How long does it take to obtain a B2 driver's license through upgrade?
2 Answers
It requires more than three years. Below are the conditions for upgrading from C1 to B2: Hold a small car C1 driver's license for more than 3 years, with no full-point record in the last three consecutive scoring cycles, aged between 20 and 50 years old, no record of causing a fatal traffic accident with equal or greater responsibility; no record of drunk driving; and no revocation or cancellation of the driver's license within the last ten years. C1 is a code for a type of driver's license. According to the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses" (Ministry of Public Security Order No. 123), C1 refers to a driver's license that permits driving small and micro passenger vehicles, light and micro cargo vehicles, as well as light and micro special-purpose vehicles. It also allows driving vehicles under the C2, C3, and C4 categories. A B2 driver's license permits driving heavy and medium-duty cargo vehicles or large, heavy, and medium-duty special-purpose vehicles. Heavy and medium-duty cargo vehicles are mainly trucks, such as the large dump trucks commonly seen on roads, which belong to the heavy truck category. Large, heavy, and medium-duty special-purpose vehicles refer to vehicles equipped with special equipment or devices, such as water sprinklers, concrete mixers, fire trucks, etc. Article 14 of the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses" states that for first-time applicants of a motor vehicle driver's license, the permitted vehicle types include urban buses, large trucks, small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles, three-wheeled cars, small automatic transmission passenger cars for the disabled, ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles, ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles, light motorcycles, wheeled self-propelled machinery, trolleybuses, and trams. For those who already hold a motor vehicle driver's license and wish to apply for additional permitted vehicle types, the additional types include large buses, tractors, urban buses, medium buses, large trucks, small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles, three-wheeled cars, ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles, ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles, light motorcycles, wheeled self-propelled machinery, trolleybuses, and trams. Article 15 states that those who already hold a motor vehicle driver's license and wish to apply for additional permitted vehicle types must have no record of accumulating 12 points in the current scoring cycle and the most recent scoring cycle before application. For applications to add medium buses, tractors, or large buses, the following additional conditions must be met: For adding a medium bus permit, the applicant must have held a license for urban buses, large trucks, small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles, or three-wheeled cars for more than three years, with no record of accumulating 12 points in the last three consecutive scoring cycles before application. For adding a tractor permit, the applicant must have held a license for medium buses or large trucks for more than three years, or a large bus permit for more than one year, with no record of accumulating 12 points in the last three consecutive scoring cycles before application. For adding a large bus permit, the applicant must have held a license for urban buses, medium buses, or large trucks for more than five years, or a tractor permit for more than two years, with no record of accumulating 12 points in the last five consecutive scoring cycles before application. Full-time driving vocational education students who have obtained a small car permit at school and have no record of accumulating 12 points in the current scoring cycle and the most recent scoring cycle before application can apply for large bus and tractor permits.
I upgraded to a B2 driver's license last year, and the whole process took about two months. After enrolling in the driving school, I first attended a week of theoretical classes and passed the subject one test smoothly. Then came the practical driving training, three times a week, and it took about a month before I dared to take the subject two test. I was learning to drive part-time while working, so the schedule was quite tight. If I had focused on it full-time, it probably would have taken four to five weeks to complete. But remember, you have to wait a few days to book the test in advance, plus the time for the physical exam and submitting materials, so the minimum is about one and a half months. Also, many people fail the subject two or subject three test on their first attempt and have to wait a week to retake it, which drags out the time. Choosing a good driving school and avoiding the peak enrollment season can save a lot of trouble. The key is to take it step by step and not rush into the test—safety comes first.
