Countries
Driving in China: no US license, no IDP
For mainland China, a permit is money wasted. Neither it nor your US license allows you to drive.
Do you need an International Driving Permit there?
Driving in China on a US license
Local license needed: no IDP accepted
| US license counts | no limit stated for visitors |
| IDP | An IDP will not let you drive here. Plan on a driver, a tour or public transport. |
| Conventions | Party to neither convention |
| Rule | State Department You may not drive in mainland China with a US license or an international driving permit. A Chinese license requires a residence permit. |
Source: U.S. Department of State, China country information (updated March 12, 2026). Not legal advice; the country's own authorities decide.
Driving in China: the full rulesYou may not drive in the People's Republic of China with a US license or an international driver's license, the State Department's China page states, in its update of March 12, 2026. A PRC license can be obtained only by someone who holds a residence permit. China is a party to neither the 1949 nor the 1968 road traffic convention, which is why the booklet issued by AAA or AATA has no standing there. For a tourist, that leaves hired drivers, taxis, ride-hailing and an extensive rail network. The page adds that in an accident with injuries the driver found at fault pays the injured person's medical costs, and that police sometimes hold a passport until the other parties are satisfied with the compensation. Hong Kong and Macau are separate systems: Hong Kong, for one, accepts a US license for up to a year.
Which road traffic convention has this country joined?
China
Neither
| 1949 Geneva | not a party |
| 1968 Vienna | not a party |
| Our reading of the rule: Local license needed: no IDP accepted | |
Party to neither convention. The United States is a party to the 1949 convention only; a country's own law can still ask for more, or less.
Rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Hong Kong is different
Hong Kong keeps its own licensing rules. The State Department's Hong Kong page says a US license can be used for up to a year, and that a holder of a valid US license who has lived in the United States for at least six months can apply for a Hong Kong license. A trip that combines Hong Kong and the mainland therefore allows driving on one side of the boundary only. The country checker includes Hong Kong and Macau as separate entries.
Residents
Foreign residents of the mainland apply for a Chinese license with their residence permit. Rules, tests and conversion conditions are set by Chinese authorities and change by city; this site does not cover them. Of the countries with a page here, China and Vietnam are the two where the permit is of no use.
China at a glance
| What a US license holder needs | Local license needed: no IDP accepted |
| How long the US license counts | no limit stated for visitors |
| Side of the road | right, as in the United States |
| 1949 Geneva convention | not a party |
| 1968 Vienna convention | not a party |
| Rule read in | U.S. Department of State, China country information (updated March 12, 2026) |
What the State Department page says
| Passage on driver's licenses, as published |
|---|
| You may not drive in the PRC using a U.S. or international driver’s license. |
| You can apply for a PRC driver’s license if you have a resident permit. |