Overlanding china
 

I am planning a rtw ex india that goes thru china to russia to europe..it seems china foreign vehicle permits are exorbitant...does anyone have any ideas. Else how do I overland to russia. Cheers!

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I'd be interested to learn if anyone has recent experience of independent travel in China. I think you'll find they shut Ricard Herrero's enterprise down - also there are some negative comments circulating re falsified permits etc. Tread with caution.

Yes, travel in China is exhorbitant and restrictive. That's just the way it is. The best way to keep costs down is to link up with others and share guides etc., but consider carefully whether the cost of riding across China, just to get to Russia, is ultimately worth it.

Easy! Just buy a bike in China and leave your own bike outside. i.e. Ship your bike to Russia (or Korea) fly to China and buy a bike and ride from one end to the other, and then fly from China to Russia (or Korea) and collect your bike. I did exactly this and had a great time as well as saving HEAPS of money.

Seems good...on a local bike isnt there any local guide charges like for foreign bikes??

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No, whilst technically it may be illegal, the reality is that NO ONE cares. I used to interact with the police in China 2-3 times a day (usually asking for directions) and they were all very excited to see a foreigner on a bike and usually wanted to pose for photos with me. One time, a local policeman even got me to ride his police bike, with sirens wailing and lights flashing, with him as pillion. :mchappy: :thumbup1:

Whats this thing about getting chinese numberplates?? And a Chinese driving licence??

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The reality might change rapidly in the event of an accident injuring a local.

Mate, not really a good situation as Mainland China does not recognise overseas driving license and international driving permits. Would not recommend driving / riding without a Chinese license as it's a well know fact that quite a few foreigners ended up in detention for up to 15 days on the spot without any court hearings and booted out of the country afterwards (not able to return to Mainland China on any type of visa for 5-10 years). This happened to short term visitors and resident "expats" holding work permits and Z visas alike.

Do not listen to any so called "visa / driving license agents" in China offering to assist or help out, they provide you with fake documentation for thousands of RMB (Chinese Yuan) and some of them driving licenses look like drawn with a black crayon by a five year old.....

Own motorbike travel in China, only legal way as of today is either going solo (very expensive if possible at all right now as some tour operators got shut down) with a government appointed guide through a licensed tour operator for China travel and / or find a group of foreign China travellers that did all the ground work already and join them to lower the costs involved.

Have a read and a few laughs, China National Driving Exam Questions = Chinese Driving Test | Home

To have a motorcycle registered (license plate) in your own foreign name you have to hold a valid China resident permit (at least China "Z" visa) and in most cases vehicle registration is interlinked with the vehicle management bureau in th city / district the resident permit has been issued. Certain areas, cities, provinces and districts do not allow motorcycle registration to Chnese / Foreigners. Really depends where you are in the Middle Kingdom as one country = 100000 systems.... Be warned, TIC = This Is China and everyone is after your $$$$'s....

Thnx... fair warning....

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You can not ride or drive with your foreign licence.
You can not drive / ride with any sort of International permit.

The only legal way is to get a bonafide legit Chinese licence.

I got full Chinese driving / riding licence a few years ago.
You can do it if you have permanent address in China, and if your visa allows you to be legally in China.

If you have a full driving licence from your home country, in my case it was a full UK driving licence, then you need to do the Chinese theory test.

It is not easy, as there are 1340 questions, and you need a pass mark of 90%

vette

Well, I guess that explains the high level of proficiency demonstrated by Chinese drivers!

But there is a way in this country: If you book through a local tour operator (which is very expensive) then they will organize a driving test and you will get a temporary driveing permit as during your stay in China. They only check your driving skill, no question

I did one joined group tour in Chengdu in 2007 and ride from there to Tibet

If shipping is not an issue then I can second this. What was your route farqhuar?

I rode through China in 2012 on a bike bought there. 125cc Jialing which is a typical taxi bike. Loved the thing. In less then an hour tested multiple bikes and bought it for 300 euros. It was a good buy. You'll have better luck in a bigger city and you will need someone to translate. Rode it From Chongqin to 200km from Bejing where I sold it for half on arrival. Good thing about riding in China is that you do not have to worry about tools and parts. Anyone can fix your bike.

Now, it is probably illegal but nobody really cares. One can own the papers for the bike but you still need to register it. Something I could not do. Just ride smart. Don't go nuts on luggage. All I had was my backpack on the back. Ride inconspicuously. Have a break if you end up riding behind a police car on a long stint (there is so much police in China, any vehicle you can imagine they have one).

I was stopped once at a roadblock with a lot of police. We all laughed at how we did not understand each other and they let me continue. The other time I was denied by a hotel after first being accepted after haggling.This will happen often since you go places where not tourists go. Officially you have to be registered with local police with every stay. Police came over, looked at plates and started asking questions. I kept packing and smiling, said I loved China and rode away. Also a lot of city centres Westward are electric only.

China is amazing, in full motion and beautiful too. And a delicious slightly different noodle soup awaits you in every new region.

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As far as I know, there is no legitimate "temporary driving permit"

There are 4 parts to getting a legitimate Chinese driving licence.

1) Computer based theory test, answer 90 out of random 100 from the bank of 1340 to pass
2) Controlled environment car driving practice, (parallel parking, left junction, right junction, hill start etc, etc, then need pass that test at test centre.
3) On road driving test with examiner and all camera recording equipment,
4) Enhanced computer based theory test, 50 questions, need 45 right to pass.

Then you get your licence.