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Driver's Licenses are issued by the Ibaraki Prefectural Police Headquarters Traffic Department Driver's License Division Exam Section.

There are two ways to get a Japanese driver's license.

1. Transferring Your Driving Qualifications from a Current License from Another Country

The following conditions must all be met to transfer your driving qualifications from your current overseas license to a Japanese driver's license.

  1. You must have a valid foreign driver's license.
  2. You must have stayed in the country where you obtained the driver's license for at least 3 months, commencing from the date of issue of the license. If the date of issue is not on your driver's license, you must bring a certificate of the date of issue. If you cannot prove your 3 months stay from the date of renewal, you must bring your old license or certificate of renewal.
  3. You must live in Ibaraki prefecture and have an Alien registration card issued from a public office.
  4. Your visa must be valid.

You must bring the following you when you apply.

  1. A valid foreign driver's license (if there is no date of issue on the license, you need a certificate of the date of issue)
  2. A translation of your driver's license by the embassy (if the embassy won't translate it, you can apply to Japan Automobile Federation, JAF, for the translation: JAF Ibaraki Brunch, 029-244-7211) (Only those certified translations issued by the embassy of your country or the Japan Automobile Federation will be accepted.)
  3. Alien Registration Card
  4. Passport (if you have more than one passport, bring all of them)
  5. 2 photos (3 cm x 2.4 cm)
  6. International Driver's License (If you have one)
  7. Fee: regular car license is approximately 4,500 yen (as of April, 2010) (cash only)
  8. Japanese driver's license (If you have any type or an expired one)

You must take two tests: a test about traffic rules (in Japanese, English, Chinese, Portuguese, Thai, Korean, Spanish and Persian/ 10 questions); a driving test on a course. Then you will have your eyesight tested.

If you can meet all the above mentioned conditions, bring all the above mentioned items, and pass both the traffic rules and the driving tests, a license will be issued.

In some cases, you can be exempted from the above two tests (e.g. depending on the country that issued your driver's license). Please call Ibaraki Prefectural Police Headquarters Traffic Department Driver's License Division Exam Section to learn which nationalities are exempt.

Please call to confirm procedures and details before hand.

You can apply between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. Monday to Friday.

2. Obtaining a Driver's License For the First Time

If you do not possess a driver's license from your own country, or if you have not had that license for more than three months, or if Japan doesn't recognize license from your country, you will have to follow the regular procedures that Japanese people have to follow in order to get a license.

You will be required to attend a driving school to complete a set course of instruction (knowledge, skills, and aptitude) and then pass an examination at a license office. All lessons will be in Japanese. Also, the knowledge test must be taken in Japanese. Obtaining a driver's license in Japan is a time consuming and expensive procedure (costing approximately 300,000 yen depending on the school).

Topics: Transportation
Relevant for: Residents

Please note: While all efforts have been made to offer accurate and up-to-date information on this site, the information is presented as a guideline and is subject to change without notification. Phone numbers, addresses, and/or policies may have changed since this page was created. Please contact the appropriate section of the City Hall for confirmation of information and city policies.

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Page last modified on May 19, 2010, at 02:03 AM EST
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