Can vehicle annual inspection be conducted in another province?
3 Answers
Except for large passenger buses and school buses which cannot undergo annual inspection in another location, other vehicles can be inspected in a different province. Currently, the traffic management authorities have fully implemented cross-province annual inspections for small cars, trucks, and medium-sized passenger vehicles. Applicants can directly undergo inspection in a province other than where the vehicle is registered and obtain the inspection compliance mark without needing to apply for an entrusted inspection procedure. Large passenger buses and school buses cannot be inspected in another location and must return to the vehicle's registered location for inspection. Annual inspection time requirements: Small and micro non-operational passenger vehicles are exempt from inspection for the first 6 years. After 6 years but less than 10 years, they must be inspected every two years; after 10 years but less than 15 years, they must be inspected annually; after 15 years, they must be inspected every 6 months. Operational passenger vehicles must be inspected annually within the first 5 years; after 5 years, they must be inspected every 6 months. Trucks and large and medium-sized non-operational passenger vehicles must be inspected annually within the first 10 years; after 10 years, they must be inspected every 6 months. Imported vehicles, like other vehicle types, can undergo regular inspection at any inspection station. Annual inspection precautions: Vehicles that fail the annual inspection must be repaired within a specified time limit. If they still fail after the deadline, the vehicle management office will confiscate their license plates and prohibit further driving. Vehicles that do not participate in the annual inspection without reason or fail the inspection are not allowed to drive on the road or transfer registration. Vehicles that meet the scrapping conditions or have exceeded the prescribed service life will not be inspected, and their license plates will be revoked, their files canceled, and they will be scrapped.
In the past, cross-regional vehicle inspections indeed required a letter of authorization, which was quite a hassle. Now the policy has been relaxed. Last month, I just had my Henan-licensed car inspected in Hangzhou. All I needed was to bring the vehicle license, ID card, and compulsory traffic insurance policy directly to the local inspection station. The whole process took only half an hour, and the cost was the same as for local vehicles. However, make sure there are no outstanding traffic violations on the car, otherwise it won’t pass the inspection. Now the system is nationwide, and the inspection report is automatically synchronized back to the original vehicle management office, so there’s no need to worry. This policy should have been relaxed years ago to save us migrant workers from taking leave every year to travel long distances.
My cousin works in Shenzhen and drives a car with Hebei license plates. Last year, he passed the annual inspection locally. Nowadays, nationwide vehicle inspections are indeed possible, but there are three things to keep in mind when doing so: First, make an appointment in advance, as inspection stations in big cities tend to have long queues. Second, bring all original documents, and remember to print out a hard copy of the electronic insurance policy. Third, modified vehicles must be restored to their original condition. Last time, his car had dark window tinting, and he was asked to remove it on the spot before re-inspection. Inspection standards may vary slightly from place to place, so it's advisable to call ahead and ask about specific requirements. Anyway, the process has been simplified now, making it much more convenient than in previous years.
