International Driving Permit for Chinese drivers
Chinese licence holders drive on the right at home and China is not a contracting state to either road-traffic convention. What that changes abroad, and how to get your IDP online.
What changes when a Chinese driver goes abroad
China is not a contracting state to either UN road-traffic convention, so no treaty-backed International Driving Permit is issued at home. In practice that is why Chinese drivers are so often asked for paperwork at the rental desk: what agencies and police want to see is a certified translation of your licence, carried with the licence itself.
And coming the other way. China does NOT recognise International Driving Permits. Visitors must obtain a temporary Chinese driving permit to drive legally. It is worth knowing what China asks of visiting drivers, because it is the same question every destination will ask of you — see the China destination page for the detail.
The other change is the road itself. You drive on the right at home, and 36 of the 154 destinations we cover drive on the left — Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom among them. Licensing age travels too: China licenses from 18, but the destination's minimum is what applies when you get there, and rental desks add their own on top.
How to get your IDP as a Chinese driver
You don't need to visit an office. Get your International Driving Permit online with International DL — we translate your licence into the languages the road-traffic conventions set out and issue your IDP digitally, ready before you fly.
Where it changes most for Chinese drivers
Destinations whose rules differ most from China — a different side of the road, a different convention, or an IDP that is required rather than recommended.
Common questions from Chinese drivers
Do Chinese drivers need an International Driving Permit?
Chinese driving licences are not issued in the Latin alphabet, so an International Driving Permit matters when you drive abroad. Many countries expect a certified translation of your licence, and rental agencies will ask to see it. An IDP is a certified translation of your national licence and never replaces it, so carry your licence, your passport and your IDP together.
Will I be driving on the other side of the road?
At home you drive on the right. 36 of the 154 destinations we cover drive on the left, including Japan, Thailand, Australia — worth checking before you book a car, because it changes more than the steering wheel.
What is the minimum driving age for Chinese drivers abroad?
You can hold a licence from 18 in China, but the age that counts abroad is the destination's, and rental companies set their own minimum on top of it — frequently 21 or 25, with a young-driver surcharge. Each destination page lists the local minimum.
Is my China driver's licence valid abroad?
Your China licence stays valid at home. Abroad it is presented together with an IDP, which translates it into the languages the road-traffic conventions set out for police and rental agencies.
How do Chinese citizens get an IDP?
You can get a digital International Driving Permit online from International DL — apply, upload a photo of your licence, and we issue it without a trip to an office.
How long is an International Driving Permit valid?
For the term you choose when you apply, and only while your national licence is still valid — an IDP translates that licence, so it cannot outlive it.
Travelling abroad soon?
Get your digital International Driving Permit in minutes and drive worry-free wherever you go.
Get my IDP →IDP for other nationalities
Checked 30 October 2026. Driving rules change and can vary by destination and nationality. Always confirm the current requirements with the embassy or official transport authority of your destination before you travel.