Last updated: June 2025
If you’re intending or decided to stay for more than a year, getting a Japanese driver’s license is mandatory after 12 months. You cannot renew your international driver’s permit (IDP) and is only valid for a year from the date it was issued. It is illegal to drive without a valid driver’s license and the penalty may result in a massive fine and/or imprisonment time.
The process to change can be quite a long and confusing process but hopefully this guide will help clarify things. Hyogo tends to be one of the friendlier prefectures for foreign license conversions and generally don’t have any issues as long as you follow all the right processes and bring the required documents.
When going for a Japanese license
There are three scenarios that you may fall under.
1. You’re from one of these countries (or these US states)
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, South Korea
US States: Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, Ohio, Oregon, Colorado
Congratulations. You’re one of the lucky few that only requires a direct conversion to a Japanese license without any testing. This is the most simplest way to get a license. Make and attend the appointment with the documents and do a simple eye test. The whole process takes roughly an hour or two, depending on how busy it is.
2. You’re not from one of those countries (or those US states) mentioned above
A special note, license holders from the US state of Indiana gets to skip on the driving test but will still need to sit for the written test.
Along with those going for a Japanese license, you will first sit for a written test before doing a driving test. The written test is a 10 multiple choice exam with an English version available. However, the instructions given in the driving test will be in Japanese, though they will be simple instructions like start, stop, left, right etc.
3. You don’t have a license from your home country and want to get one in Japan
This category include learner’s licenses and new licenses issued less than 3 months before coming to Japan
This will be the most time consuming and expensive process. You’ll need to sign up and attend a driving school. There, you learn and test theory, go for a provisional license test (仮免許) so that you can practice driving on the road, undergo many other tests before graduating from driving school. This is the path you’ll take before being able to take the driving test. This typically lasts anywhere between 2-3 months or longer depending on how long you spend practicing for the tests. Unfortunately, this guide won’t go into this so you’ll need to do your own research about it.
If you fall under category one or two, congratulations, the following steps are for you.
What do I need to prepare and take with me?
When making an appointment, they will confirm which country you’re from and instruct you on what to bring. But in general, these are the following things you’ll have to bring on the day:
- Home country’s license (still valid, expired licenses cannot be converted)
- Passport
- Residence Card (在留カード)
- Residence Record (住民票) (within last three months)
- IMPORTANT: Ensure that you have the nationality box filled in
- Translation of home country’s license by JAF (2 pages long)
- Passport photo (3cmx2.4cm, taken last six months)
- Driving Record (運転歴史証明書)
- Money (at least 4600 yen in cash as they don’t take credit card)
Some supplementary documents that you may need to bring:
- Driving Record
- Some licenses don’t have a issue date printed so an official driving record/transcript is needed to prove this. Request this from your home driving/transport authority.
- Previous passport
- If you had your license issued during the time your previous passport was valid, it’ll be helpful to bring that along to prove you have been in the country for longer than three months since the issuance of your license.
- Previous license(s) (i.e. learner’s, provisional, Japanese etc.)
- Any previous license (if possible) can be helpful to prove a long driving record. If you had a previous Japanese license from Hyogo or a different prefecture, they require you to bring this and will also be helpful to prove your driving history in Japan.
- Movement/Entry and Exit Record or utility bills/statements
- If you passport doesn’t have any stamps from your country, a movement record might be necessary to prove that you have been in your home country for longer than 3 months after receiving your license.
- If your country doesn’t offer a movement record or something equivalent, you can use bills/statements (i.e. electricty, gas, water, mobile phone, internet etc.) that has your name and address for the 3 months after you’ve received your license.
More specific information can be found on the Hyogo Prefectural Police website
License translation
Get your license translated through Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). As of April 2025, all applications can be only done online and done in Japan (the website is blocked outside of Japan). Make sure to get this done and issued before heading to your appointment.
The translation costs 4,000 yen and payment can be made by credit card online or at a konbini by cash. When the translation is complete (roughly takes a week or so), you will need to visit a 7Eleven and print it out for 20 yen (can only be done at a 7Eleven). Ensure your license is valid (i.e. not expired) and depending on the country, you may need to upload supplementary documents in order to information not on the license (i.e. date of issue).
More specific information can be found on the JAF website.
Ok I’ve got everything and ready to covert. How do I make an appointment?
Call. It’s the only way to make an appointment as there is no online reservation system. The call will be entirely in Japanese so ask a colleague or JTE to help you out if your not confident with your Japanese. Have a look on the Hyogo Prefectural Police website for the phone number as that gets updated from time to time.
Give yourself at least 3-4 months before your IDP expires as appointments do fill up fast (i.e. I called up in February and latest appointment was around late April). If you need to do a driving test, it is recommended to book at least 6 months before just in case of a failed result(s). Some have had to wait a good month in between each failure.
Where do I go?
Everyone goes to the Akashi Driver’s License Test Office in Akashi-shi.
You may have a license center closer to you but only the Akashi site handles foreign license conversions.
自動車運転免許試験場
〒673-0842 兵庫県明石市荷山町1649-2
By car: There is free parking right across the center but spots are limited. There are other paid parking spots within walking distance as well.
By public transport: The closest station is Akashi Station. From there, take one of the several buses that goes to a stop just before the test center (免許試験場).
On the day of the appointment, I recommend turning up at least half an hour early. It can get busy depending on the season and generally people need to take a whole day off for the process.
How your appointment day might look like
Turning up to the place, head over to Section 7 and wait outside. Someone will ask if you have made an appointment and will double check your details. Wait till you are called in and hand over the documents that you have brought with you. You may need to do a bit of explaining and pointing out for certain documents, especially if it’s all in English.
You’ll then be asked a series of questions about your license and the steps you took to obtain it. Don’t worry if you cannot recall the exact details, as you can just provide a rough timeline of events (i.e. learners at this age, passed the test X years ago, had to do a written test, rough amount of driving experience before test etc). Once that is done, they will get you to sign a few statements related to your driving history and get you to do an eye test. During this process, you will need to step out for a bit to pay for the conversion process (2050 yen) before coming back to finalise the paperwork.
If you need to do a driving test
You’ll do a 10 multiple choice question test after the eye test. After all that, they will schedule a driving test on a separate day. When you come in for that appointment, you get given a map and be able to walk around the course before the driving test. If you pass the test, you wait until everyone else is finished.
Finally…
After everything checks out, they will get you to get a ticket slip and wait in a different area before taking a photo. Once you are called up, have the photo taken and proceed one final time to pay for the license (2550 yen for cars). Then head back and receive your license. Once you’ve confirmed everything is correct, you’re free to leave.
Do I need to take leave?
Yes. You will most likely need to take the whole day off as the center only opens from 8:30am-4pm on weekdays (closed during weekends and public holidays). Depending on where you live and the time of the appointment, you could probably take partial leave but it’s probably better to take the whole day off just in case of longer than expected wait times.
For those doing a driving test, unfortunately you’ll need two separate days of leave. You’ll need to come in for a second time as they will schedule a separate appointment for that.
If you’re required to drive to work, some municipal BoE’s are quite generous and you and might grant you an exemption of leave (職専免) for the day. Ask your VP or your supervisor to see if they offer that.
TLDR; Give me the short version!
To give a general overview, the conversion process from start to finish usually goes like this:
- Make and bring your IDP and home license before coming to Japan
- Request and supplementary documents (driving record, previous passport/license etc.)
- Call up to make an appointment 3-4 months in advance
- Make a recent passport-sized photo, jyuminhyo and translation of home license
- Go to the license center at Akashi on the day of appointment with requested documents
- Go to room 7, wait for your turn, present documents, small interview, do an eye test, pay for the conversion process
- (Writing and Driving Test required step) Multiple choice test (English available) and driving test on a different day (instructions only in Japanese), await for results
- Have a photo taken for the license
- Pay for the license
- Receive license
