Mainland Bank Acct or Drivers License Using China Travel Permit

[OrganicDancer]

Strongly suggest to make a booking for the appointment via the WeChat traffic police mini programme rather than walk in for the driving licence. Also bring a hk address proof for bank purpose

Thank you. It's all in Chinese. Do you have any knowledge of how to navigate?

[LGB]

Thank you for the warning. I will have somebody who can speak mandarin.

I do have a china mobile mainland number from HK. Hopefully it works or will pop out and do what you did. Not had any trouble using it for other services and it's both incoming and outgoings, plus when you get it, there are forms in Chinese and data transfer forms to Mainland China authorities, so fingers crossed it's the real deal.

But thanks for all your help and warnings

I also have a SmarTone '1 card 2 numbers' Chinese number. Yes, it receives and sends both SMS and calls, but it is NOT registered in their system. It is OK for the drivers license SMS confirmations, but it did NOT work for my BoC.

When you get a real mainland number, not the dual number from HK, but one you get when you are in China, then that number will list in some government database, proving that this number belongs to you. When I was in BoC, my SmarTone +86 number wasn't accepted. It gave some error message. Once I used the China Unicom 'proper' number, it was OK, even though I just got it 10 minutes before that. And THIS is where people with MTPs and visa-requiring passports might have an issue. Not with the drivers license, but with the mainland bank account.

Despite as you write, data being sent to the mainland, it turned out for me that the HK +86 number is not the same as a real mainland number, as per the above.

[LGB]

Thank you. It's all in Chinese. Do you have any knowledge of how to navigate?

Screenshot and then go to the images on your phone, and use the translate function. If you have another phone or tablet, take a picture of the screen and translate from there. There are apps for this, but it is now built into both Android and iOS. Also, messages in WeChat, just tap and hold on them, and the options will be either translate this message or translate all messages. Very handy! You can also type in English and translate to Chinese, in case you need to send something back.

If it is a miniapp inside WeChat, you can click on the header and click the small translate icon, and the entire page translates. Maybe less some text in images and videos.

Speaking of Chinese ... in case I did not mention it in previouis posts: Just before getting my license, I did NOT have to watch a 30 minute horror movie, as some have mentioned. But I was presented with three lines of chinese I had to write on a piece of paper. I sneaked a photo of it, and will translate when I have more time. But I presume it says something like "I will not do anything illegal with my license ...".

You also have to sign your (Chinese) name on several papers. I think I signed 5 times. The officer was very friendly, patient and understanding, and let me take my time to write it. Now I can almost write my Chinese name (3 characters) without looking at it.

If you do NOT have a Chinese name yet, then I suggest you choose one where the simplified and traditional is the same. Choose simpler characters with fewer strokes, and limit yourself to 2 characters, if you can. Just to make life easier for yourself. Yes, my name is 3 characters, 2 of them are different in simplified so I give this advise out of learning it the hard way.

[OrganicDancer]

Screenshot and then go to the images on your phone, and use the translate function. If you have another phone or tablet, take a picture of the screen and translate from there. There are apps for this, but it is now built into both Android and iOS. Also, messages in WeChat, just tap and hold on them, and the options will be either translate this message or translate all messages. Very handy! You can also type in English and translate to Chinese, in case you need to send something back.

If it is a miniapp inside WeChat, you can click on the header and click the small translate icon, and the entire page translates. Maybe less some text in images and videos.

Speaking of Chinese ... in case I did not mention it in previouis posts: Just before getting my license, I did NOT have to watch a 30 minute horror movie, as some have mentioned. But I was presented with three lines of chinese I had to write on a piece of paper. I sneaked a photo of it, and will translate when I have more time. But I presume it says something like "I will not do anything illegal with my license ...".

You also have to sign your (Chinese) name on several papers. I think I signed 5 times. The officer was very friendly, patient and understanding, and let me take my time to write it. Now I can almost write my Chinese name (3 characters) without looking at it.

If you do NOT have a Chinese name yet, then I suggest you choose one where the simplified and traditional is the same. Choose simpler characters with fewer strokes, and limit yourself to 2 characters, if you can. Just to make life easier for yourself. Yes, my name is 3 characters, 2 of them are different in simplified so I give this advise out of learning it the hard way.

Thanks very useful. I can write Chinese somewhat (long story, went to school in Hong Kong as a child). But all good to know. I might just risk it and turn up there and see how it goes. I tried using the mini app and it was too hard with all those functions! But appreciation.

[OrganicDancer]

I also have a SmarTone '1 card 2 numbers' Chinese number. Yes, it receives and sends both SMS and calls, but it is NOT registered in their system. It is OK for the drivers license SMS confirmations, but it did NOT work for my BoC.

When you get a real mainland number, not the dual number from HK, but one you get when you are in China, then that number will list in some government database, proving that this number belongs to you. When I was in BoC, my SmarTone +86 number wasn't accepted. It gave some error message. Once I used the China Unicom 'proper' number, it was OK, even though I just got it 10 minutes before that. And THIS is where people with MTPs and visa-requiring passports might have an issue. Not with the drivers license, but with the mainland bank account.

Despite as you write, data being sent to the mainland, it turned out for me that the HK +86 number is not the same as a real mainland number, as per the above.

Thank you for clarifying it. Noted.

Does the driver license issuance accept alipay or cash as well?

[magpielaw]

LGB I read your posts regarding 1 card-2 numbers versus a China number issued within PRC and tried to join the dots. What happened to me was that the bank staff asked me to show them the real name registration proof which I presented from my ChinaUnicom app (note I am also holding a China number with HK China Unicom 1 card-2 number scheme). I scanned the QR code (see number 4 below). I DID manage to get the OTP verfication code when I entered my China number (did you fail at this stage) and I failed at the point where I picked HRP (note there is no option for MTP) and inputted HAxxxxxxx which gave an error message.

I happened to scan the QR code just now out of curiousity and inputted ID type as Foreign Passport and entered my Passport number and it let me proceed to the next screen which was to watch a bank fraud prevention video. I did the same steps again entering the passport number with 1 typo and it somehow detected an error. I have absolutely no idea how this can happen as I never had registered my passport number with HK ChinaUnicom. Unless there is some sorta centralised system to record my passport number against the China mobile number I filled in on the arrival card back in the days. I am totally baffled as to what had gone wrong for me.

This is seriously driving me nuts. As you alluded to, passports that arent on a visa-free arrangement are now in no-man's land as I will have failed to get a China number with UK passport + MTP whilst BoC (from my experience) is going nowhere with this and are frikking clueless.

[magpielaw]

I paid with Alipay HK no issue!

[LGB]

Thank you for clarifying it. Noted.

Does the driver license issuance accept alipay or cash as well?

I doubt they would take cash there. About Alipay, not sure.

If in doubt, find someone with Chinese WeChat pay, pay them 500 RMB cash and have them send money to you. If you have a cash balance in your WeChat, you can select that to pay with. Then there is no issue if the payment bounces when you are there.

[LGB]

LGB I read your posts regarding 1 card-2 numbers versus a China number issued within PRC and tried to join the dots. What happened to me was that the bank staff asked me to show them the real name registration proof which I presented from my ChinaUnicom app (note I am also holding a China number with HK China Unicom 1 card-2 number scheme). I scanned the QR code (see number 4 below). I DID manage to get the OTP verfication code when I entered my China number (did you fail at this stage) and I failed at the point where I picked HRP (note there is no option for MTP) and inputted HAxxxxxxx which gave an error message.

I happened to scan the QR code just now out of curiousity and inputted ID type as Foreign Passport and entered my Passport number and it let me proceed to the next screen which was to watch a bank fraud prevention video. I did the same steps again entering the passport number with 1 typo and it somehow detected an error. I have absolutely no idea how this can happen as I never had registered my passport number with HK ChinaUnicom. Unless there is some sorta centralised system to record my passport number against the China mobile number I filled in on the arrival card back in the days. I am totally baffled as to what had gone wrong for me.

This is seriously driving me nuts. As you alluded to, passports that arent on a visa-free arrangement are now in no-man's land as I will have failed to get a China number with UK passport + MTP whilst BoC (from my experience) is going nowhere with this and are frikking clueless.

Yes, this is all weird. It only takes one tiny step or character wrong, to make the whole thing stall.

I also watched the warning video and asked the staff ... they said it is about taking care of the safety of your card. I thought it had something to do about ... do not lend your card to others.

There were so many steps, I forgot some of the details. I am not sure if there is a MTP option now. It was all in Chinese, and the staff just told me what to click. They deliberately did NOT click on my phone, only indicated where I had to click. The same for those registration machines. I had to click everything.

[OrganicDancer]

I paid with Alipay HK no issue!

Thank you. Alipay HK is great, with BOC credit card allows to pay people in mainland china, no charge