Driving license in China; I have visa issued in Haikou

[fildamirda]

To whom it may concern,
I would like to have a driving licence in China. My original driving licence is from the Czech republic. I live and work in Beijing. My company is registered in Hainan, Haikou. So I have visa issued in Haikou. So I have to pass the test in Haikou.
I have provided all necessary documents. When the officer was about to load the computer with all my data she found out that my original driving license was issued just a few days before I turned 18. She could not fill up the column, the system did not allow her so she assumed that it is illegal to have a driving license in China before turning 18. But it is legal in my country to issue it before turning 18 and of course you can drive after you turn 18. But this is not how it works in China, so the officer said it is impossible for me to have a driving license in China because my original was issued before I turned 18. For information I am 30 right now.
Do you have any advise?
Regards
Filip

[AFFA]

I wish to inform you that you can have a provisional driver's license. Further at Beijing Capital Airport provide such license without any tests. Alternatively you can have a Mainland license is by converting your foreign license into a Hong Kong license for about 120 USD. After this you may Mainland China places like Guangzhou and convert your Hong Kong license into a Mainland license.

AFF

[fildamirda]

I am not 100 percent sure but I suppose HK do not accept my driving license (from Czech republic) for transfer. I have found a list of countries they do but Czech republic was not mentioned there. Plus I am not sure if they do not reject me because of the same problem, the issue date. I have sent an enquiry to Ministry of Transport in HK, I will se what they say.
Thanks.

1. I think a Czech national maybe able to convert license to HK's.
2. I doubt that without having a Chinese ID document for HK residence can be allowed to convert the HK driving license to China's.
3. There are places that people will can get your Czech license converted to Chinese one with a deep fee. I got mine for 6K RMB and took 6 months (consider to be fast). There are levels of people getting the cut in this chain of process, but finally it is a local driving school coach making the real deal that completes the license. I don't want to do free ad for these guys while taking a risk because I do not know these people except paid them to get my driver's license in China.

The catch is make connection with those "connected driving schools", they are able help you as long as you pay them. However, you must be very careful to examine whether they are legit! That's the tough part.

[Lexus]

This means that the system is really set up for people who already have valid driver’s licenses from their home countries. Getting your very first driver’s license as a foreigner in China is much more difficult. In China, the International Driver’s Permit is not valid; they simply treat the IDP just like any other foreign license – if you do have an IDP, you must follow the same procedure as everyone else.