Foreigners with an overseas driver's license still have to sit a written test before getting a license to drive in Shenzhen, said a traffic official yesterday.

An earlier news report quoted the Ministry of Public Security as saying that the test had been scrapped at the start of the year. But Pan Qiang, a senior official with the municipal vehicle control office, said they'd not received any notice about changes from the authority.

"For the time being expatriates with an overseas driver's license still need to sit a written test for a Chinese driver's license," Pan told the Shenzhen Daily yesterday. A road test is also needed if they want a license for heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and container trailers, he said.

To apply for a Chinese driver's license those with overseas documentation require to provide their ID card, passport, a translated and notarized version of the driving license and residence permit to the driver administration section of the municipal vehicle control office located at the Xili training and examination center in Nanshan District.

If the documents are accepted the expatriates need to sit a written exam testing their knowledge of the traffic rules for which they can bring interpreters. If they pass the test they can then obtain a license.

(Shenzhen Daily January 23, 2007)