证件翻译
Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Guangzhou: what the current rules actually require
Most guides to exchanging a foreign driving licence in Guangzhou date from 2016-2019. But they are not stale because of a 2025 change: Order No. 172 only amended age-limit and school-bus provisions, and every article governing foreign-licence exchange has been unchanged since the Order No. 162 text took effect on 1 April 2022. This piece works from the current text: the national translation rule is 'translation institution OR notary office' (Guangzhou's published wording is stricter, and a notarised translation is safe under both), a stay under 90 days means three tests rather than disqualification, where the IDP exclusion actually comes from, which heavy classes carry the two-year threshold, and where to go in Guangzhou.
Contents
- "Agency stamp or notarisation?" — the answer that is safe either way
- The 90-day condition: not "you cannot exchange", but "you sit more tests"
- An International Driving Permit cannot be exchanged
- What you sit: three cases, not one
- Test-exempt countries and regions
- Exchange is not the same as a temporary driving permit
- Where to go in Guangzhou
- The three most common mistakes
Search for how to exchange a foreign driving licence in Guangzhou and most of what ranks was written between 2016 and 2019. Those guides are out of date — but not because the rules changed in 2025, which is worth saying up front because a good deal of what is online gets this wrong.
The governing text is the Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licences as issued by Ministry of Public Security Order No. 162, in force since 1 April 2022, which repealed the earlier Orders No. 123 and No. 139. Order No. 172, promulgated 21 December 2024 and effective 1 January 2025, is an amending decision only — it changed provisions on age limits, school buses and the like, and left every article governing foreign-licence exchange untouched (https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/2025/issue_11866/202502/content_7004031.html).
So: guides written after April 2022 are still accurate as to the rules. It is the pre-2019 material that is genuinely stale.
What follows tracks the current text, and flags plainly anything I could not verify.
"Agency stamp or notarisation?" — the answer that is safe either way
Article 25 lists among the required documents:
The driving licence held. Where it is not expressed in Chinese, a Chinese translation issued by a translation institution or notarised by a notary office must also be provided. (unofficial translation; the Chinese text is authoritative — https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/2025/issue_11866/202502/content_7004031.html)
Note the "or". Under the national rule the two are alternatives — notarisation is not nationally mandatory. Shenzhen Public Security Bureau's public knowledge base (23 May 2022) reproduces the same provision. Shanghai's official English page (updated 22 June 2026) is more specific: a translation company's stamped version accompanied by a copy of that company's business licence, or else notarisation (https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Transportation/20240102/07a427babba44f72aed9de96cf5f434a.html).
But I could not verify Guangzhou's own position. Guangzhou's public-facing wording (本地宝, the 12345 hotline Q&A, 2017 and 2022) has consistently said a notarised Chinese translation. I could not open the corresponding Guangzhou traffic police or Public Security Bureau pages (timeouts or JavaScript-only rendering), so I cannot confirm whether the Guangzhou office currently accepts an agency-stamped translation.
The practical conclusion:
- If you want it done in one trip with no risk — get a notarised translation. It satisfies both the national "either/or" and Guangzhou's stricter published wording; it is safe under both readings.
- If you would rather not pay for that — call 020-12123 or ask the office first, and prepare an agency-stamped translation only once they confirm they accept one.
That is not the commercially convenient answer for us — we are a translation company and stamped translations are our business. But the option that is safe under both readings is the notarised one, so that is what we will say.
Requirements differ by locality — always confirm with the authority handling your case.
The 90-day condition: not "you cannot exchange", but "you sit more tests"
Article 20 contains a condition that gets overlooked:
when the driving licence was obtained, the applicant had stayed in the issuing country or region for a cumulative 90 days or more within one year
Many guides render this as "a licence obtained on a short trip abroad cannot be exchanged". That is wrong, and it puts off people who would in fact qualify.
Beijing's traffic police page (4 January 2026) is explicit: where a mainland resident's stay fell short of 90 days when the licence was obtained, the applicant must sit Subjects 1, 2 and 3 (https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/93950/jwgk/jsrgl/205296/index.html). The licence is still exchangeable — the difference is theory-only versus all three tests. Whether Guangzhou handles it the same way I could not verify from an official source, so ask at the counter.
Entry and exit records are checked at the counter.
An International Driving Permit cannot be exchanged
It is worth being clear where this comes from. Article 109 excludes learner permits, temporary licences and probationary licences; it does not name IDPs.
However, Beijing's traffic police, in explaining the China-Serbia mutual recognition arrangement, states expressly that it does not include an International Driving Permit. An IDP is a translation-type document rather than an independently issued licence. So the conclusion holds — but it rests on official guidance and on what an IDP is, not on a literal item in Article 109.
What you sit: three cases, not one
| Class held overseas | Converts to | Tests | Extra condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary car (class C) | C1 / C2 | Subject 1 only | — |
| Large passenger vehicle, heavy tractor-trailer, medium passenger vehicle | corresponding class | Subjects 1, 2 and 3 | Article 20: must have held that class overseas for over 2 years |
| City bus, large truck | corresponding class | Subjects 1, 2 and 3 | Article 37 sets no 2-year condition for these two |
So "heavy licences cannot be exchanged" is wrong — they can, with all three tests. And the two-year threshold applies only to large passenger vehicles, heavy tractor-trailers and medium passenger vehicles; do not extend it to city buses and large trucks.
Subject 1 is offered in multiple languages (Shanghai's official guidance: 15 languages, 45 minutes, pass mark 90 of 100).
Test-exempt countries and regions
- France — in force 17 August 2021, for those resident in the other country over a year, covering small vehicles and motorcycles (https://www.mps.gov.cn/n2256342/n6594994/c8090169/content.html)
- Serbia — in force 13 March 2022
- Belgium and the UAE — per Beijing's traffic police page, exemption covering C1 / C2 (https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/93950/jwgk/jsrgl/205296/index.html)
- Permanent residents of Macao — test-exempt exchange for C1 / C2
Test-exempt exchange for Hong Kong residents (C1 / C2 / E) is a long-standing Guangdong arrangement under the provincial traffic police's business guidance — it is not a 2025 policy change, though a number of guides present it as one.
Exchange is not the same as a temporary driving permit
Two different tracks:
- Exchange gives you a Chinese driving licence.
- A temporary driving permit is for short-stay visitors and does not give you a Chinese licence.
The Provisions on the Administration of Temporarily Entering Motor Vehicles and Drivers (Order No. 90, effective 1 January 2007) limits its own scope, in Article 2, to entries not exceeding 3 months, and Article 14 caps the temporary permit at 3 months with no extension (http://www.gd.gov.cn/zwgk/wjk/zcfgk/content/post_2532581.html). Article 21 of the current Regulations deals with stays exceeding 3 months and allows up to a year. The two cover different situations and do not conflict — match whichever fits your actual length of stay.
Note also that Article 13(2) of Order No. 90 asks only for "a Chinese translation", without the "translation institution or notary office" qualifier — looser than the exchange requirement.
Where to go in Guangzhou
Offices: the Cencun main Vehicle Administration Office (1732 Huaguan Road, Tianhe District) and the Panyu, Huadu, Conghua and Zengcheng branches. (Per information published by the Yuexiu District government on 26 June 2024; the Cencun street address comes from non-official sources, so confirm before travelling.)
Appointments and enquiries: the 交管12123 app; telephone 020-12123.
What is generally required (the counter's list governs):
- Passport and entry/exit records (to verify the 90-day condition above)
- Residence permit or proof of residence
- Original foreign licence plus Chinese translation (stamped or notarised — see above)
- Medical certificate (Article 74: valid 6 months)
- One-inch white-background photographs
- The tests applicable to your class
Fees: Beijing's traffic police publish ¥10 for the licence and ¥50 per attempt at Subject 1. Those are Beijing's figures and do not necessarily apply in Guangzhou; I found Guangzhou figures only on non-official sites and have not reproduced them.
The three most common mistakes
- Assuming an IDP can be exchanged — it cannot.
- Assuming a stay under 90 days disqualifies you — it does not; you sit all three subjects (Beijing's stated approach).
- Assuming heavy classes cannot be exchanged — they can, with three tests; and the 2-year threshold covers only three of those classes.
Requirements differ by locality — always confirm with the authority handling your case.
