The Macau Public Security Police (PSP) said in a statement yesterday that a total of 67 mainlanders with a mainland car driving licence registered with the local police yesterday allowing them to drive in Macau for up to one year without the need to obtain a Macau driving licence.
Yesterday was the first day of the implementation of the reciprocal driving-licence recognition agreement between the mainland and Macau.
The local government signed an agreement with the Ministry of Public Security on February 15 this year on the reciprocal recognition of driving licences between the mainland and Macau. The mutual driving-licence recognition, which took effect yesterday, only applies to cars, not other motor vehicles.
The Macau government announced details of the reciprocal driving-licence recognition agreement during a press conference on February 20.
According to the agreement, Macau permanent residents holding a Macau driving licence can obtain a mainland driving licence without having to take a driving test. The mutual driving-licence recognition does not cover Macau non-permanent residents.
Eligible Macau driving licence holders intending to obtain a mainland driving licence need to visit a police or traffic service point in the mainland, where they are required to present various documents such as their Macau ID card, Macau driving licence, certificate of physical fitness, and headshot photo.
Application procedures slightly differ among cities across the mainland. There are seven application points in the neighbouring city of Zhuhai, which require potential applicants to make an appointment before visiting them.
Those holding a Macau Category B driving licence, which allows the driving of either manual-transmission (MT) or automatic-transmission (AT) cars, are eligible to obtain a mainland corresponding-category driving licence, namely Category C1. Those holding a Macau Sub-category B driving licence that only allows the driving of AT cars are eligible to obtain a mainland Category C2 driving licence, which also only allows the driving of AT cars.
According to the agreement, mainland residents holding a mainland driving licence can directly drive in Macau for up to 14 days after entering the special administrative region without the need to obtain a Macau driving licence.
However, those intending to drive in Macau after the 14-day period have to register with the Macau Public Security Police (PSP) Traffic Department. After registering with the PSP Traffic Department, they can drive in Macau for up to one year. Eligible mainland driving licence holders have to present their paper driving licence when formalising their registration at the PSP Traffic Department, which will then issue them with a one-year driving permit.
Those who have registered with the PSP Traffic Department have always to carry their mainland paper driving licence, as well as the one-year driving permit issued by the PSP Traffic Department, while driving in Macau.
Correspondingly, mainlanders holding a Category C1 driving licence are allowed to drive either MT or AT cars in Macau, while mainlanders holding a Category C2 driving licence are only allowed to drive AT cars here.
The Macau government first said in 2017 that it was planning a reciprocal driving-licence recognition agreement with the central government. A chief executive order published in the Official Gazette (BO) in April 2018 authorised Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário to sign an agreement with the Ministry of Public Security on the reciprocal recognition of driving licences between the mainland and Macau. Since then, however, the Macau government had not announced a schedule as to when the deal would be signed, before it finally revealed early this year that the mainland-Macau reciprocal driving-licence recognition scheme could get off the ground later this year.
Details about the scheme can be checked at: http://www.dsat.gov.mo/cn-mo-drivinglicense/
Pedestrians wait to cross Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, the city’s main thoroughfare, yesterday. – Photo: Tony Wong
