Foreign License Conversion
in Wakayama Prefecture

Police organization:

Wakayama Prefectural Police (和歌山県警察)

Test center:

Wakayama Prefectural Police HQ Traffic Center (和歌山県警察本部交通センター) Driver's License Test Center

City

Wakayama City (和歌山市西1番地, per official 会場 page)

Access

Official 会場 page lists no access/transport details. Third-party sources place it adjacent to Kōtsū Center-mae Station (交通センター前駅) on the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa line — unverified against official sources.

Test languages:

20 languages (nationwide standard since June 2024)

Reservation required

How to reserve

Appointment required. Process: (1) pre-consultation by phone or in person, during which the document-review date is booked; (2) document review on the assigned date; (3) aptitude test, knowledge confirmation and skills confirmation, which are also by appointment (dates assigned by staff). The PDF states walk-ins without a document-review appointment will not be received (『書類審査日時の予約無しで来場しても、書類審査等は受けられません』).

Phone

073-473-0110 (Wakayama Pref. Police HQ Traffic Dept., Driver's License Section, Exam Subsection 試験係, ext. 367)

Reception hours

Pre-consultation reservation reception: Mon–Fri 09:40–11:45 and 13:40–16:45. Not accepted on Sat/Sun/national holidays/substitute holidays/year-end-new-year (12/29–1/3).

Knowledge confirmation is offered in 20 languages (per the PDF, ※2025年現在): English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Tagalog, Thai, Indonesian, Nepali, Khmer, Mongolian, Burmese, Russian, Korean, Persian, Spanish, Urdu, Arabic, Sinhala, Hindi, Ukrainian. Applicants who cannot speak Japanese must bring their own interpreter for the document review; no interpreter may ride in the vehicle during the skills confirmation. No dedicated foreign-language HTML page exists — conversion guidance is PDF-only.

Document review (書類審査): free. Test fee (aptitude + knowledge + skills confirmation): ordinary ¥2,500; large/medium/semi-medium ¥3,900; moped ¥1,600; other ¥2,800. License issuance fee (post-March 24 2025 'Myna license' options): conventional license only ¥2,350; conventional + Myna license (2 cards) ¥2,450; Myna license only ¥1,550.

Eligibility: persons registered as residents in Wakayama Prefecture (Japanese nationals, or mid-to-long-term residents / special permanent residents), or those temporarily staying in the prefecture while transferred abroad. Applicant must prove in writing a cumulative stay of 3+ months in the issuing country after the foreign license was issued, and the foreign license must currently be within its valid period. No conversion to Class 2 licenses; conversion to large/medium requires first holding the base ordinary or semi-medium license. Foreign-license translation must come from the issuing authority/consulate or an NPSC-designated body (JAF online-only, Ziplus online-only at https://ziplus.jp/switching_license/, or ALADDIN tel 03-6436-7921). The PDF lists country-specific extra documents for China, Vietnam, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mongolia, Brazil. A separate PDF (linked from the license index page) covers conversion specifically from Ukrainian licenses. The official 会場 page warns that incorrect phone numbers for the center are published on third-party websites.

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

• Exact postal address/postcode: official 会場 page gives 和歌山市西1番地 only; third-party directories list 〒640-8588/640-8313 和歌山市小松原通一丁目 — not reconciled from official source.
• Station/access details (Kōtsū Center-mae Station, Kishigawa line) are from third-party sites only; the official page lists no access information.
• No online reservation URL exists for the conversion appointment; booking is phone/in-person only.
• Whether the pre-consultation reception hours also govern the later aptitude/knowledge/skills appointments (those dates are individually assigned by staff).

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.wakayama.lg.jp/02_koutsu/driverslicense/jyuken/index.html
• Official source ↗ https://www.police.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/02_koutsu/driverslicense/jyuken/documents/11kirikae1.pdf
• Official source ↗ https://www.police.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/02_koutsu/driverslicense/kaijyou/index.html

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.