19th May 2026 to 28th May 2026, The Paperwork.
In this part we will tell you our experience and torment in getting on board legally here in China, while I am not a total fan of being system obedient, in China you really have no choice, there are cameras EVERYWHERE, even cameras watching cameras so your offense is already known by the feds before you have committed it.
I will add at this point that Chinese is Ellen's native tongue, while I could do the paperwork being a Kiwi whiteyfoo it would cost an enormous amount with a guide and translator and taxis....as well as mental health.
1st, Temporary Residence, we needed a Chinese address from a rate paying citizen (or a hotel booking) so you better of having a good friend or it will cost you lots more money.
2nd, Rider/Driver License and Test: the test is a random selection of questions from a pool of over 900 questions, the license questionnaire/test is 100 questions and must be completed in 45 minutes, anything you have not answered within the time frame is counted as a fail. You need to accomplish a minimum of 90 correct answers comprising pictures, multi-choice and yes or no answers. You can sit the test in either Chinese or English. The problem is there is only a Chinese official list of questions you can study. We searched on Google (use VPN purchased before went into China) and found an English version. But there is no guarantee this is the one all the test questions will be from. Some of the translations make no sense, even Chinese person would not understand. Many questions are worded very ambiguously or misleading and many multi choice questions are very very similar in the answer but they want a specific term only.
I got 90 correct, I left 6 on the table through my own fault but once you click on an answer that is it, you cannot change it even before the next question, stupidly I was nervously gripping the mouse and while reading the question I accidentally tapped on a blatantly wrong answer ….TOO BAD BUCKO!!!, the others I tapped my answer then thought more and wanted to amend before the next question, again TOO BAD BUCKO!!
There are no second chances once you select your answer, it cannot be amended or changed before the next question and is locked in, being a whiteyfoo doing a foreign test in a room full of yellafellas under a strict time constraint…. no fucken pressure eh LOL.
I will do more study particularly for road signage as a lot of signs do not have engrish particularly when getting out in the provinces.
3rd, …but we did it first, vehicle purchase, rock up to the shop (s) huge industrial shopping center for everything Moto. Refer back to the 1st step, MUST have Temporary Residence or forget it and take a taxi. Now to my (our) advantage I have Ellen doing the talking, while I can understand roughly what they are chatting about the specifics get lost in the tide and I am screwed, having someone speaking the native tongue will save you a fortune in time, money, stress and 100 other words that mean the same.
All went well, I won’t bore you with our selection stuff again but essentially you can pick and chose what you do and don’t want with almost side by side comparisons to other makes and models, our lady we dealt with was excellent and very accommodating allowing us full access to their workshop (Also Benda Motos) with their staff who were very cool and bloody good to and with us, they had never worked with a whiteyfoo before so new to them which created laughter and curiosity, we all learned something new.
4th, Vehicle Purchase Tax, you cannot get vehicle registration paperwork until you have paid the govt taxes, once you have paid and have your receipt that you have paid you can then go forward to apply for and get compliance and registration, compliance (wof in NZ) is simple being new, registration for a foreigner requires, Passport, Temporary residence and everything else mentioned earlier. The registration center is quite simply it is a clusterfuck of shouting, pushing in (even tho your have allocated ticket numbers) perseverance and most of all patience, I bought a large bag of patience at the local market prior LOL.
Unfortunately during the clusterfuck our bike got dropped breaking the front brake lever, damaging the right fairing and mirror, the shop is replacing it all and the lady (although completely out of her control) was extremely apologetic and embarrassed.
Insurance For Moto, two types, first Mandatory state insurance, you CANNOT register your bike let alone go on the road without it and if you get pulled over without it it is 12 points (Maximum to lose license is 12) and your driving license gets revoked and lost for minimum 3 years, second but optional, don’t hit a Ferrari insurance, you cannot gain full cover for your vehicle but it will cover you if you hit an expensive car and don’t want a mortgage, so if I bin our bike TOO BAD BUCKO.
Translation For Rider License, first with an Engrish licence you have to get a formal translation done by specific registered (specific or approved) translation company, these buildings are typically across the other side of the city, in fact everything seems to be on the other side of the city even if it is the same department.
Once we had this we could then take it to the other side of the city to the licensing place, first you must prove you can see the road with an eye test, then you take your hopefully passed test to the counter and they do heap more computer work to give you a slip of paper, but at least you do not have to go to the other side of the city for this surprisingly 8-D
Then (as we discovered) you should have already booked in the week prior to sit your test, now the people at this particular licensing place were outstanding, nothing less, the entire center was full of smiling, joking and helpful people (no joke) and Ellen asked if we could possibly be allowed to sit the test there and then, Ellen was asked to hand write an application of Emergency test request. Easily done by Ellen, a coupla calls and game on the stress landed at my feet as they said no problem you can do it right now.
So, my test as explained above went well considering stress levels were exceeding safe limits and again not from the great people at the licensing center but me quietly shitting myself as the team results were squarely on my shoulders.
Flucken awesome, got my license bro.
I am extremely grateful to all the people along the way that have helped and assisted, some of which could have just said no…just because.
So from the 16th May till the 28th May we got a temporary residence, 6 year driving license, bought a bike complete with legal insurance, registration and compliance, got a bank account in my name, got Wechat pay and Alipay apps installed with bank cards linked etc in terms of China and whiteyfoo foreigner this is speed camera material.
So, it is doable but there are hoops within hoops and without either a good translator or partner that can translate it would be hard, also on the Moto specific side when asked questions Ellen answered with precision what we wanted having known me for 26 years and formally been attached 20 years ago on the 20th May which was our anniversary.
….there you have it.....I need a drink.
The new bike finished and waiting my driving license.
A summary how to make life easier in China (apart from staying in New Zealand)
1. Get a Chinese phone card – a real one recommended not an esim (this may change with technology).
2. Download Wechat – Mandatory
3. A temporary Chinese residency address
4. Go to the bank and open a Chinese bank account – you need passport, temporary Chinese residency paper and your Chinese phone.
5. Download Ali pay in the bank and ask them to help you – being foreigner you have to do it in the bank.
6. Download Wechat pay – you can link the bank card yourself after a few attempts and a lot of swearing.
7. If you only have Wechat pay or Ali pay, it will work. The difference is Wechat needs data to operate and Ali pay can be off line with NFC on.
8. Download Amap and Baidu Map, you can then go everywhere, buying public transport tickets or call taxis – the world is your oyster.
You can still use small cash but most places you just pay by your phone, even the little street corner venders.
A summary of how to get a driver’s license and a vehicle in China
1. Translate your driver’s license into Chinese use a qualified translations company only. Ask DouBao (a Chinese App for searching everything)
2. Take your passport, driver’s license and translation, temporary residency paper to Police traffic administration office – you can have a temporary driver’s license less than 3 months or you can take a theory test to get a full license for 6 years. If you want to take the test make sure to book a head. Full story see above.
3. To buy a bike and register is straight forward. Find the bike you want and pay. You need to purchase a third party insurance to register your bike. The dealer can help with all the paper work.
Our pick up at the shop with the lady, she even took us home via roads we were allowed on in the city as riding 2 up on a Moto you cannot go on the expressway or some inner roads, Morini Kunming city gets the double thumbs up from us, they know customer service well and thoroughly impressed us.
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