| 1. | How to apply for a Mainland driving licence? |
| Any Hong Kong resident holding a valid full Hong Kong private car driving licence may apply for direct issue of a Mainland driving licence from Municipal Vehicle Control Offices (prefecture level or above) of Mainland Public Security authorities in the Guangdong Province. Applicants shall apply in person at any designated licensing counters of the relevant Vehicle Control Offices in the Guangdong Province. | |
| 2. | What is the meaning of application period? |
| Application period refers to the period within which formal application for Quota and CRP should be submitted to the TD after the quota has been reserved. The application period lasts for 5 days counted from the day of successful reservation (the day of reservation is counted as one day). | |
| 3. | Why should there be a 6-week intervening period for making another quota reservation after the Quota Start Date of the previous quota? |
| This is to allow more private car owners to have the chance of enjoying the use of ad hoc quotas. | |
| 4. | After submitting the application, can an applicant withdraw the application or amend the information he/she provided? |
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No. Once the application for CRP is submitted, the applicant cannot withdraw or amend any vehicles and drivers related particulars (e.g. addition, cancellation or change of the designated driver(s); change of vehicle (even using the same vehicle registration mark); or change of the vehicle registration mark); otherwise the applicant is required to submit a new application, and the relevant fees paid would not be refunded. CRP issued for a specific vehicle is not transferable either.
Furthermore, as required by the Governments of the Guangdong Province and the HKSAR, all applications will be assessed on the basis of the information on the applicants, drivers and vehicles provided at the time of application. The CRP issued will become invalid if there is any change in such information after an application has been approved and the relevant approved documents (including the CRP, "Approval Notice" and "Temporary-entry vehicle licence plate and licence", etc.) have been issued. The relevant authorities of the two governments may also refuse the vehicle to cross the boundary. |
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| 5. | What is the application fee? Will the fee paid be refunded to the applicant if the application is rejected or if the reserved quota is forgone? |
| Reserving ad hoc quota is free of charge. However, a fee of HK$45 will be charged for a CRP. Refund will be arranged in due course if the application is rejected. If an application is approved, a CRP will be issued. In that case, no refund will be given even if the quota is subsequently forgone or invalidated because the necessary formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities cannot be completed for whatever reasons. For the application fees for the formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities, they are set by the authorised organisations concerned (i.e. China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited (CTS) and Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC). Applicants are advised to browse their websites or call their enquiry hotlines to obtain the up-to-date information on relevant fees before submitting application. | |
| 6. | What are the application procedures and fee for duplicate CRPs? |
| Applicants may apply for duplicate CRPs in case the original CRPs are lost or damaged. Application should be made with application form TD600A17 and sent to the Cross Boundary Unit of the TD together with a lost report issued by the Hong Kong Police or the damaged CRP. The application fee is HK$86. Under normal circumstances, the duplicate CRP can be issued on the day of application. | |
| 7. | Before departing for the Mainland, are there any other formalities required after a CRP is received by the applicant? |
| Similar to quotas for other types of cross boundary vehicles, the ad hoc quota is jointly administered by the Governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong. Therefore, after a CRP is received, the applicant should take out Mainland compulsory traffic accident liability insurance for motor vehicles and complete the required formalities at the organisations (i.e. China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce) authorized by the GDPSD and other Mainland authorities before departing for the Mainland. Besides, applicants and passengers on board must follow the clearance procedures like other visitors. | |
| 8. | How can an applicant find out if the application is successful or not? |
| Under normal circumstances, the approval procedures will be completed in about 10 working days (including the time of the GDPSD's assessment) after receipt of applications for quota and CRP. The result will be sent to the applicant by email first if an email address is provided in the application. The approval letter and CRP or a notification letter of rejection will then be sent to the applicant by post according to the address provided by the applicant. For those applicants who do not receive any notification in 10 working days after submission of their applications, they may call 2804 2600 for enquiry. They may also login to the GovHK website http://www.gov.hk/adhocquota or call 3901 0088 to enquire about the status or result of applications. | |
| 9. | Is there any arrangement for "express permit"? |
| Since the processing time of an application, which includes the processing procedures of both Guangdong and Hong Kong authorities, has already been shortened as far as possible, there is no arrangement for "express permit". | |
| 10. | Do the applicant for the ad hoc quota and the designated driver have to travel to the Mainland on the vehicle concerned? |
| A private car under the ad hoc quota application can be driven by a maximum of two pre-approved designated drivers, one of whom must be the applicant himself (i.e. the registered private car owner or the person authorised by the company vehicle owner in writing for submitting the application). The applicant is required to be on board the vehicle to and from the Guangdong Province but the other driver (if any) is not subject to this requirement. Violation of this rule is conducive to violating the CRP condition for which the applicants or drivers may be subject to prosecution by the Police. | |
| 11. | Is it necessary to provide passengers' information when submitting application for ad hoc quotas? Can the passengers concerned be foreign passport holders? |
| There is no need to submit information on passengers upon application for ad hoc quotas. Foreign passport holders travelling to the Mainland on the vehicle concerned shall meet and comply with the prevailing Mainland visa requirements for entry. | |
| 12. | Could private cars with ad hoc quotas be driven by their passengers? |
| No. Private cars, if found being driven by anyone other than the applicants/designated driver(s) to Guangdong will lead to rejection of future applications (please see paragraph 5.4 for details). The applicant or the driver may also be prosecuted by the Police for violating the conditions of CRP. | |
| 13. | How will the case be handled if vehicles fail to return to Hong Kong as scheduled due to emergency incidents? |
| Please contact the Traffic Management Bureau of GDPSD at (8620) 8311 1536 for relevant enquiries. Please also note that vehicles overstaying or failing to return to Hong Kong without justified reasons will lead to rejection of future applications (please see paragraph 5.4 for details). The applicant or driver may also be prosecuted by the Police for travelling without a valid CRP or violating the conditions of CRP. | |
| 14. | What kind of motorists is the ad hoc quota suited for? |
| The driving environment, rules and regulations, as well as road design and traffic direction, etc. vary considerably between Guangdong and Hong Kong. Given the vast territory of the Guangdong Province, the road conditions may vary among different regions, and motorists will have more chances to drive long hours and feel tired more easily. Furthermore, they may also encounter communication problems due to different dialects. Therefore, before applying for an ad hoc quota, an applicant should, on top of the basic eligibility requirements, consider whether he has adequate experience, knowledge, ability and confidence in driving in the Mainland. Applicants are suggested to enroll in training courses on driving in the Mainland according to their actual needs and invite a few friends who have driving experience in the Mainland to join the trip to help out each other. Moreover, motorists should get hold of relevant information on travelling from one destination to another, including maps, planned driving routes, and consider using global positioning system to facilitate driving, etc. | |
| 15. | What measures are recommended for self-driving in Guangdong Province to enhance protection? |
| Applicants of the ad hoc quota trial scheme should comply with the rules and regulations of the Mainland and get hold of relevant information before departure. They need to check with their insurance providers the details of the coverage of the statutory insurance required by the Governments of Guangdong and the HKSAR, and consider taking out other related insurances, like travel insurance, commercial third party liability insurance and liability insurance for cross-boundary vehicle owners, according to their own situations in order to extend the scope and coverage of insurance. Currently, the compensation limit varies considerably between the Mainland compulsory traffic accident liability insurance for motor vehicles and the Hong Kong motor vehicle third party risks insurance. The Mainland compulsory traffic accident liability insurance for motor vehicles only covers liability arising from property damage and bodily injury/death of third parties. The compensation limit is a bit more than RMB 100,000. It does not cover any claims lodged by the third parties (victims) in Hong Kong for accidents taking place in the Mainland. On the other hand, the protection provided by Hong Kong motor vehicle third party risks insurance only covers car accidents that occurred in Hong Kong. Therefore, it is important to take out adequate commercial third party liability insurance and liability insurance for cross-boundary vehicle owners. According to our understanding, these insurance products are currently available in the market. Applicants may ask for details from the insurance providers that offer the Mainland compulsory traffic accident liability insurance for motor vehicles and arrange Proof of Guarantee of ATA Carnet. |
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17. Applicants may also complete the Chinese Application form TD600B.