GoKunming Forums

Driving license

Mr.Mickov (3 posts) • 0

Guys i need some serious help here :)), my question is : i do not have driving license from my country and i want to make one here in Kunming, but its hard to find the place for it, some help pleaseeee.....where and how, thanks a lot

Unconditionally (1 post) • 0

First at all, you need speak well of Chinese you will be communicating with the lessons and registrations and most of the driving coaches are local 50s people. So I advice you to ask foreigners have done a driving license in kunming if it's possible at this manner so you can.

mike4g_air (788 posts) • 0

Without your country's licence it's going to be very expensive, up to 10 000 rmb for the full course, and that's if you can comunicate....
if you have your countries driving licence you just need to pass the writen exam in english...a few hundred rmb...

Mr.Mickov (3 posts) • 0

i am aware and don't mind the cost ( cause need to make one license ) its just can't find that place, made some calls but they don't like to train foreigner ( WtF ) so i was thinking maybe someone with similar experience could help out

lemon lover (1006 posts) • 0

Doing driving lessons in China requires enormous amount of time. Lessons take all day. Most of the time will be spent on the back seat cramped in with other students will cruising at max 40 km/h over deserted roads in rural area. Basic technique is learned in driving parks were bamboo sticks replacing real life cars. This makes driving lessons in China not only extremely time consuming but as well rather useless. One does not learn to interact with other traffic or learn to control nerves when parking between real cars.
Since it is forbidden by law to drive as a student on a motorway one does not learn this as well. (I think students never get above 3rd gear anyway).
This all explains why there is so much erratic driving in this country.
One option done by some is to sign up for driving lessons in off season holiday spots. Instead of hanging around in the back of a car one can hang around in the hotel used by the driving school and do something else. I seen this in Puzhehe and I think it might be possible in Dali as well.
Frankly I think it might be better to go back to your home country and get a real driving licence there.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • 0

I can understand why they don't want to train foreigners.

Firstly, the driving instructors will probably only speak Chinese, and often in a local dialect. If they do speak any English it would not be good enough to instruct you.
Secondly, foreigners will not come with a sense of local driving conditions or behaviours. You really need to ride a bike here for some considerable time to really get a feel for how road users (car, motorbike, ebike, cycle) behave. It is extremely different to what most of us would have experienced back home.

Add the lack of language, local road knowledge, local understanding of driver behaviour, and lack of experience; all together you have a recipe for an accident.

mhdkrm (9 posts) • 0

I am also looking for the place to start the process. Can anyone tell me where to go and what to do as the first step if I have my original driving license from my home country.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • 0

If you have your original license, you go the the test centre with an official translation of your driving licence, which needs to be done in China by an official translator. There is one in Kunming.
They will then give you a medical (eye test) and process your other details. They will then book a test date for you, it used to be Thursdays only for tests in English language.
The test centre will also require photos, but these are extra small size. I think I had these done at the test centre, but that was 3 years ago.

The process itself is straight forward, but you will need a Chinese speaker with you.
There are several threads on the full process on here if you do a search. These have all the details and addresses needed.

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