How the conversion works, step by step
Nine steps, two appointments and one document that trips people up. Read it once before you book anything — the order matters, and two of the steps have to be done weeks in advance.
Check whether you are exempt
Licenses from 29 designated countries and regions are exempt from both the knowledge check and the driving test. If yours is on the list, you skip straight to the paperwork. Everyone else takes both tests.
Confirm the 3-month rule
You must have stayed in the country that issued your license for at least 3 months in total after it was issued. Entry and exit stamps in your passport are the usual proof, so find your old passports before you start.
Source: National Police Agency
Get a Japanese translation of your license
The translation must come from an authorized body: JAF, the embassy or consulate that issued the license, or a body designated by the National Police Agency (Zip Plus Inc., Japan Inbound Driver Support Association).
Collect your documents
Application form, questionnaire, photo, residence certificate issued within the last 6 months, ID, your foreign license, the translation, passports proving your stay, and the fee.
Book an appointment
Booking is required at most license centers, and the method differs by prefecture — web or phone in Tokyo, a service counter or a dedicated phone line in Kanagawa. Book early: waiting times can be weeks.
Document check and eyesight test
Staff check your documents and your eligibility, then you take an aptitude test — eyesight, and depth perception for the larger license classes.
Knowledge check — 50 True/False questions
You need 45 correct out of 50, that is 90%. Illustration questions no longer appear. The test is available in 20 or more languages depending on the prefecture.
Driving skills check
Held on a closed course on a different day, by appointment — you cannot take it the same day you apply. Crossing pedestrian crossings and similar tasks were added in 2025 and the marking is stricter.
Pay the fees and receive your license
Application and issue fees are paid at the center. For an ordinary license in Tokyo that is 2,500 yen plus 2,350 yen.
Eyesight and depth perception
| License class | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Ordinary car / motorcycle | 0.7 or better with both eyes, and 0.3 or better in each eye |
| Semi-medium / medium / large | 0.8 or better with both eyes, 0.5 or better in each eye, plus a depth-perception test (three-rod method, 3 attempts) |
Bring your glasses or contact lenses. Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police — conversion procedure, checked 25 August 2026.
The three things that delay people most
- The residence certificate. It must have been issued within the last six months — an older copy in your drawer will not do.
- Old passports. The three-month stay is proved with entry and exit stamps, which are often in a passport you no longer carry.
- Booking. The knowledge check and the driving check are separate appointments, and busy centers are booked weeks ahead.