China Temporary Driving Permit · Fast-track Service · Same Day
Short answer: You can drive your foreign car to Xinjiang freely, but you cannot drive into Tibet Autonomous Region without a special escorted tour permit. Xinjiang, including Horgos port and the Silk Road route, is fully open to temporary entry vehicles.
Xinjiang is one of the most popular destinations for foreign self-drive tourists in China. You can drive your temporary entry car anywhere in Xinjiang: to Urumqi, Turpan, Kashgar, the Karakoram Highway, and of course through Horgos port itself. The roads in northern Xinjiang are in excellent condition, and there are no special permits required for foreign cars to travel within Xinjiang — as long as you have your standard temporary entry paperwork.
Many drivers enter China via Horgos, spend 1–2 weeks driving the Silk Road route through Xinjiang and Gansu, then exit via Mohan or continue into Central Asia. There are no extra checks on foreign cars inside Xinjiang beyond the standard document checks at city entry points.
The Tibet Autonomous Region has separate regulations for foreign visitors and foreign-registered vehicles. While you can drive your foreign car to the eastern edge of Tibet (Deqin, in Yunnan) and to the Xinjiang-Tibet highway border, you are not allowed to take your own car into Lhasa or other central Tibetan areas. Foreign visitors entering Tibet must join an organized, escorted tour with a local travel agency, and use a local licensed vehicle — you cannot take your self-drive car into the region.
All other remote areas of China are open to you: you can drive the G7 expressway all the way from Beijing to Urumqi, drive through Inner Mongolia, explore the mountains of Sichuan and Yunnan, or take the coastal route from Guangxi up to Shanghai. The only restricted area is the Tibet Autonomous Region itself.
If you want to visit Tibet on your trip, we can help arrange a separate escorted tour after you exit your car at the border of the region. You can park your car safely in a border town, join the 3–5 day escorted tour into Tibet, then pick your car back up when you return.
If you are planning a route that includes Xinjiang or the border of Tibet, send us your planned itinerary when you contact us — we will let you know exactly which parts are open to your car, and help you plan the best route.
Want to know if your route is allowed? Send us your planned route for a free check →