Richmond RCMP state Chinese driver’s licences are not sufficient in BC

There’s a debate going on in the back rooms of decision makers over whether people should be legally able to drive in British Columbia using a Chinese driver’s licence.

ICBC has maintained that it is perfectly sufficient, but Richmond RCMP disagrees.

A licence issued by China is currently acceptable for a tourist for a period of up to six months. If an individual is a resident, the licence has value for 90 days.

However, the RCMP feel differently about the matter and have been handing out $276 tickets, News 1130 reported.

The same applies to licences issued from India and Indonesia. For license holders such countries, including China, the RCMP claims they have no way of verifying the accuracy of such licenses as Canada does not have access to the driver’s license records for these countries.

According to the RCMP, foreign licences need an International Driving Permit. This would allow one to drive in Richmond with a foreign issued licence.

In Vancouver, the licences are deemed sufficient – the driver simply needs to obtain a translation document from ICBC. For the city of Richmond and its high population of recent Chinese immigrants, under RCMP opinion it means thousands of Chinese motorists are driving on the roads illegally.

ICBC and the RCMP are in the process of discussing a compromise.

Driving via shutterstock