Hong Kong’s Transport Department (TD) announced that it has received an unprecedented 55,440 applications for just 332 new Private Driving Instructor (PDI) licences—roughly 167 applicants for each permit. Because demand far outstrips supply, officials will conduct a public ballot on 19 June 2026 to randomise the order in which files are assessed. While the licences are primarily a local credential, they are critical to the city’s wider mobility ecosystem. PDI status is required for instructors who train both private motorists and, increasingly, expatriate employees seeking Hong Kong licences before converting mainland or overseas driving permits. Corporate relocation firms note that the shortage of English-speaking instructors has already elongated training queues for foreign assignees.
![Transport Department to draw ballots on 19 June for oversubscribed private driving-instructor licences]()
Amid this bottleneck, overseas professionals often find themselves juggling work-visa paperwork, licence conversions and course bookings simultaneously. VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers a streamlined way to coordinate these administrative tasks, assisting assignees and their employers in tracking visa status, arranging document legalisation and aligning driving-test appointments with onboarding schedules.
Applicants will receive SMS confirmations of their ballot numbers on 19 June and, if successful, may be invited to sit the instructor theory test as early as July. The TD has warned that any applicant found providing false declarations—such as forged employment letters—will be disqualified and may face prosecution. For businesses that rely on company-provided driver training for mobility packages, the message is clear: secure lesson slots well in advance and consider partnering with fleet-management schools that already hold surplus instructor capacity. TD is expected to review quota levels again in 2027, but insiders believe any expansion will depend on road-safety metrics and traffic-congestion data gathered under the Smart Mobility Blueprint.
Amid this bottleneck, overseas professionals often find themselves juggling work-visa paperwork, licence conversions and course bookings simultaneously. VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers a streamlined way to coordinate these administrative tasks, assisting assignees and their employers in tracking visa status, arranging document legalisation and aligning driving-test appointments with onboarding schedules.
Applicants will receive SMS confirmations of their ballot numbers on 19 June and, if successful, may be invited to sit the instructor theory test as early as July. The TD has warned that any applicant found providing false declarations—such as forged employment letters—will be disqualified and may face prosecution. For businesses that rely on company-provided driver training for mobility packages, the message is clear: secure lesson slots well in advance and consider partnering with fleet-management schools that already hold surplus instructor capacity. TD is expected to review quota levels again in 2027, but insiders believe any expansion will depend on road-safety metrics and traffic-congestion data gathered under the Smart Mobility Blueprint.
