Living in China · Driving, social security & schools

Driving, social security and schools

Three long-term questions: can you drive on your home licence, will you be enrolled in China's social insurance, and where can your children go to school. Each has a clear official answer, with the detail set by national rules and local practice.

Checked against official sources on 13 October 2026. Rules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you apply. Sources at the bottom.

Driving

Using a foreign driving licence in China

Holding a foreign licence does not, by itself, authorise you to drive here. You need one of two things: a temporary driving permit for a short stay, or a Chinese driving licence for the longer term.

Route	Who it suits	What you must do
Temporary driving permit	Short visits and temporary stays	Apply at the vehicle administration office. Short-term entrants may obtain a permit valid for three months; if the stay exceeds three months, the validity can be extended up to one year. Verified · official source
Chinese driving licence	Longer stays, and anyone who wants to drive indefinitely	Apply, sit the required examinations, and receive a Chinese licence. Conditions and steps are below. Verified · official source

Exchanging your licence for a Chinese one

Requirement	The official rule
Residence in the issuing country	When you obtained the foreign licence, you must have accumulated 90 days or more of residence in the issuing country or region within one year. For large buses, heavy trailers and medium buses, you must also have held the corresponding foreign licence for at least two years. Verified · official source
Where to apply	Overseas personnel apply at the vehicle administration office for the place of residence. Verified · official source
Documents	Your identity document, a medical certificate of fitness issued by a medical institution, and your foreign driving licence. If the licence is not in Chinese, you must also provide a Chinese translation prepared by a translation agency or notarized by a notary office. Verified · official source
Examinations	Holders of a foreign licence take subject one (road traffic laws, regulations and related knowledge). For large buses, heavy trailers, city buses, medium buses and large trucks, you also take subject two and subject three. Verified · official source
Time limit	You must complete the examinations within three years of the vehicle administration office accepting your application. Verified · official source

Some nationalities can skip the examination. China has signed mutual driving-licence recognition and exchange agreements with France, Serbia, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates, which allow holders of those countries' licences to drive in China directly or to exchange the licence without sitting the test. If your licence is from somewhere else, the examination route above applies. Verified · official source

Driving on a temporary permit. The permit covers a short stay, and it is not exempt from the points system: if a temporary-permit driver accumulates 12 points within one scoring cycle and does not complete the required study and examination, they cannot apply for a Chinese licence or a further temporary permit. Carry your passport and permit, and obey the traffic rules as you would anywhere. Verified · official source

Renting a car

A rental company will normally ask for your passport or permanent residence ID, a valid Chinese driving licence, and a credit card. First-time renters may need to verify their identity documents a working day in advance. Verified · official source

If in doubt, ask

Requirements and appointment systems are handled locally by vehicle administration offices, and opening hours and document checklists differ. Confirm the current local list before you make the trip. Summary — confirm locally

Social security

Social insurance for foreign employees

If you are lawfully employed in China, you take part in the same social insurance system as your Chinese colleagues. This is not optional, and it is not something a foreign employee arranges alone — your employer handles the registration.

The legal basis. China's Social Insurance Law provides that a foreigner employed in China takes part in social insurance by reference to that law. The implementing rules put the same five schemes in place for foreign employees: employee basic pension insurance, employee basic medical insurance, work injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance, with contributions paid by the employer and the employee. Verified · official source

Who is covered

Foreigners who lawfully hold a work permit or equivalent employment document plus a foreigner's residence permit, or who hold a permanent residence ID, and who are lawfully employed in China. Verified · official source

When it starts

The employer must complete the social insurance registration within 30 days of the employment document being issued. Contribution base and ratios follow the same local rules as for Chinese employees. Verified · official source

Bilateral agreements

China has social security agreements with a number of countries, including Germany, Korea, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Serbia, Luxembourg and Kyrgyzstan, so qualifying people may be exempt from certain contributions for a set period. Verified · official source

Your individual account if you leave. If you leave China before reaching the statutory pension age, your social insurance individual account is retained, and if you later work in China again your contribution years count cumulatively. If you apply in writing to end the social insurance relationship, the balance in your individual account may be paid to you as a lump sum. Verified · official source Summary — the local social insurance office administers the detail

Contributions are a shared duty. Employers are supervised for compliance, and disputes over social insurance can be taken to mediation, arbitration or court. If you believe your enrolment is being handled incorrectly, raise it with your employer first, then with the local social insurance agency or the human resources and social security authority. Verified · official source

Schools

Education for your children

Foreign families generally choose between an international school for children of foreign personnel and a local school that accepts foreign students. Admission is arranged locally, so always start with the city's education bureau and the school itself.

Option	What the official rules say
Schools for the children of foreign personnel	These schools mainly enroll the accompanying (foreign) children of foreign nationals who are lawfully resident in the province. They may provide preschool and general primary and secondary education using a foreign educational model. They may not enroll the children of Chinese citizens resident in China. Provincial education departments approve and regulate them. Verified · official source
Local schools that accept foreign students	Qualified schools generally accept foreign students whose parents reside in China on a long-term basis. If the parents do not reside in China, the child's parents must formally entrust a guardian who lives in China. Verified · official source
Enrollment and student records	An overseas student (including a foreign student) who has obtained local admission registers with the receiving school using valid identity documents, and a student record is created. Verified · official source
Who sets the detail	For schools providing preschool, primary and secondary education, the admission, teaching and on-campus management of international students follow the rules of the province, autonomous region or municipality. Verified · official source

Plan the paperwork around your residence status. School places for foreign children are tied to your lawful residence in the city, and student records are created using valid identity documents. Check that your residence permit and your child's documents are valid and consistent before an admission window opens — a gap in status can stall an enrollment. Summary — confirm with the local education bureau

Questions worth asking a school

Which curricula and languages are offered, what documents the school requires for admission, whether it can create a student record for a foreign child, the fee schedule, and how it handles a change of residence status mid-year. Summary

Universities are different

For higher education, the rules for recruiting and teaching international students are set nationally, with provincial departments supervising. If you are the student rather than the parent, start with the study in China guides. Verified · official source

Keep going

Related guides

Living in China

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Living overview →

Work and residence permits

The permit status that your social insurance and your children's school places depend on.

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Culture and safety

Daily habits, safety and the compliance rules you must not break.

Culture & safety →

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Sources & disclaimer

Facts on this page are linked to the official sources below, checked on 13 October 2026. Requirements, fees and timelines change — always confirm with the issuing authority. This page is for reference only — official sources prevail; always check the latest version with the relevant Chinese authority. General information, not legal advice.