Will Vehicles Without a Beijing Entry Permit Definitely Be Photographed?
3 Answers
Vehicles without a Beijing entry permit will definitely be photographed, as all electronic surveillance cameras in Beijing are now interconnected and capable of intelligent screening and recording. Therefore, vehicles without an entry permit can be captured and recorded for violations. Whether the violation is captured by police or electronic surveillance and results in a fine, the vehicle must exit the Sixth Ring Road within four hours or obtain a Beijing entry permit; otherwise, it will continue to be photographed and fined by electronic surveillance. Vehicles entering roads within the Sixth Ring Road (excluding the road itself) and all roads in Tongzhou District (excluding main highways) must have a Beijing entry permit. The Beijing entry permit should be placed on the lower left side of the vehicle's front windshield. If an out-of-town vehicle does not enter roads within the Sixth Ring Road or the urban areas of Changping, Huairou, or Yanqing and only travels on the main Sixth Ring Road, a Beijing entry permit is not required.
I used to think I could get away without a Beijing entry permit, but then my cousin who works at the traffic management office told me that now there are high-definition cameras all over within the Sixth Ring Road, specifically targeting out-of-town license plates. Especially on the main roads inside the Fifth Ring Road—if you don’t have the permit, you’ll almost certainly get caught within 10 kilometers. A while back, my colleague drove to West Second Ring Road without a permit and received three violation records the next day. Nowadays, even roadside patrol cars can automatically recognize license plates. The only way to avoid getting caught is to remove your license plate—but the penalty for that is even harsher. If you really need to enter Beijing urgently, just download the 'Beijing Traffic Police' app on your phone—you can apply for an electronic entry permit on the spot.
This question is like asking 'Will you get wet if it rains without an umbrella?' The coverage of electronic surveillance in Beijing has exceeded 95%, especially at all highway entrances into the city and the connecting roads from the Third Ring Road to the Fifth Ring Road, all equipped with intelligent recognition systems. Once, I forgot to apply for a temporary pass for an out-of-town vehicle when sending relatives to Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and got caught twice by cameras from Jingcheng Expressway to Dongdan. While it's not 100% guaranteed, the chance of getting caught is about the opposite of winning the lottery. Nowadays, violation notifications are sent to your phone within two hours—there's simply no dodging them.
