China is attracting ever more adventurers, who cross the republic by car or motorcycle. That’s possible! Free movement is, however, not possible: the traveling route must be planned into details and submitted to the authorities. Crossing permits have to be obtained for the separate provinces. A permanent traveling escort is assigned, which the traveler has to cover. The deposit that one must pay for the vehicle increases the costs. It depends on the value of the car or motorcycle and is revealed on the basis of the buying contract, which has to be submitted (see below a list of the necessary documents for entry in China by vehicle). For the period of traveling, one also needs a Chinese driver’s license, Chinese plates and – just like for other countries – the required insurances (also dependent on the value of the vehicle). The entry bureaucracy requires:

• Scans of the passport and driver’s license (high resolution). This applies to EACH traveler in the vehicle
• Information on profession/employer, for journalists more details are necessary
• Current passport photo of each traveler, digital
• Digital photos of the vehicle taken from all sides, with clearly visible number plates
• All vehicle and permission documents, including the buying contract in digital form

You also need to disclose numerous details about your vehicle, which you can find in your vehicle documents.

If you have the feeling all this organization is too much for you, you can ask our help. We are available via our free hotline at +41 41 410 61 61 and are happy to accompany you to and through China – also on adventurous roads. All basic information on the Chinese visa can be found here.

We can take care of all other formalities at the Chinese embassy in Berne.

To make sure you are not the only madman, you can find many like-minded spirits in these portals. These are people that have traveled in China by car or others that are planning to do so:

Geo Travel Community
Reise-Forum
Traveltalk

Do you have questions about your visa to China? We are the most convenient provider of all kinds of visas to China in Switzerland. You can reach us at any time by phone at +41 41 410 61 61 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..