Kyrgyzstan China
Kyrgyzstan 
ChinaLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
Kyrgyzstan and China share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in China
- Drive on the right.
- IDPs are not accepted — get a temporary Chinese licence.
- Zero-tolerance alcohol enforcement.
- Extensive speed and ANPR camera network.
What to see when you arrive in China
- the Great Wall of China
- the Forbidden City in Beijing
- the Terracotta Army in Xi'an
- the karst peaks of Guilin
- the Bund in Shanghai
Once you're driving in China
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Mainland China does not recognize foreign licences or the International Driving Permit at all, since it is not party to the relevant road-traffic conventions. To drive legally a visitor must hold a Chinese licence; short-term tourists can obtain a temporary driving permit (valid for the trip), often arranged at major airports or through agencies.
Tolls & road charges
Most intercity expressways are tolled, paid in cash or by the ETC electronic transponder at booths; rental cars usually come with an ETC card and tolls are billed back to the renter. Costs run roughly RMB 0.4-0.6 per km, so long expressway trips add up quickly.
Parking in the cities
Cities use metered street bays and paid garages, increasingly cashless via Alipay/WeChat scan-to-pay; many districts (notably central Beijing and Shanghai) restrict parking heavily and tow illegally parked cars. Beijing and several big cities also run last-digit licence-plate driving bans on weekdays that a rental's plate is subject to.
Fines & camera enforcement
Foreign drivers face fines for speeding, mobile-phone use and seatbelt offences, plus a demerit-point system; serious unlicensed driving can mean vehicle impoundment and administrative detention. Camera-enforced fines on a rental are passed to the renter by the rental firm, often with an admin fee.
If you have an accident
Dial 122 for traffic accidents (110 for general police); do not move the vehicles in an injury or disputed crash until police arrive and document the scene. A police report is needed for any insurance claim and for the rental company.
Driving in the capital
In Beijing, out-of-town and rental plates face weekday tail-number driving restrictions and are barred from parts of the inner ring during peak hours, and within the 5th Ring Road there are strict rush-hour limits worth checking before driving in.
Sources: chinadrivingguide.com · english.beijing.gov.cn · chinalegalexperts.com · tibettravel.org