Is an exam required for upgrading from C1 to B2 driver's license?

[CharlesLee]

Yes, an exam is required. If the exam is passed, 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, the holder must have held the license for at least one year and have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points from the current scoring cycle to the most recent scoring cycle before applying for the new category. Only then will the vehicle management office approve the application. C1 is one of the codes for permitted driving categories in driver's licenses. According to the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses" (Ministry of Public Security Order No. 123), C1 permits driving small and mini passenger vehicles, light and mini cargo vehicles, as well as light and mini special-purpose vehicles. It also allows driving vehicles under the C2, C3, and C4 categories. 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 heavy truck category. Large, heavy, and medium-duty special-purpose vehicles refer to vehicles equipped with specialized devices or tools, 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 driving categories include 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 permitted driving category, the additional categories include large passenger vehicles, tractors, 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 specifies 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 and the most recent scoring cycle before application. This applies to applications for adding medium-sized passenger vehicles, tractors, and large passenger vehicle categories. The B2 driver's license exam consists of four subjects: Subject 1 covers road traffic laws and regulations, including road traffic rules, traffic violations, traffic signals, and accident handling. Subject 2 involves practical operations such as pole tests, side parking, hill starts, and driving through single-lane bridges for large buses, urban buses, and tractors. Subject 3 includes preparation for driving tests, starting, driving straight, lane changes, and gear shifting for large buses, urban buses, tractors, and medium-sized passenger vehicles. Subject 4 covers safe and civilized driving requirements, knowledge of safe driving in extreme weather and complex road conditions, and procedures for handling accidents.