What are the inconveniences of having an out-of-town license plate?
3 Answers
Vehicles with out-of-town license plates face many inconveniences locally, such as annual inspections, insurance, and travel, which are more troublesome compared to vehicles with local license plates. Below are the relevant details about the annual inspection for out-of-town license plates: 1. Preparation of documents: To apply for a vehicle annual inspection delegation notice, the owner needs to bring their "Resident ID Card," "Vehicle Driving License," vehicle insurance documents, original and photocopy of the vehicle and vessel tax, and an application for out-of-town annual inspection to the vehicle management office at the registration location. 2. On-site vehicle inspection: Following the standard procedure, after the owner completes the out-of-town delegation of the vehicle annual inspection at the original registration vehicle management office, the office will issue a paper delegation letter to the applicant and send an online delegation notice for the vehicle annual inspection to the delegated vehicle management office.
I've been using a car with an out-of-town license plate for work in Beijing, and the most frustrating part is the traffic restriction policy. On weekdays, I can't enter within the Fifth Ring Road during morning and evening rush hours, forcing me to take detours of several kilometers to get to work. My fuel costs keep rising, and sometimes when I'm in a hurry, I have no choice but to take a taxi. Parking is also a hassle—parking lots outside the Fifth Ring Road charge an extra 20% for out-of-town plates, and public parking spots are always full. Dealing with traffic violations is even more cumbersome. Last year, I was caught speeding in Hebei and had to take two days off to go back and handle it, spending hundreds on round-trip high-speed rail tickets. Insurance claims also take twice as long as for local plates—for minor accidents, I have to wait several weeks for compensation. All in all, commuting by car has become more trouble than it’s worth, and it feels like my daily routine has been completely disrupted.
I travel between different cities for work all year round, and my car has a Shandong license plate but is used in Guangdong. The inconveniences of having an out-of-town license plate are evident everywhere. Traffic restriction rules vary by city—in Shenzhen, out-of-town cars are banned during morning and evening rush hours, so I have to check in advance to avoid them. In Beijing, out-of-town cars are even restricted from entering the core areas on weekends, which often makes me late for business trips. For traffic violations, I have to hire an agent to handle them, paying extra fees each time. The annual inspection requires me to go back to Shandong, wasting time and fuel costs—a round trip costs over a thousand yuan. Parking fees in popular cities are 50% more expensive for out-of-town plates, and sometimes I can't find a spot and have to park temporarily on the roadside, only to get fined. Insurance companies also use the out-of-town plate as an excuse to delay claims, making excuses and dragging their feet. If I could do it over, I'd rather buy a local license plate for peace of mind.
