Foreign License Conversion
in Hyogo Prefecture

Police organization:

Hyogo Prefectural Police (兵庫県警察)

Test center:

Akashi Driver's License Test Center, Foreign License Examination (明石運転免許試験場)

City

Akashi City, Hyogo (兵庫県明石市荷山町1649-2)

Access

About 19 min walk from Okuraya Station (Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line); about 1 min from the 'Menkyo Shiken-ba' (免許試験場) bus stop on the Akashi Station–Gakuen Toshi route; 1.5 km from Okuraya IC (大蔵谷IC) on the Daini-Shinmei Expressway.

Test languages:

20 languages (nationwide standard since June 2024)

Reservation required

How to reserve

Reservation-based system. New applicants reserve online via the Hyogo Police website (e-tumo system); those re-taking the screening/knowledge test (50-question) must reserve by phone. A QR code must be created in advance before the test date (required since Nov 25, 2024).

Reservation page ↗

https://www.police.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/traffic/license/yoyaku/acquired/index.htm

Phone

078-912-1778 or 0570-078-912

Reception hours

Phone inquiries accepted on weekdays 10:00–12:00 and 15:00–16:00.

No interpreter or foreign-language support is mentioned on the official Hyogo Police pages. An official Japanese translation of the foreign license (from the issuing embassy, JAF, Zip Plus, ALADDIN, or ADAC) is required as a submitted document. Treat as none.

Examination fees ¥1,600–¥3,900 and license issuance fees ¥1,550–¥2,450, depending on license class (per the official Q&A page).

Only Class 1 licenses (第一種免許) are eligible for conversion. Applicants must document a minimum 3-month cumulative residency in the issuing country after the license was obtained. Required documents include ID (residence card, passport, residency record), one application photo (3cm x 2.4cm, taken within 6 months, bare-headed, frontal, plain background), the valid foreign license, an official Japanese translation, any previous Japanese license, and entry/exit (residency-history) records.

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

• Exact in-person reception/window hours for the foreign-license examination (only phone-inquiry hours 10:00-12:00 / 15:00-16:00 were confirmed)
• Whether any English-language guidance or interpreter is available on site
• Precise per-class breakdown of which exam/issuance fee applies to ordinary vs other license classes (sources give only the ranges)

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 source ↗ https://www.police.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/traffic/license/yoyaku/acquired/index.htm
• Official source ↗ https://www.homemate-research-driving-school.com/dtl/1190000064/

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.