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.[1] 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 (19 passengers or less)[2] | 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 (9 passengers or less)[2] | 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 (over 50cc) | 普通二輪摩托車 | F | A |
| F | Light motorcycles (50cc or less) | 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).
References
External links
