Convert Your Foreign License
Into a Japanese One
If you live in Japan and hold a valid foreign driver's license, you can convert it into a Japanese license through a process called gaimen kirikae (外免切替). This guide covers the documents you'll need, the new 50-question knowledge test (since October 2025), and how to find the right driver's license center in all 47 prefectures.
If you've never held any driver's license — or you only have an international permit and want to learn the Japanese system from scratch — see the full Japanese license acquisition guide instead. It walks through driving-school selection, provisional license, and the full-license test in 8 steps.
The Road Traffic Act was revised on October 1, 2025. The most significant changes:
- Knowledge test tightened: 10 illustrated questions (70% to pass) → 50 written questions (90% to pass). You need 45+ correct answers out of 50.
- Residence certificate (juuminhyou) is now required — must show your nationality, residence status, and period of stay.
- Practical driving test is now scored as strictly as for new applicants. Crosswalks, railroad crossings, and other maneuvers are explicitly scored.
Check eligibility
You must hold a valid foreign driver's license issued before you came to Japan, and you must have lived in the issuing country for at least 3 months after obtaining the license. You also need a Japan residence certificate (juuminhyou) with your address.
Prepare a Japanese translation of your license
Get an official Japanese translation of your foreign driver's license. JAF (Japan Automobile Federation), your embassy/consulate, or specialist firms like Ziplus and ALADDIN can issue this. Translation is required nationwide.
Make an appointment with your prefectural police
Each prefecture's driver's license center accepts applications by appointment (some by phone, some by online form). See the prefecture list below for the right contact. Bring all documents to the document screening (shorui shinsa).
Pass document screening
Officers verify your identity, residency, foreign license history, and document set. If you're from one of the 29 exempted countries/regions (e.g. Germany, France, UK, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, the US state of Indiana), you skip the knowledge and practical tests entirely.
Take the knowledge test (50 questions, 90% to pass)
Since October 2025, the written knowledge test is 50 multiple-choice questions and you need 45+ correct (90%) to pass. The test is offered in 20 languages (English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Nepali, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.). You can retake if you fail. MenkyoQuest's 510 free AI-explained practice questions in English are designed for exactly this test.
Take the practical driving test, then receive your license
On the same day or a separate appointment, you take a course-based practical driving test (crosswalks, railroad crossings, etc.) — the scoring matches that of new license applicants. Pass everything and your Japanese license is issued on the spot.
Since June 2024, the National Police Agency requires every prefecture to offer the knowledge test in these 20 languages:
A Japanese translation of your foreign license is required nationwide. The following providers are accepted in every prefecture:
- Your country's embassy or consulate in Japan
- JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) — branches in every region. english.jaf.or.jp
- Ziplus (specialist translator for foreign license conversion). ziplus.jp
- ALADDIN — Foreign Driver Support Association (specialist).
Each prefecture handles applications at its own driver's license center. Click your prefecture for test center address, reservation method, English-support status, and the official police page.
English support across 47 prefectures: ✅ Full 4 · 🟡 Partial 6 · ❌ None 37
Hokkaido & Tohoku7 prefs.
Chubu (Koshinetsu, Hokuriku, Tokai)10 prefs.
Chugoku5 prefs.
Shikoku4 prefs.
Kyushu & Okinawa8 prefs.
Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Who needs to do gaimen kirikae?
Any foreign-license holder who has become a resident of Japan and intends to drive here long-term. International Driving Permits (IDPs) are valid for only 1 year and only for short visits — if you live in Japan, you need to convert.
❓ How long does the whole process take?
Anywhere from 2 weeks to 6+ months, depending on the prefecture's backlog. Tokushima has announced a 6+-month wait. Tokyo, Osaka, and other large prefectures vary by season. Apply early.
❓ What changed in October 2025?
The knowledge test was tightened from 10 illustrated questions (70% to pass) to 50 written questions (90% to pass). A juuminhyou (residence certificate) with your nationality, residence status, and period of stay is now mandatory.
❓ Are there countries that skip the test?
Yes. Holders of licenses from 29 countries/regions (Germany, France, UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, and the US state of Indiana — partial) are exempt from the knowledge and practical tests. They still need document screening.
❓ What documents do I need?
Original foreign license, Japanese translation of that license (from JAF / embassy / authorized firm), your passport (with entry stamps showing 3+ months stay in issuing country), juuminhyou with nationality/residence status/period, application photo (3cm × 2.4cm), and your inkan/seal where applicable. Each prefecture has its own checklist — check your prefecture's page below.
❓ What languages is the test offered in?
20 languages nationwide (standardized since June 2024): English, Spanish, Persian/Farsi, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Burmese, Mongolian, Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic, and Hindi.
❓ Can I study for free?
Yes. MenkyoQuest has 510 free, AI-explained practice questions in English, based on Japan's National Police Agency's Rules of the Road (the same source the test draws from). You can start any chapter from the home page.
❓ What if my prefecture doesn't have an English page?
Only 4 prefectures (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Gunma, Nagasaki) have full English support. 6 more have partial English content. For the remaining 37, bring a Japanese-speaking friend or hire an interpreter — police centers do not provide one. You can also use Google Translate or DeepL on the Japanese page (we link to both from each prefecture page).
Source: National Police Agency, “Rules of the Road” (not subject to copyright under Article 13(2)) and each prefectural police HQ. Test-center addresses, reservation methods, and English support change frequently — always confirm on the official prefectural page (linked from each prefecture page below) before you go.