party to any of the three conventions regarding an International Driving Permit and therefore such licences are not valid in the country. Foreign drivers with a valid residence permit can apply for a Chinese driver's license, but drivers visiting the PRC must obtain a temporary licence for the length of their stay.
History
On April 10, 2019, the Ministry of Public Security announced that applications for light motor vehicles are no longer required to provide proof of residence in the issuing region if their hukou is not in the region. Before that, anyone whose hukou is not in the issuing region must have a "temporary living permit" of the region or other similar proof in order to take a test and get a license. In October 2020, the Ministry of Public Security said that obtaining a motorcycle driver's license will not require a hukou starting on 20 November 2020.Types of license
| Type | Name | Chinese | Age of application | Other categories included | Intl. Eqs. |
| A1 | Heavy passenger vehicles | 大型客车 | 26-50 | A3, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, C4, M | D |
| A2 | Semi-trailer trucks or vehicles with a trailer with a total mass heavier than 4500 kg | 重型牵引挂车 | 24-50 | B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, C4, C6, M | E |
| A3 | City buses | 城市公交车 | 20-50 | C1, C2, C3, C4 | D |
| B1 | Middle passenger vehicles | 中型客车 | 21-50 | C1, C2, C3, C4, M | D1 |
| B2 | Heavy goods vehicles | 大型货车 | 20-50 | C1, C2, C3, C4, M | C |
| C1 | Light motor vehicles, campers | 小型汽车 | 18+ | C2, C3, C4 | B |
| C2 | Automatic transmission light motor vehicles | 小型自动档汽车 | 18+ | B | |
| C3 | Low-speed goods vehicles | 低速载货汽车 | 18-60 | C4 | B |
| C4 | Three-wheel motor vehicles | 三轮汽车 | 18-60 | B1 | |
| C5 | Small passenger cars with automatic transmission for people with disabilities | 残疾人专用小型自动挡载客汽车 | 18-70 | N/A | |
| C6 | Vehicles with a trailer with a total mass less than 4500 kg | 轻型牵引挂车 | 20-60 | BE | |
| D | Ordinary three-wheel motorcycles | 普通三轮摩托车 | 18-60 | E, F | B1 |
| E | Ordinary two-wheel motorcycles | 普通二轮摩托车 | 18-60 | F | A |
| F | Light motorcycles | 轻便摩托车 | 18-70 | A1 | |
| M | Wheel type automobiles | 轮式自行机械车 | 18-60 | N/A | |
| N | Trolleybuses | 无轨电车 | 20-50 | N/A | |
| P | Trams | 有轨电车 | 20-50 | N/A |