Road Trip in China: Your Guide to Car Rental & Temporary License

Renting a car in China might seem intimidating, especially considering the need to obtain a temporary Chinese driving license and navigate the car rental market in Chinese. However, the process is actually more straightforward than one might expect if you are well prepared.

How to Obtain a Temporary Driving License?

1. Get a Notarised Chinese Translation of Your Driving License

A notarised Chinese translation of your driving license is mandatory. To expedite the process, I highly recommend obtaining the translation before arriving in China, as the process can take several days. I arranged for my hotel (Chengdu Tibetan Hotel) to order the translation through Taobao, which was delivered to the hotel prior to my arrival. The cost was 150 CNY (the hotel kindly paid for it and I reimbursed them upon arrival).

2. Get a Local SIM Card

A Chinese phone number is mandatory to rent a car in China, and it will also be helpful when applying for your Chinese license as the DMV will need a local number to contact you when your license is ready. I personally went to a China Unicom shop and got a 30 GB plan with a 30-day validity, for which I paid around 130 CNY.

3. Obtain a Certificate of Temporary Residence

You will also need a certificate of temporary residence to apply for your Chinese temporary driving license. Some sources recommend visiting the local police station to obtain an official proof of temporary residence, but the certificate provided by my hotel was sufficient for my application (you might still want to get the document from the Police station if you have the time/just in case).

4. Apply for a Chinese Temporary Driving License at the local DMV

This is the "time-consuming" part of the process. In Chengdu, the DMV (成都市公安局交通管理局车辆管理所) is located in the Xipu district. The process may vary slightly depending on the city, but the general procedures should be similar. The DMV typically opens at 9 AM, and I recommend arriving early to maximize your chances of obtaining your license on the same day.

• Required Documents:

  • Proof of temporary residence (from your hotel, and ideally also from the local police station)

  • Passport

  • Copy of your passport

  • Original driving license

  • Copy of your driving license

  • Notarised Chinese translation of your driving license

  • Two recent photos (1x1 inch).

• DMV Procedures:

  • Obtain a "queing ticket" - in Chengdu, at the counter on the first picture below)

  • Proceed to the designated counter once it is your turn - In Chengdu, counters 26 and 27 (see second picture) are typically designated for foreign nationals - those are "bilingual" counters, in theory at least 🙃.

  • Provide the office with required documents

  • Provide your Chinese name - It's time to pick one - I asked the lady to pick one for me and it appears to mean "Stress as big as a mountain horse on wheels) and your contact number.

  • Wait for your license to be processed - This will likely take hours (or even a day), so the DMV officer will contact you once you license is ready (I personally went back 3h later, before they called me, to put some pressure on them and make sure I would get it on the same day)

The entire process, including waiting time, took me approximately 4-5 hours. While there were some minor hiccups along the way, the DMV staff were generally helpful and friendly.

How to rent a car?

Once you have the precious temporary driving license, it is time to rent your car.

I recommend booking your rental car through Alipay, a popular mobile payment platform in China which also offers a myriad of services. In particular, Alipay acts as an intermediary between users and some rental companies. Alipay also provides a user-friendly interface with a built-in translator, which comes in very handy if you don't speak Chinese.

• Before booking: Ensure you have a verified Alipay account. If you haven't already, I recommend setting up and verifying your Alipay and WeChat accounts before arriving in China to avoid any potential payment issues/delays.

• Booking your rental: Search for "嗨租车" on the Alipay platform. This is the name of reputable car rental company that offers very competitive rates (I've heard that 神州租车 - which can also be found on Alipay - is another reputable car rental companies, but their rates were significantly higher)

• Enter your travel details: Specify your location, rental dates, and desired vehicle. I strongly recommend renting an electric vehicle, as charging stations are readily available throughout China and some cities may restrict entry to vehicles with internal combustion engines.

• Complete the booking process: You'll be required to provide a significant amount of information. If you're unsure about any of the details, it's helpful to have a local assist you in completing the booking process (I did it with the one receptionist of my hotel).

Car rental is extremely affordable in China. I rented a brand-new electric SUV for eight days for only 668 CNY incl. insurance (approximately 10 EUR per day!). The car was delivered in front of my hotel and I simply had to bring it back to an agreed location at the end of my roadtrip.

I also had to pay a deposit of €400 (€200 for the insurance excess and €200 for potential fines). The excess was reimbursed directly when I brought the car back, and the remaining €200 were reimbursed after 30 days.

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