Hello.
Well, today - finally - I officially got my Chinese motorcycle drivers license; and it was not an easy task. Let me try to explain.
First I had to visit a massive compound in Minghang district to get a medical test and pay a few fee's. Then I had to get my Ontario M2 license officially translated in to Chinese and take that to an office in Hongqiao. Then I had to book a computer test, almost 4 weeks later - massive waiting list, to obtain my license.
But that is not the end of the story. In order to pass the Car (C1) and Motorcycle (E) license test I had to memorize around 2300 questions (which I posted earlier) from a questionnaire that was unfathomably long and full of horrid English translations to impossible questions. My first crack at the test was on November 16th, which consisted of 100 questions on a computer terminal; which had to be answered in 45min. I obtained a score of 87/100, a difficult task but a score I was very proud of. Only the score was a FAILURE. That's right, I've failed my first test, I needed to obtain a 90%. It is near impossible. I was shattered, exhausted and bitter. I actually studied very hard - but 2300 questions was just too massive a pool of short-term knowledge to comprehend.
After my failed test I was told that I would have to wait a whopping 5 weeks until I could be re-tested. The small test center I visited was actually a small police station near HongQiao Airport. But they only have one computer and only assign four tests per day; I love government efficiency. After starting work at 10AM and taking a 2 hour lunch it's tough to get more than 4 tests per day in. So alas the wait.
But that just wouldn't due, so I used some guanxi and found a few loop holes and managed to arrange another test on November 24th, which I was able to pass. Now I hold a C1E license. Finally. Painful, YES! Worth the trouble? Maybe not. I've heard rumors that the Police have been kicking out foreigners who get caught driving with no license. But I have yet to know anyone it actually happened to. I got an original C1 license in 2004 and I've never had to show it once while driving in Shanghai. But finally, the point of the BMW Motorcycle, and the point of this blog is to follow Chinese law to the "T" and share my information with others - in a vain hope that people can find my experiences useful, and apply them to their own quest.
A quick note: In order to navigate the entire motor vehicle bureau I hired a consultant named Bella. She runs a small company called "Reliable License Service" and she and a few friends provide a service to foreigners looking to drive in China. She knows just about everyone who works in the system and is very helpful. For anyone looking to repeat my process or for any licensing enquires just drop her a phone call: +86 150 2178 0638.
So now I have my license, my license plate and my bike is due the first week of December. More adventures soon to follow. I promise you, it won't be boring.
Ryan Pyle
Photographer / BMW Motorcycle Owner
Location: Shanghai, China
Email: ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Mobile: +86 137 9521 9650
BMW China: BMWCHINA
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