Foreign drivers enjoy the fast lane

INTERNATIONAL travelers who apply for temporary driving licenses in China will see reduced paperwork and get longer validity from next week, the Ministry of Public Security said yesterday.

A traveler who applies for a temporary driving license for a car or motorcycle will no longer need to submit a health examination report.

Required documents include a passport, a driver’s license in his or her home country and the two documents’ Chinese translations, said Liu Yupeng, a senior official with the ministry.

The validity of the license will be for a minimum of three months and can be extended to a year if the holder stays in China for over three months, Liu said. Chinese police will also simplify the procedure for international travelers to obtain temporary plates for their vehicles.

Cars with less than seven seats and registered in foreign countries or regions within the past six years will be exempt from technical checks in China, Liu said, adding that the police will try to provide registry services at airports, harbors and free trade zones where demands are the highest.

Vehicles from Hong Kong and Macau that enter the mainland via the Hong Kong-ZhuhaiMacau Bridge will be granted a digital plate that will be valid for one year. And the same will be applied to vehicles from Macau to Hengqin in south China’s Guangdong Province and those from Taiwan to Pingtan in the southeastern province of Fujian.

(Xinhua)