A lot of people from aboard might think driving a car when it comes to stay or live for a while in Japan. At that moment, people start to think, “Does my driver’s license issued in my own country valid?” or “Do I must acquire a driver’s license in Japan?”. In fact, some of them drive a car without understanding traffic laws deeply and violate them. Therefore, in this article, we would like to introduce the requirements and procedures for people from aboard to drive a car in Japan.
Driver’s license issued in other counties is invalid without conversion.
To come to the point, a driver’s license issued in another country is invalid in Japan.
*Be aware that a driver’s license issued in Japan is invalid in the other countries likewise.
The reason for the invalidity is based on the differences of traffic rules and signs on the road depending on the countries. For example:
- Drive on the left or right
- Whether you can make a right turn or not when it’s red
- Speed limit on the highway
- Rules of on-road parking
People must learn and understand the traffic rules because those rules in their own country may not be taken for granted in Japan.
Driver’s license in Japan
For people from aboard to drive in Japan, they need converted foreign driver’s licenses or International Driving Permits (IDPs). Only IDPs issued by a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention in conformity with the Convention’s provisions are recognized as valid for driving in Japan and it’s valid for one year from the date of issue. In addition, you need to satisfy the following conditions with the IDPs.
- Certification that you’ve stayed in a country which IDPs is issued for 3 months or more.
- Possess a Residence Card
- Pass written and practical skills test
- Japanese translation of IDPs
【Requirements and Procedures to drive a car in Japan depending on the circumstances】
- Case 1: Convert foreign driver’s license to Japanese driver’s license
- Case 2: Obtain International Driving Permits (IDPs) already
- Case 3: Acquire a driver’s license in Japan
Let’s see the procedure in detail…
Case 1: Convert foreign driver’s license to Japanese driver’s license
If you already had a driver’s license in the foreign country, you can covert the driver’s license to Japanese driver’s license. It is the brief way to acquire the driver’s license in Japan. Here are the basic requirements and procedures for conversion of your driver’s license.
***You need to confirm the requirements and procedure details with license bureaus in your resident area as they are differed regionally***
The information showed below is an example of the Chiba Prefecture.
【Basic requirements】
- Valid driver’s license issued in foreign country
- The applicant have stayed in the country where the license was issued, for three months or more from and inclusive of the date of issue
- The applicant is going to obtain the same-size car/motorcycle license as the license originally issued in the foreign country
【Procedures】
- Location of reception
In Chiba prefecture, switching a Foreign Driver’s License to a Japanese License is only accepted at Chiba Driver’s License Center.
- Reception Hours
Only weekdays: Mon-Fri (except for public holidays and New Year holidays)
※No exams on Saturday and Sunday
【8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.】
【13:00 p.m. to 13:30 p.m.】
Reception hours might slightly change depending on the number of applicants so we would recommend to check-in with sufficient time.
Necessary Documents
The necessary documents for converting your foreign driver’s license to Japanese license are below.
- Valid driver’s license issued in foreign country
- Japanese translation of the valid foreign driver’s license
- Passport (*Passport or passports since the time you acquired the license.)
- Applicant’s photo
・A Certificate of Residence with the permanent domicile indicated or A Certificate of Residence indicating the applicant’s nationality, etc. if the applicant is a foreign national
**Besides the documents above, you may need to confirm them in advance as you may need to submit additional document(s) depending on your nationality.
Exemptions of examination
There are some exemptions of examination if you satisfy the following circumstances.
- Valid driver’s license issued in foreign country
- Certificate that the applicant have stayed in the country which the license was issued, for three months or more from and inclusive of the date of issue
- The applicant is going to obtain the same-size car/motorcycle license as the license originally issued in the foreign country
Countries exempt both written and practical skills tests
Taiwan, Ireland, Iceland, the United States of America ( only for the following states: OR, CO, VA, OH, HI, MD, WA), Italy, Denmark, the Unted Kingdom, Australia, Netherland, Czech Republic, Canada, Austria, South Korea, Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Slovenia, Germany, New Zealand, Hungary, Norway, Finland, Portugal, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Monaco
Exempt only practical test
The United States (Only for the following state: Indiana)
Case 2: Obtain International Driving Permits (IDPs) already
If you have IDPs already, you must be aware of the 2 things.
・The IDPs is valid for one year from the date of issue
・Only IDPs issued by a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention
(IDP issued on the other conventions or treaties such as the 1969 Viena Convention is recognized as invalid.)
The IDPs’ valid for one year from the date of issue and you can drive with it from the date of your entry in Japan. If you drive in Japan more than one year from the date of issue of IDPs, you need to convert it to Japanese driver’s license.
Case 3: Acquire a driver’s license in Japan
If you would like to acquire a driver’s license in Japan, you have some steps to take before the acquirement and here are the steps below.
Go to a driving school （Commute Course/ 2-3 months to go through all the steps）
- Step 1: Admission procedure, Orientation, Aptitude test, preparatory lecture
- Step 2: 1st Practical skills training & 1st Academy training
- Step 3: Completion test, Learner’s permit written test
- Step 4: 2nd Practical skills training & 2nd Academy training
- Step 5: Graduation exam
- Step 6: Full driver’s license test
In case you’re in urgent need for a driver’s license in Japan, we suggest taking a training camp course as it takes about 2 weeks in the shortest time to graduate the school.
Requirements and acquisition methods of Japanese driver’s license for people from abroad.
Reading through the article above and still concerning because of your Japanese language?
We would say “No worries”.
There are some driving schools and driver’s license centers correspond with foreign languages, such as English, Chinese, and Portuguese. Vietnamese and Tagalog are also corresponded in a few driving schools in Japan. If you were unsure of your Japanese language to take a driver’s license, then we would suggest you confirm that if there is a driving school or a driver’s license center corresponds with your language beforehand.
About Drivers Academy in Japan
Looking for an efficient way to obtain a driver’s license in Japan?
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We are providing commentary videos along with the textbook in English.
The videos help you understand Japanese traffic rules and
support you to pass the learner’s permit test.
Chat system between subscribers is also available.We update information related to the traffic laws without delay
and offer you some helpful tips and advice.Let‘s pass the learner’s permit test in the shortest possible time!
>>Click>>Details for the online preparation course
Conclusion
There are some ways to acquire Japanese driver’s license for people from abroad, however, as conclusion, if you had your driver’s license issued in foreign country, the quickest way is the conversion of your license to Japanese driver’s license.
