How long does it take to upgrade from C1 to B2?

[CharlieDella]

You can take the test after holding a C1 driver's license for one year. If you pass the test, the vehicle management office will issue a new-level driver's license within 7 working days. The following are the conditions for upgrading from C1 to B2: To add a new permitted driving category to an existing motor vehicle driver's license, you must have held the license for at least one year and have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the current scoring cycle or the most recent scoring cycle before applying for the new category. Only then will the vehicle management office approve the application to add the new permitted driving category. C1 is a code for a type of permitted driving category under 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-sized special-purpose vehicles. Heavy and medium-duty cargo vehicles are mostly trucks, such as the large dump trucks commonly seen on roads, which fall under the category of heavy trucks. Large, heavy, and medium-sized special-purpose vehicles refer to vehicles equipped with special devices or tools, such as water sprinklers, concrete mixers, and fire trucks. Article 14 of the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses" states that first-time applicants for a motor vehicle driver's license can apply for permits to drive urban buses, large trucks, small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed cargo vehicles, three-wheeled cars, small automatic transmission passenger vehicles 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 add a new permitted driving category, the additional categories they can apply for include large passenger vehicles, tractor-trailers, urban buses, medium-sized passenger vehicles, 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 stipulates that those who already hold a motor vehicle driver's license and apply to add a permitted driving category must have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the current scoring cycle or the most recent scoring cycle before applying. This applies to applications to add medium-sized passenger vehicles, tractor-trailers, and large passenger vehicles. The B2 driver's license test consists of four subjects: Subject 1 covers road traffic laws and regulations related to driving motor vehicles, including road passage, traffic violations, traffic signals, and accident handling. Subject 2 involves practical operations for large passenger vehicles, urban buses, tractor-trailers, etc., such as pile testing, side parking, hill starts, and driving over single-plank bridges. Subject 3 includes test-driving preparations, starting, driving straight, lane changes, and gear shifting for large passenger vehicles, urban buses, tractor-trailers, and medium-sized passenger vehicles. Subject 4 covers safe and civilized driving requirements, safe driving knowledge for extreme weather and complex road conditions, and handling knowledge for accidents.

[SanJack]

I started thinking about upgrading my C1 driver's license to a B2 license about a year after I got it. I enrolled in a driving school with a good reputation and waited over half a month for the class to start. The theory part wasn't too hard—I finished traffic laws and signs in a week. The field training was the toughest, practicing two hours a day for almost a month. Since B2 is for larger vehicles, turning and reversing required extra caution, and the instructor emphasized safety first. Booking the test wasn't smooth either—I had to wait in line for over a week. The whole process, from application to getting the license, took a little over three months. If the driving school had been faster, it might have been shortened to two months, but I recommend not rushing and learning properly for safety. It cost me an extra thousand or so, but it was worth it to avoid regrets in case of accidents later.