Traffic law in Shenzhen.

An overseas licence or international driving permit (IDP) alone does not authorise driving in mainland China. Obtain the applicable mainland driving licence or temporary driving permission before getting behind the wheel.

• Confirm the permitted vehicle class. Converting a foreign licence and obtaining temporary permission are different procedures; eligibility, documents and tests depend on the route.
• Check vehicle registration, the required compulsory motor-vehicle liability insurance and inspection status. A rental agreement or an electric-car purchase does not replace these requirements.

• Drive on the right. Follow traffic signals, signs, marked lanes and police directions; obey the speed limit shown for that road.
• Drivers and passengers must use seat belts as required. Do not use a handheld phone while driving, and give way to pedestrians at crossings.
• Do not drive after drinking alcohol or when drugs, illness or fatigue impair safe driving. Arrange another way home.
• Park only where permitted; a marked loading area, pavement or emergency access is not a general parking space.

The current notice restricts non-Shenzhen-registered passenger vehicles across the city on working days, 07:00–09:00 and 17:30–19:30, subject to the notice’s exceptions. It runs from 17 September 2026 to 16 September 2027.

Read the actual notice for covered roads, expressway and port-access exceptions, exempt vehicles and holiday arrangements. Check the latest notice again before travelling; a navigation suggestion or a rental booking is not permission to enter.

Hong Kong and Macao have separate driving and vehicle-entry systems. Crossing the boundary with a car requires its own permissions.

Use crossings and obey pedestrian signals. Cyclists and e-bike riders must follow the applicable lanes, signals and local road-access rules; do not assume an e-bike can use car lanes or every street.

Shenzhen’s e-bike access notice is valid 1 October 2026–30 September 2027 and sets different restriction tiers. Check your road and vehicle category, registration/plate requirements and any stated exceptions before riding.

Riders must be at least 16 to use an e-bike on public roads. Wear a correctly fastened helmet and check brakes, lights and safe loading. Do not treat an electric motorcycle as an ordinary e-bike: its licence, registration and access requirements can differ.

A fine, demerit points, licence suspension and criminal liability are different consequences. The conduct, evidence, vehicle and applicable national/local rules matter; there is no single fine for every traffic offence.

• Keep the complete notice, offence details, location, photographs and proof of service. Check that the vehicle and person identified are correct.
• Use the official channel shown on the notice or confirmed by Shenzhen Traffic Police. Ask about interpretation if you cannot understand it.
• Read the payment and remedy instructions immediately. An enquiry is not automatically a formal challenge and does not itself pause a deadline.

1. Stop, protect the scene and help injured people. Call 120 for urgent medical help and 122 for traffic police; use 110 for an immediate police emergency. Do not leave the scene to avoid responsibility.
2. If safe, record the time, road, vehicles, plates, damage, road markings and witness contacts; preserve original dashcam files. Notify the insurer promptly through its verified claims channel.
3. Injury, disputed facts or other reporting circumstances require police involvement. Only qualifying minor property-damage incidents may be handled by agreed documentation and clearing the road; follow police instructions rather than assuming every collision can be settled privately.

Eligible minor vehicle collisions without injuries may use Jiaoguan 12123’s video-handling service. Confirm eligibility and availability with traffic police.

Keep the police record or responsibility document, insurer reference, repair estimates, medical records and receipts. Police responsibility findings and the final insurance or compensation outcome are separate questions.