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7 day permit for road trip in Guangdong?

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  1. #21

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    Mar 2010
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    The two companies I had used a lot are Avis (avischina.com) and ShenZhou (zuche.com) . Avis used to be the beacon of 'foreign management' for the crappy Chinese car hire companies (i've used a bunch and most were highly unprofessional... though the Tianjin Xiali with unresponsive brakes and no power steering was certainly fun to drive).

    These days, the competition like ShenZhou have really upped their game, with new cars, lots of pick-up locations, integrated IT management of their cars (including phone app). I've recently rented from Avis, who have started doing things like giving you cars with half a tank of petrol only... an annoying practice which inevitably leaves you slightly shortchanged. I'm not sure I still prefer Avis.

    As for licenses - there was a lot of talk a couple of years ago about obtaining "temporary driving licenses" for those with visas valid for under 90 days. Even Avis helped with this process, back then. This was in Beijing. I don't know if it still applies, but you may wish to call Avis to check (if SZ don't do it, try calling Beijing).

    Then there's the article below:

    Motorhome China - Our reports - Chinese driver's license

    flameproof and Titus like this.

  2. #22

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    Just came back from a three day trip. Would I do it again? Not sure...

    Total application fee came to:
    $45 - Closed Road Permit
    $500 - Chinese permits & compulsory (basic) third party insurance from CTS
    $920 - Customs carnet
    $300 - to Zurich Insurance as a guarantee for that carnet (or you pay $xx,xxx cash to the Chamber of Commerce as a deposit, refunded after you return from your trip)

    That's $1,765 just for the paperwork. You can totally rent a left hand drive car for that price from Shenzhen, and won't be restricted to Guangdong Province. And you'll get better insurance.

    Sure, it's nice doing it in your own car, and there's definitely the novelty factor. Now that i've "been there, done that" - i'm not sure I can be bothered for a repeat.

    Crossing the (Mainland) border was complicated due to terrible signage (surprise!). Essentially you have to park to one side, enter the customs building (barely marked entrance at back - of course), hand over the paperwork, and wait. A bunch of photocopies are required, but these are listed on a check-list so you can prepare in advance. However they also required a photocopy of my HRP and Mainland-issued vehicle entry permit (part of the CTS paperwork) - despite the fact said permit was already a 4 ply duplicate, and neither were on said check-list. This added another 10mins, needing to walk to the nearest convenience store to get copies made.

    Coming back equally hectic ... you join a queue towards immigration and only notice too late that you're in completely the wrong lane (for ad-hoc quota users) and have to embarrassingly find a way to get the car elsewhere. Then same thing again : leave the car, find the hidden customs entrance, and get paperwork done. I'd estimate +15/20mins each way on top of the regular wait time at Shenzhen Bay.

    I really don't see why it has to be this way. Are Singapore/Malaysia so anal? I don't know how the border works over there, but I gather it's easier for Malaysians to drive into Singapore...


  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by tparker:
    I really don't see why it has to be this way. Are Singapore/Malaysia so anal? I don't know how the border works over there, but I gather it's easier for Malaysians to drive into Singapore...
    Both sides drive on the same side of the road, if you opened up SZ/HK to be as easy as Mal/Sg, it would be carnage on the roads with morons forgetting to drive on the right side of the roads LOL

  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckster007:
    Both sides drive on the same side of the road, if you opened up SZ/HK to be as easy as Mal/Sg, it would be carnage on the roads with morons forgetting to drive on the right side of the roads LOL
    - true!

    Though I was thinking more along the lines of the anal paperwork required to get customs clearance for your car, and the hefty deposit they take just in case you decide to abandon your car in the Mainland (which is then considered an illegal import). Or the need for a closed road permit to drive towards the border in the first place.

    Well, I suppose it's a bit of money all round for those involved. Someone has to feed them.

  5. #25

    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    6,452

    I think the main reason is to avoid Mainlanders buying cars at lower tax rates in HK and then driving them in Shenzhen mostly.
    The closed road permit is needed to avoid people offering illegal taxi services to the border checkpoints.


  6. #26

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    894
    Quote Originally Posted by tparker:
    Just came back from a three day trip. Would I do it again? Not sure...

    Total application fee came to:
    $45 - Closed Road Permit
    $500 - Chinese permits & compulsory (basic) third party insurance from CTS
    $920 - Customs carnet
    $300 - to Zurich Insurance as a guarantee for that carnet (or you pay $xx,xxx cash to the Chamber of Commerce as a deposit, refunded after you return from your trip)

    That's $1,765 just for the paperwork. You can totally rent a left hand drive car for that price from Shenzhen, and won't be restricted to Guangdong Province. And you'll get better insurance.

    Sure, it's nice doing it in your own car, and there's definitely the novelty factor. Now that i've "been there, done that" - i'm not sure I can be bothered for a repeat.

    Crossing the (Mainland) border was complicated due to terrible signage (surprise!). Essentially you have to park to one side, enter the customs building (barely marked entrance at back - of course), hand over the paperwork, and wait. A bunch of photocopies are required, but these are listed on a check-list so you can prepare in advance. However they also required a photocopy of my HRP and Mainland-issued vehicle entry permit (part of the CTS paperwork) - despite the fact said permit was already a 4 ply duplicate, and neither were on said check-list. This added another 10mins, needing to walk to the nearest convenience store to get copies made.

    Coming back equally hectic ... you join a queue towards immigration and only notice too late that you're in completely the wrong lane (for ad-hoc quota users) and have to embarrassingly find a way to get the car elsewhere. Then same thing again : leave the car, find the hidden customs entrance, and get paperwork done. I'd estimate +15/20mins each way on top of the regular wait time at Shenzhen Bay.

    I really don't see why it has to be this way. Are Singapore/Malaysia so anal? I don't know how the border works over there, but I gather it's easier for Malaysians to drive into Singapore...
    Many thanks for sharing this. There was a short program on TVB about this too; the guy was with some HK automobile group and said there should be push for government to streamline the process so people go to one place to get everything done. But yea with the rental available across the border now it doesn't seem to be worth it unless you're driving something different like offroad vehicle or wants to take a Tesla across the country on their Sueprcharger network. The guy on the TV also said he could rent a mainland Audi cheaper and hassle free compared to the current cross border drive application process. No wonder the quota is only being filled by 20% right now

  7. #27

    Join Date
    May 2009
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    6,181

    I remember in Europe I had some friends that bought a car and drove it all the way down to some places in Africa to sell it. Crossing something like 20 borders. No paperwork at the border. Here we are supposed to be one country and can't drive into the neighbor province. How stupid is that?

    I mean, big thanks for @tparker for posting it, I just wonder if such a unnecessary crap procedure should be supported in the first place.

    Titus likes this.