Converting your license
To change your valid foreign license to a Japanese license, you must go through the following formalities and tests.
Requirements
| 1. | Your foreign license must be valid. |
| 2. | The duration of your stay in the foreign country where your license was issued must have been three months or longer. |
Items you need to take with you
| 1. | Certificate of alien registration (which you always carry with you) |
| 2. | Foreign license (official) |
| 3. | Certification of the date of acquisition of your foreign license and the term of validity (your foreign license will suffice if these are printed on it). |
| 4. | Your photograph taken within the past three months (W25 mm X H30 mm). |
| 5. | Passport |
| 6. | Certified translation of your foreign license (issued by an embassy or by the Japan Automobile Federation).For inquires, contact the JAF (Tel: 03-6833-9100) |
| 7. | Application fee ¥4,250 |
Confirmation Tests
The Public Safety Commission in the prefecture where you reside makes it a rule to confirm that there will be no problems if you drive in Japan. The following is the confirmation procedure:
| 1. | Physical test: Eyesight (color recognition included) and hearing, etc. | |
| 2. | Confirmation of knowledge: | |
| a) | Questions are asked regarding your driving record outside Japan. | |
| b) | Ten driving related questions are given (available in eight different languages). (You pass the test if seven out of the ten questions are answered correctly.) | |
| 3. | Confirmation of skills: Driving skills are tested using an automatic or a manual transmission car. | |
| (1) | Passing the Skill Test for an automatic transmission car does not enable you to drive a manual car. To be able to drive both manual and automatic cars, you must pass the Manual Skill Test. | |
| (2) | The Skill Test costs ¥3,100 each time. | |
| (3) | The Skill Tests are given on a reservation basis. Therefore, you cannot take it on the day of application. The test will be given about two weeks after application. | |
Persons holding driver's licenses from the following countries are not required to take the confirmation test for driving skills.
1.Australia 2.Austria 3.Belgium 4.Canada 5.Finland 6.France 7.Germany 8.Greece 9.Iceland 10.Ireland 11.Italy 12.Luxembourg 13.Netherlands 14.New Zealand 15.Norway 16.Portugal 17.Spain 18.Sweden 19.Switzerland 20.U.K. 21.Korea
Guide to Driver's License Offices (UNTEN MENKYO SHIKEN-JO)
You are advised to visit any of the following Driver's License Offices prior to application to check on the language in which you will take the test, the items you must bring with you for the test and at what time you will be accepted for the test.
Practice for taking the confirmation tests for changing a foreign driver's license to a Japanese one.
You can practice for the confirmation tests at Koyama Driving School.
Fee
Entrance fee ... ¥22,050
Driving skills practice ... (¥5,250 x 4 hours) ¥21,000
Total ... ¥43,050 (including tax)
In addition you will be required to have an ID card which costs ... ¥1,050.
At the time of application you must pay for 4 hours of practice time. Additional hours are ¥5,250 each. You can practice, but a diploma will not be issued.
You are required to take the confirmation tests.
