(File photo)

Vehicles without Beijing plates can only enter the nation’s capital 12 times a year starting from November 1, 2019, according to a notice released Friday.

The notice jointly published by the Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission and the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said that the rule will let people run short-term errands but control traffic in the capital.

All passenger cars with non-Beijing plates will need to apply for access to anywhere within Beijing’s 6th ring road. However, access to Beijing’s Tongzhou District will not be limited.

Drivers can apply for access using the official Beijing Traffic Police app.

Vehicles can apply for access to Beijing for 12 times at most per year and each entrance is valid for one week at most, the notice said.

Each day, Beijing hosts more than 700,000 vehicles with out-of-town plates within the city’s 6th ring road, the notice said.

(Compiled by Dong Feng)