Hainan issues first temporary driving license for foreigners

South China's island province Hainan issued its first temporary driving license for foreigners on Thursday, allowing applicants to obtain such permits without medical examination.

On Thursday morning, Mettia Melillo, a tourist from Italy, received his temporary driving permit at Sanya's Phoenix International Airport, the first such permit issued to a foreigner in Hainan.

It only took Melillo five minutes to get the one-year license, after he submitted his inbound and outbound identity documents, his original driving license as well as the translated document, and two one-inch photos.

In order to facilitate the travelling and living of foreigners and residents from China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in Hainan, the Ministry of Public Security rolled out a policy in a pilot program in July to streamline the driving permit application procedure.

According to the new policy that took effect on Aug. 1, foreigners and people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan can be exempted from physical examinations while applying for temporary driving permits.

More traffic management service stations will be set up at harbors and ports across the city of Sanya, and online applications will be introduced to facilitate the process of temporary driving permits for foreign visitors, according to the municipal public security bureau.