In other words, Singapore and China do not recognize each other’s driver’s license. You cannot drive directly in Singapore with a Chinese driver’s license. You need to convert the Chinese driver’s license into a Singapore driver’s license. According to the regulations of Singapore, if you already have a Chinese driver’s license before coming to Singapore, and have held a Chinese driver’s license for more than half a year, and now hold a Singapore long-term visa (work pass, family pass, student pass, Singapore PR ), then congratulations, you only need to pass a simple theory test (Basic Theory Test), you can convert a Chinese driver’s license into a Singapore driver’s license.
This driver’s license conversion guide is suitable for students who hold a Singapore long-term pass and have a driver’s license before coming to Singapore.
Driving school registration
Going to a driving school to register is the first step, and it’s actually quite convenient. There are three driving training schools in Singapore, scattered in different areas, it is recommended to find one close to home. Bring your passport and work pass and go to the driving school consultation office for consultation. After the staff understands your purpose, they will give you a form to fill out and collect some basic information. In the future, your account will be opened on the system of the driving school. Once you have an account, everything is easy to do. You can recharge your account and make an appointment for a follow-up test. The fee for the test will be debited directly from your driving school account.
Exam preparation and exam appointment
After the account registration is completed, the next step is to prepare for the exam. The reference materials for the basic theory test can be purchased at the driving school or at the Dazhong Bookstore. There are two reference books available for purchase, I only bought the one on the left.
The questions of the theory test are all multiple-choice questions, with a total of 50 questions, which are randomly generated by the system. If you can answer 45 questions correctly and above, you can pass the test. The basic theory test book itself does not have much content. It is recommended to quickly brush it when preparing for the test. Most of the content is to introduce the meaning of traffic signs and signal lights, as well as various traffic rules. If the speed is fast, you can finish it in 2-3 days, and then just brush the questions. I found a good theory test question bank on the Internet and purchased a paid membership directly. All the questions are brushed on this website: https://drivingtheory.sg/ .
After reading the book for the first time, you can start to brush the questions. If you encounter problems that you don’t understand in the middle, you can strengthen your memory by referring to the book. When reading books to prepare for the test, you can start to make an appointment to go to the driving school to take the theory test. It usually takes one to two weeks to prepare for the test, depending on how fast you read the book and how fast you brush the questions. Appointments for exams can start early, because sometimes there are too many people applying for the exam, and there may not be a suitable time slot.
The test appointments are made on the respective official websites of the driving schools. After logging in and recharging with the opened driving school account, you can make an appointment directly online. When making an appointment, you need to select a specific test date and time period. After a successful appointment, a test fee of S$6.50 will be debited from your member account. It should be noted that you don’t need to worry about whether it is a Chinese test or an English test when making an appointment for the test. On the test day, you can freely choose to switch the language to Chinese or English on the system interface.
Take the test
On the day of the test, remember to bring your ID and arrive at the test site ahead of time. In the past, because of COVID-19, before entering the driving school, Trace Together and whether there is an appointment test will be checked, but it is estimated that it is not necessary now. The test venue is that each person sits in the seat specified by the examiner, and each person has a computer in front of them. After listening to the introduction by the examiner, log in with the specified account and password and start answering the questions. The entire test is 50 minutes long and contains 50 multiple-choice questions. In fact, if you are fully prepared, you can get it done quickly, usually in about 5-10 minutes. After you have answered all the questions, there is still time to quickly go through the questions you are not sure about.
After the test, the system will immediately display your score and whether you passed or not. At this time, you can stand in advance and pick up a driver’s license conversion application form from the examiner. Get the application form, you can flash people from the driving school. In addition, your test scores will be recorded in the system. When you go to the traffic police station for follow-up procedures, the other party can check your scores directly from the system without any paper certificates.
Convert driver’s license
After passing the test and completing the application form, you will also need to find a locally recognized translation company to translate your Chinese driver’s license into English. After getting the translation, you can go directly to the traffic police station to convert your driver’s license. There is no need to make an appointment in advance to go to the traffic police station. You can wait for the business to get a number in the queuing system in the lobby. Submit the original driver’s license and translation, ID, driver’s license conversion application form and a photo at the processing window, leave your residential address, pay, and you’re done. After waiting about 4-5 business days, the driver’s license card will be mailed to your mailbox.
some remarks
- Most driving schools and traffic police stations do not accept credit cards, but NETS is supported, so it is necessary to bring a bank card.
- If you hold a non-PR visa, the default driver’s license is valid for 5 years. After 5 years, you need to go to the traffic police station to renew the driver’s license. Once your PR is approved and passed, you can go directly to the traffic police station to renew your driver’s license. The new driver’s license is permanently valid.
appendix
Driving school address
- Bukit Batok Driving Center 815 Bukit Batok West Avenue 5, Singapore 659085
TEL: 6561 1233
https://www.bbdc.sg - ComfortDelGro Driving Center 205 Ubi Ave 4, Singapore 408805
TEL: 6841 8900
https://www.cdc.com.sg - Singapore Safety Driving Center 2, Woodlands Industrial Park E4 Singapore 757387
TEL: 6482 6060
https://www.ssdcl.com.sg
Traffic police station address
Traffic Police Headquarters 10 Ubi Ave 3, Singapore 408865
TEL: 6547 0000
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