Consultation Examples

• Is it possible to switch the driver's license I obtained in my country to a Japanese one?
  

Is it possible to switch the driver's license I obtained in my country to a Japanese one?

It is possible, if you satisfy the requirements listed below. Please bring the necessary documents and apply for it at the Aichi Prefecture Driver’s License Examination Center (Hirabari) or the Higashi-Mikawa Driver’s License Center.

1. You have an official driver’s license valid in the country of issuance.
2. You have stayed in the country of issuance for three months or more after obtaining the driver’s license.

The required documents are as follows.

1. Driver’s license issued overseas (and an ID if it needs to be carried with the driver’s license)
2. Japanese translation of the driver’s license issued overseas (must be translated by the administrative or consular office of the country of issuance or by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF))
3. All passports (old and new) with departure and entry dates stamped (if you have multiple passports, all of them)
4. Residence card
5. Certificate of Residence in Aichi Prefecture with a mention of nationality (or registered domicile) (copy not accepted)
6. 1 photograph (W 2.4 cm x H 3 cm. Taken in the past six months. No hat (except for a religious or medical head cover that shows the outline of the face). Facing forward and including only above the chest. Plain background.)
7. Japanese driver’s license
   • Japanese driver’s license you currently have, if any
   • A Japanese driver’s license you had in the past, if any
8. Others
   • A driving record or certificate of residence in the country of your driver’s license may be necessary.
   • Depending on the country or circumstances of issuance, other documents may be necessary.

*For more information, please contact the Aichi Prefecture Driver’s License Examination Center (Hirabari) (TEL: 052-802-3211) or the Higashi-Mikawa Driver’s License Center (TEL: 0533-85-7181).

After these documents are inspected, you have to take an aptitude test, a knowledge test on Japanese traffic safety laws and a driving skills test, in that order.

You can take the knowledge test on Japanese traffic safety laws in Japanese (with Hiragana characters printed beside Chinese characters), Portuguese, Spanish, English, Chinese, Korean, Persian etc. If you pass the driving skills test, a driver's license will be issued to you on the same day.

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