Can Temporary License Plates in Beijing Be Used Outside the City?
2 Answers
Beijing's temporary license plates cannot be used outside Beijing. Temporary license plates are required when a car is newly purchased. License plates are essential for any car to legally drive on the road. Driving without a license plate is equivalent to unlicensed driving. Here is some information about license plates: Introduction 1: License plates can be either permanent or temporary. Temporary plates are made of paper and do not need to be fixed to the front or rear of the vehicle. However, they must be affixed to the inside of the front and rear windshields. Failure to comply with these regulations is considered unlicensed driving. Introduction 2: Temporary license plates have an expiration date. If they expire, they cannot be used for driving, otherwise it is also considered unlicensed driving. Permanent license plates are made of metal and must be fixed to the front and rear of the vehicle with screws.
As a new car owner in Beijing, I was initially puzzled about whether temporary license plates could be used for out-of-town trips. I remember last year when I first got my temporary plate starting with '京' (Beijing), I planned a weekend trip to Hebei with my family. However, a friend reminded me that Beijing temporary plates are only valid within the city, and driving outside could lead to traffic police checks, with severe cases possibly resulting in fines or penalty points. Later, I asked a 4S store salesperson and learned that if you really need to travel out of town urgently, you must apply for an inter-provincial temporary license plate in advance. This requires bringing documents like the car purchase invoice and ID proof to the vehicle management office, which is quite a hassle. I advise new car owners not to take shortcuts and drive out secretly—it's not worth the risk of fines. It's better to wait patiently for the official license plate. A friend of mine learned this the hard way when he was stopped at the entrance of the Jingzang Expressway, receiving both a lecture and a fine of several hundred yuan. Looking back, it still feels quite unnerving.
