Foreign License Conversion
in Fukuoka Prefecture

Police organization:

Fukuoka Prefectural Police (福岡県警察)

Test center:

Four prefectural Driver's License Centers accept foreign-license conversion applications. Chikuho (筑豊試験場, Iizuka City) and Chikugo (筑後試験場, Chikugo City) handle ALL cases including the driving-skill test; Fukuoka (福岡試験場, Fukuoka City) and Kitakyushu (北九州試験場, Kitakyushu City) handle ONLY skill-test-exempt cases. You must visit the center matching whether or not you require a skill test.

City

Iizuka City (Chikuho), Chikugo City (Chikugo), Fukuoka City (Fukuoka), Kitakyushu City (Kitakyushu)

Access

Chikuho: 1518-1 Tsurumio, Iizuka City (TEL 0948-26-7110). Chikugo: 1135-2 Ooaza Hisatomi, Chikugo City (TEL 0942-53-5208). Fukuoka: 4-7-1 Hanahata, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City (TEL 092-565-5109). Kitakyushu: 2-4-1 Hinode-machi, Kokura-Minami-ku, Kitakyushu City (TEL 093-961-4804). Chikugo's skill test covers only Class I ordinary passenger and motorcycles (the semi-mid-sized skill test is currently suspended per the prefectural police site, though the 2021 English PDF still lists it).

Test languages:

20 languages (nationwide standard since June 2024)

Reservation required

How to reserve

Reservation is required before taking the knowledge and/or driving-skill confirmation (知識及び実技の確認を受ける際には予約が必要です). First visit the relevant Driver's License Center during the document-screening window for the eligibility check and document submission; reserve the test by phoning that center in advance. The required test is sat only on a later visit after documents pass screening (a designated-date / 指定日制 system; no central reservation line or online booking).

Reservation page ↗

https://www.police.pref.fukuoka.jp/kotsu/unshi/013.html

Phone

Phone the relevant test center: Chikuho 0948-26-7110, Chikugo 0942-53-5208, Fukuoka 092-565-5109, Kitakyushu 093-961-4804 (Mon-Fri 8:30-17:15; lines busiest 8:30-9:30 and 13:00-14:00).

Reception hours

Document screening / application reception: Mon-Fri 13:00-13:30 (excl. national holidays and Dec 29-Jan 3). Phone inquiry hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-17:15.

Partial / limited. The prefectural police provide an official English-language PDF guide (dated 2021.6), but the procedure itself requires the applicant to attend accompanied by their own interpreter at the applicant's own expense (お抱え通訳同伴・自己負担) — not full standalone English support. Neither Fukuoka source states that the knowledge test is offered in 20 languages.

Per the current police page: Ordinary Passenger application (test) fee 2,500 yen; issuance fee 2,350 yen for a card license only, 1,550 yen for a My Number (マイナ) license only, 2,450 yen for both. The 2021 English PDF gives different/outdated figures (Ordinary 2,550 yen; Motorcycle 2,600 yen; Moped <50cc 1,500 yen; issuance 2,050 yen + 200 yen per additional category). Motorcycle and moped per-category fees are only in the outdated PDF and were not confirmed on the current page. Only one driving-skill test per person per day (per the 2021 PDF).

Fukuoka routes applicants to different centers by skill-test requirement: skill-test cases go ONLY to Chikuho or Chikugo, exemption cases may also use Fukuoka or Kitakyushu. Only Class I licenses can be obtained via conversion. Eligibility requires proof of a cumulative 3+ months' stay in the issuing country/region after the license issue date (passport with immigration entry/exit stamps); without it the application cannot be accepted. The official Japanese translation of the foreign license must come from a designated body — per the current police page: the issuing foreign agency, the applicant's embassy, JAF, Ziplus, or ALADDIN (the 2021 PDF lists only the issuing agency, embassy, and JAF). Exempt list per the current police page: 27 countries + 8 regions are fully exempt from both knowledge and skill tests, including 7 US states (Maryland, Washington, Hawaii, Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, Colorado) and Taiwan; US Indiana is exempt from the skill test only. The 2021 English PDF instead lists 27 countries + 6 areas with only 5 US states (Maryland, Washington, Hawaii, Virginia, Ohio).

We could not confirm the following from primary sources. Please check the official page before relying on them:

• Fee amounts conflict between sources: the current police page lists Ordinary 2,500 yen and issuance 2,350 yen (card only) / 1,550 (My Number only) / 2,450 (both), while the 2021.6 English PDF lists Ordinary 2,550 yen and issuance 2,050 yen + 200/category. Motorcycle 2,600 and moped 1,500 appear only in the outdated PDF.
• Exempt-country list differs between sources: current page = 27 countries + 8 regions (7 US states incl. Oregon and Colorado); 2021 PDF = 27 countries + 6 areas (5 US states). The current-page figures were used.
• The claim that the knowledge test is available in 20 languages is not stated in either Fukuoka source.
• Chikugo's semi-mid-sized skill test is currently suspended per the current police page, but the 2021 English PDF still lists it as available.
• Whether the knowledge test must be reserved separately from the skill test, and any per-center capacity limits, are not detailed in either source.

Always verify on the prefectural police's official page before you go — addresses, reservation methods, and document requirements change frequently.

• Official page (Japanese) ↗ — open via Google Translate / DeepL
• Official English content ↗

The 6-step process (eligibility → translation → appointment → document screening → 50-question test → practical test) is the same nationwide. See the main hub for the complete walkthrough, document checklist, and translation services.