This is one of those admin jobs where a wrong assumption is expensive — an extra test-day trip, an unrenewable permit that quietly expires, or driving on a licence that's no longer valid. Mio reads the Japanese-language official sources so you know what actually applies to your country before you queue at the counter.
An International Driving Permit lets short-term visitors drive, but for residents it's a trap that runs out. It's generally valid for about one year from your date of entry into Japan, and you can't renew an IDP inside Japan — you'd have to leave and re-enter, which authorities treat as gaming the rule. Once that year lapses, a foreign licence plus translation stops being valid to drive on. So if you live here, the durable answer is converting to a Japanese licence. (Rules and exact validity can change — verify with your prefectural licence centre.)
Requirements are set nationally but handled by each prefecture's police licence centre, so the exact list varies. Commonly you'll need:
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Your foreign driver's licence | Must be valid — an expired licence can't be converted. An IDP alone is not accepted. |
| Official Japanese translation of the licence | Typically from JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) or an authorised consular body. JAF now takes translation requests online from within Japan. |
| Proof you held the licence 3+ months | Evidence you stayed in the issuing country at least 3 months in total after getting the licence — usually shown via passport entry/exit stamps. This exists to stop "licence tourism." |
| Residence & ID documents | Residence record (juminhyo) / residence card / passport and a photo. Since Oct 2025 a residence record is required, so conversion is for registered residents. |
The exact document set, fees, and photo specs depend on your prefecture and your country — confirm with your prefectural licence centre before you go.
This is the part that decides how hard your day is. After the paperwork check, applicants fall into roughly two groups depending on the country (or, for some places, the state/region) that issued the licence:
| Group | What's required |
|---|---|
| Test-exempt | Certain countries/regions are exempt from the exams. You still do the document check and an eyesight/aptitude check, and answer basic knowledge questions, but you skip the full written and practical tests. |
| Must-test | Everyone else must also pass a knowledge (written) test and a practical driving test at the licence centre, on top of the document and eyesight checks. |
Whether your country is exempt varies, and the lists are set by the authorities and do change — so Mio won't hand you a country list to memorise. Depends on your country; verify with your prefectural licence centre or the National Police Agency guidance.
If you're in the must-test group, don't underestimate the driving test. It's taken on the licence centre's own course and graded on Japanese-specific technique — exaggerated safety checks (mirrors and shoulder checks at set points), precise lane positioning, and hazard procedures — not just "can you drive." Experienced drivers commonly don't pass on the first attempt, and each retry is another booking, fee, and trip. Many people take a lesson or two on the actual test course first. Treat a first-try pass as a bonus, not the plan.
Exact fees are set by prefecture and change over time, so treat these as ballpark only, not quotes:
| Item | Rough scale |
|---|---|
| JAF translation | A few thousand yen; issued same-day to ~2 weeks depending on country. |
| Licence-centre fees | Application + issuance fees per attempt (varies by prefecture; retests add more). |
| Elapsed time | Test-exempt: often one visit. Must-test: budget for multiple visits if you retake the driving test. |
Mio deliberately isn't printing an exact fee or country list here — those vary by prefecture/country and get out of date fast. Confirm the current numbers with your prefectural licence centre.
Don't lean on the IDP if you're staying. Start the gaimen kirikae early: get the JAF translation, gather your 3-month proof, and check whether your issuing country is test-exempt or must-test before booking. If you must test, assume a couple of attempts and consider a course lesson. The whole thing is much smoother when you know your country's path in advance — which, again, depends on your country: verify with your prefectural licence centre.