TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 360

If you don't already have a driver's license from your home country, you'll need to pass
the medical check-up and traffic law exam first. After this you will have to go for driving
lessons (a nightmare), then pass the physical driving test.
Temporary Licenses
Temporary licenses are available if you're staying for less than 90 days and have an L (tour-
ist) visa, and can be used for rental cars only. Companies such as Hertz say they can do
this in around an hour if done at their airport branch (Terminal 3), but in many cases it can
take five days and will cost around RMB450. Find out exactly what you need well ahead of
time. In most cases a temporary license still requires a visit to either the Foreign Affairs De-
partment of the BMVA or the Vehicle Management Service Station at the airport (Terminal
3). You won't need to take any tests, but you will need your original driver's license from
your home country, your temporary residence registration slip, an eye exam by an approved
hospital, and four one-inch photos.
BUYING AND SELLING
Buying a car in Beijing has become a difficult process for those who go by the topic. Again
in an effort to reduce the hellish traffic conditions, the municipal government has created a
lottery system for new car plates. In previous years, Beijing sold around 800,000 new cars
a year, but since the lottery system has been in place, that has dropped to around 400,000.
Chinese people not from Beijing, who don't have a Beijing hùk ǒ u (official local residency),
can't apply unless they can prove they've lived and paid taxes in the city for five years.
Foreigners are a little luckier—they only need to have been here for a year.
Before you can buy a car—new or old—you first need to have a number plate, and to get
this you either need to offload some serious under-the-table cash (illegal) or put your name
into a lottery for the chance to win the right to buy a number plate. This can be done via
www.bjhjyd.gov.cn . Companies such as Car Solution ( www.elsey-car.com ) can help with
this process as well as assist in buying or selling cars. To apply for the lottery, you'll need: a
driver's license, a valid visa (any type) or permanent resident permit, a temporary registra-
tion slip issued from the local PSB (not one issued by your housing compound), a minimum
of one year living in Beijing, and no other cars in your name in the city.