How Long Does It Take to Upgrade from C1 to B2?
4 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 records 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traffic accident with equal or greater responsibility; no record of drunk driving; and the driver's license has not been revoked or canceled within the past ten years.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 license categories. The 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 mostly trucks, such as the large dump trucks commonly seen on roads, which fall under the category of heavy-duty trucks. Large, heavy, and medium-duty special-purpose vehicles refer to vehicles equipped with specialized devices or equipment, 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 city 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 add additional permitted vehicle types, the additional types include large passenger vehicles, tractors, city 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 states that for those who already hold a motor vehicle driver's license and wish to add additional permitted vehicle types, they must not have a record of accumulating 12 points in the current scoring cycle and the most recent scoring cycle before the application. For those applying to add medium-sized passenger vehicles, tractors, or large passenger vehicles, the following additional conditions must be met: For adding medium-sized passenger vehicles, the applicant must have held a city bus, large truck, small car, small automatic transmission car, low-speed cargo vehicle, or three-wheeled car license for more than three years, with no record of accumulating 12 points in the last three consecutive scoring cycles before the application. For adding tractors, the applicant must have held a medium-sized passenger vehicle or large truck license for more than three years, or a large passenger vehicle license for more than one year, with no record of accumulating 12 points in the last three consecutive scoring cycles before the application. For adding large passenger vehicles, the applicant must have held a city bus, medium-sized passenger vehicle, or large truck license for more than five years, or a tractor license for more than two years, with no record of accumulating 12 points in the last five consecutive scoring cycles before the application. Students currently enrolled in full-time driving vocational education who have obtained a small car license at school and have no record of accumulating 12 points in the current and most recent scoring cycle before the application may apply to add large passenger vehicles or tractors to their permitted vehicle types.
I'm a driving instructor and often help students with upgrading from a C1 to a B2 license. Generally, it takes one to three months from registration to obtaining the license, depending on your learning speed and exam scheduling. First, you need to have held your C1 license for at least one year and pass a medical check to register. Then, you'll study theory, reviewing knowledge about large vehicles and traffic regulations, which takes about a week. Next, you'll practice yard driving, such as reversing into a garage and moving between garages, which takes two to three weeks. Finally, there's the road test, which you can take after one or two weeks of practice, though waiting for exam scheduling might delay it a few days. Make sure you're fully prepared before registering—don't rush. I've seen people retake exams multiple times just to speed up, only to end up taking longer. Choosing a good driving school makes things much easier, and always check the vehicle's condition—safety comes first.
I just upgraded to a B2 license last year, and it took me exactly two months. Looking back, the process went quite smoothly. On the first day of registration, I had a medical check-up, and the driving school staff immediately arranged for theoretical learning. I spent a weekend practicing questions and passed the regulations test. The most challenging part was the field training—it took me over ten days to master reversing into the parking space. The instructor said the control difference between large vehicles and small cars is huge, so it took time to adapt. The road test was scheduled within a week, and I passed by driving a short section of the freight lane. The key was having a full year of driving experience. Asking about exam schedules in advance to avoid peak periods saved time. Practicing mock tests and field training more ensured passing in one go without delays.
Upgrading from C1 to B2 license is time-flexible but usually completed within two months on average. The prerequisites are holding a C1 license for at least one year and passing the medical check. After registration, the process involves three steps: theory exam, field driving test, and road test. Self-studying for the theory portion may take just 1-2 days, but delays occur if failing exams. The most time-consuming part is practical training like truck reverse parking, typically requiring 2 weeks to 1 month, while the road test can be passed in as fast as one week. I recommend practicing basic vehicle control in spare time to save effort and time during the upgrade process, and never compromise on safe driving.
