Travelers who hold drivers' licenses issued outside the Chinese
mainland can now apply for temporary licenses that will enable them
to drive off in their cars as soon as they get off their flight at
Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports.
The service made its debut at two Shanghai airports on March 1 of
this year under the auspices of the automobile management station
of the Shanghai public security bureau. Travelers who hold drivers'
licenses issued by foreign countries or by China's Hong Kong or
Macao special administrative region as well as foreigners who hold
international drivers' licenses were permitted to apply for their
temporary licenses at registration windows at the airports. At the
registration window of Putong Airport, the equipment for
registration is complete: A digital camera facilitates those who
don't have photos of themselves, and the medical emergency center
at the airport can provide the license applicants with a quality
physical examination service. Even more, the test room for traffic
regulation exam is also there. Generally speaking, a temporary
driver's license can be obtained within two hours. So far, over 200
overseas visitors have received their temporary driver licenses at
Shanghai airports thanks to this special service.
Some glitches have appeared in the system, which was stipulated in
1996 with no amendments so far, that should be noted. For instance,
besides an identity card and International or Regional driver
licenses, also required is a residential certificate issued by the
public security bureau of Shanghai allowing residency in China for
at least a three-month period. This means that those overseas
visitors who come to China only for short-time traveling or on
business cannot get temporary licenses. According to officials from
the International Airport Branch of Shanghai public security
bureau, an amendment to the regulation should be added soon to keep
the system up-to-date according to today's market demand.
(解放日?qǐng)?bào) [Jiefang
Daily Online] March 21, 2001, translated by Feng Shu for
china.org.cn)