Car purchase etc

Hi I am moving to HK from the UK in the next few weeks and wanted to know if I can buy a car soon after arrival , I will only have an employment visa but no HKID card initially or must I wait until I have a HKID ? also initially is it permissable to drive on a UK driving license ?


Many Thanks in advance

"i would wait until you know hk a little bit before you run out and buy a car. i lived here for almost 12.5 years without a car and never found that i wished i had one."


Agreed with Cara. A few things to consider:

- Public transport is very good. Cheap and frequent.

- Taxis are both cheap and abundant.

- If you do need to have a car for a half or whole day, renting a minivan with driver is only about 200 Honkies an hour.

- Practically every store delivers for little or no fee.

- HK is not the easiest city to find your way around in by car. Lots of hills and confusing twisty bits.


Having said that, cars do have their own convenience and I can understand why some people do get one. As Cara advised though, I would wait. We figured out how much we could save by not having a car and ended up not getting one. My wife still takes a taxi to and from work every day (South side<->Central). While we occasionally feel that we could use a car, it's not very often. And we can get a chauffeured car with a day's notice. We have not regretted our decision yet.

Thanks for the advise however I know HK pretty well have spent some time working there previously we have got a place out near sai kung country park. I will be commuting into central daily probably via hang hau MTR station and my wife will be taking kits to school at ma on shan. We have already decided that we definately want a car and just wanted to know about the original query,

Thanks

The other option is to hire a car.


I too moved out to sai Kung in my first few days of arriving and having a car immediately was essential. Many companies offer monthly rentals and some do longer lease periods. You can get some good deals on long term rentals that include all maintenance, insurance etc etc. It depends on whether you wish the car hassle to be removed.


You will be allowed to drive in HK on an international Driving Licence for a period of time but then the law changes once you permanently become resident (HKID) then you need to have a HK driving licence. As soon as you apply for the driving licence in HK it states you are not allowed to drive until the licence is issued.

You can check out the details on the transportation web site


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You will need to get a HK licence, you can only drive on a UK one for a very limited time. But its very easy to apply, there are no tests or anything if you are have a UK licence. We got a car as soon as we arrived and have never regretted it. Yes public transport is good, but when you're trying to move several kids around cars are much easier.

Second hand cars are very easy to pick up. Parking charges have not changed in the 10 years we've been here, in fact they've gone down as so many places now do free parking if you spend x amount. Insurance is a bit less than UK, road tax is more I think, petrol is about the same, but is currently going up on an almost weekly basis.

And good choice with Sai Kung, best place to live in HK.