First foreign tourist gets temporary driving permit in Hainan

Mettia Melillo, a tourist from Italy, received a temporary driving permit within five minutes after arriving at the Sanya Phoenix International Airport Thursday.

He is the first foreign tourist to enjoy the pilot policy issued specially for Hainan Free Trade Zone by the Ministry of Public Security, to facilitate the travel, work and daily lives of people coming from overseas to Hainan.

To facilitate the entry of foreigners and residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to Hainan, the Ministry of Public Security announced early last month a set of pilot policies to simplify the procedures for handling temporary motor vehicle driving permits, extend the validity period of temporary driving permits, and establish traffic management service stations at entry points.

Under the new policy, which became effective starting from Aug 1, overseas applicants can get a temporary driving permit that will be valid for as long as one year after providing inbound and outbound identity documents, overseas motor vehicle driving licenses and their translation copies, and two one-inch color photos, but without physical examinations as formerly required.

Officials with the Hainan provincial traffic police authorities said they will set up traffic management service stations at airports, harbors and ports around Hainan Island to handle on-the-spot applications.

Overseas visitors can also apply for a temporary driving permit at local traffic management offices. Overseas online application services will also be established to offer guidance such as multilingual driver handbooks and driving tips for temporary entry drivers.