A new website where people will be able to apply for auto quota online will be fired up on Jan 1 when changes to the vehicle registration system kick in. The amendments are aimed at limiting the number of new cars hitting city streets, Beijing's traffic authorities revealed on Tuesday.

Starting Jan 1, residents will have to apply online for permission to register a new car.

The website's address will be announced in the near future, said Sun Hongjun, director of the laws and regulation department at the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport (BMCT). Sun was speaking on Tuesday on Beijing Public Service Radio.

According to the new vehicle registration rules announced by the municipal government on Dec 23, the number of car registrations will be limited to 240,000 next year and those allowed to register a car will get their license plates through a lottery system, under the principle of "justice, openness and fairness". The process will be free.

"Registration offices will also be opened in 16 districts and counties around the capital but they will not be operational until after the New Year holidays," said Sun. "Buyers are encouraged to apply online."

After people apply online for auto quota, lotteries will be held to see who is successful. The first lottery will be held on Jan 26. Those who successfully apply before Jan 8 will get the chance to join that lottery.

There will be three important days each month in the process - the 8th, 25th and 26th. The days are, respectively, the deadline for applications, the release of the list of qualified applicants and the lottery to see who gets the chance to buy vehicles.

Meng Qiao, deputy director of the BMCT, said those who fill out an application after the 8th will be included in the following month's lottery.

According to the city's statistics, private car buyers will receive 88 percent of available license plates - some 17,600 plates each month. Two percent will be available for commercial use while the remaining 10 percent will go to companies, government institutions and others. Meng added that the proportions can be changed in line with needs and demands.

"License plates will be similar to ID cards," Meng said. "The license plate will remain with the car, whether it is sold or destroyed." Under the new rules, a Beijing driver will be permitted to own no more than one car. Car owners who replace their old vehicles will automatically be entitled to new plates and will not have to take part in the lottery.

The new policy dictates that owners must register new vehicles in this way as well as second-hand vehicles and cars received as gifts. People wanting to register a car that was bought outside Beijing will also have to follow the process.