Getting your driving license sorted is one of the more consequential tasks on any expat's post-arrival list. Japan's roads are well-maintained, expressway coverage is excellent, and outside central Tokyo, a car genuinely transforms your quality of life. The process for converting a foreign license depends almost entirely on which country issued your license — and the difference between the two paths is significant.
Note: Japan's Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rules were revised on October 1, 2025, making meaningful changes to the license exchange (外免切替) process. If you read an older guide, some information will be out of date. This article reflects the current rules.
What Changed in October 2025
The October 2025 revision tightened eligibility and standardized procedures nationally. The main changes:
| Category | Before October 2025 | From October 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Residency requirement | Informal address check; hotel or friend's address sometimes accepted | Residence certificate (住民票) mandatory; tourists and short-term visitors excluded |
| Eligible visa types | Short-term stay sometimes processed | Short-term stay (tourist) visa now ineligible; requires long-term residence status |
| Written test | 10 questions, pass with 7/10 correct | 50 questions, pass threshold is 90% correct (45/50) |
| Written test format | Included illustration-based questions | Illustrations removed; focus on traffic law comprehension |
| Practical test | Basic maneuver check (start, turn, stop) | Expanded evaluation: pedestrian crossings, level crossings, intersections, safety confirmation |
| Document standards | Varied by prefecture | Nationally standardized; stricter document verification |
The practical effect: the exchange process is now meaningfully more demanding, and it is restricted to long-term residents only.
License Exchange: What Varies by Country
Japan's 外免切替 (foreign license exchange) process is available to long-term residents from all countries. However, the required steps differ significantly depending on your country of license issuance:
Test-reduced exchange: Residents whose licenses were issued by countries or jurisdictions on the prefectural-police exemption list can have the knowledge and skills checks waived or reduced. Typical examples on that list include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Taiwan, and certain other designated countries or issuing authorities. Check your prefectural police license center's current list before assuming you fall into this category.
Full-test exchange: Residents from countries without reciprocal test-reduction agreements — including China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Iran, and others — must pass both the full written test (50 questions, 90% pass threshold) and the full practical evaluation at the license center, while still going through the 外免切替 process rather than attending driving school from scratch. The distinction matters: it is still a foreign license exchange, not a new license application, but the test burden is the same as the full process.
Tourist and short-term visitors are no longer eligible under the 2025 rules — long-term residence status is required for either path.
If you are uncertain which category your country falls into, check with your prefectural police license center or the JAF English guidance page before planning your visit.
License Exchange: Step-by-Step
For long-term residents eligible for the exchange (外免切替), the process is structured and predictable if your paperwork is in order.
Step 1: Obtain a Certified Japanese Translation of Your Foreign License
A certified Japanese translation of your foreign license is required. Accepted sources include JAF (Japan Automobile Federation), your home country's embassy or consulate in Japan, and in some cases the original issuing authority. JAF is the most commonly used and has a standardized online process. The JAF fee is ¥6,000 (revised from ¥3,000 effective April 1, 2026). Processing is typically 2–5 business days if mailing your license, or same-day at a JAF counter. You need the original translation — photocopies are not accepted. Keep your foreign license; you'll need to surrender it at the license center but can often request it back.
Step 2: Gather All Required Documents
Bring everything on the first visit or you'll be turned away:
- Foreign driver's license (original)
- Japanese translation of that license from an accepted issuer (JAF, embassy/consulate, or other accepted source)
- Valid passport showing your entry stamps (showing you resided in the issuing country when the license was obtained)
- Zairyu card (在留カード) showing long-term residence status
- Residence certificate (住民票) issued within the past 3 months — this is now mandatory under the 2025 rules; obtain it at your city or ward office
- Two passport-size photos (3cm x 2.4cm, white background — confirm current requirements)
- Application fee of approximately ¥8,000–10,000 (varies slightly by prefecture and license type)
Your residence certificate and zairyu card address need to match. If you just moved, update your address at the ward office first. The full ward office registration walkthrough covers how to do this quickly.
Step 3: Attend the License Center
In Chiba Prefecture, the main license processing center is the Chiba Prefectural Police License Center in Makuhari (千葉県警察運転免許センター, 幕張). It is a 5–10 minute walk or short bus ride from Kaihin-Makuhari Station on the JR Keiyo Line. An appointment system is available through the Chiba Prefectural Police website — use it, as walk-in queues run long.
At the center you will submit your documents, have your vision and color discrimination checked, and take the written knowledge test and the practical evaluation.
Written test (from October 2025): 50 questions covering Japanese road traffic law. The pass threshold is 90% — you need 45 correct answers out of 50. Questions are available in English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, and several other languages. The test is more demanding than the old 10-question format and requires genuine understanding of Japanese road rules: speed limits by road type, right-of-way at intersections, pedestrian crossing obligations, and similar. Preparation is now genuinely necessary. Reviewing a Japanese road rules study guide (available in English from prefectural police websites) for 2–3 hours beforehand is advisable.
Practical evaluation: An examiner will observe you driving through a standardized course covering starts, stops, turns, pedestrian crossing handling, level crossing procedures, and intersection navigation. Safety confirmation — checking mirrors, signaling, checking blind spots — is evaluated in detail. This is not a full road test, but it is more substantial than the previous brief maneuver check.
Step 4: Receive Your Japanese License
If your documents are in order and you pass both evaluations, your Japanese license is issued on the same day. The entire visit typically takes 3–5 hours including queuing time, so arrive early.
International Driving Permit (IDP)
If you've just arrived and haven't yet exchanged your license, an International Driving Permit from your home country allows you to drive legally in Japan for up to one year from your entry date. Obtain the IDP before leaving your home country — it cannot be issued once you're in Japan. The IDP is valid alongside your original foreign license, not as a standalone document.
Note that the 2025 rule changes do not affect IDP use — short-term visitors can still drive legally on an IDP plus their home country license for up to one year from entry.
Driving in Japan: Key Points for New Residents
Once licensed, a few things differ from most Western countries:
- Traffic drives on the left; steering wheel is on the right.
- Expressway tolls are cashless-friendly using ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) cards — renting or buying a car with an ETC transponder is standard.
- Parking is tightly regulated. Coin parking lots (コインパーキング) are the norm in urban areas; illegal parking triggers wheel clamps quickly.
- Road signs are in Japanese with some international symbols. Key ones to memorize: stop (止まれ), no entry (通行止), speed limit (numerical, in km/h).
- Many rural roads in inland Chiba Prefecture are narrow and shared with agricultural vehicles.
For broader orientation on getting around Chiba, the getting around Chiba guide for expats covers both driving and transit in detail.
Countries Requiring Full-Test Exchange
Applicants whose licenses are not on the exemption list must pass both the written test (50 questions, 90% pass threshold) and a full practical evaluation at the license center as part of their 外免切替. In practice, this often includes applicants from countries such as China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Iran, and others, but you should verify your own issuing country or jurisdiction against the current prefectural-police list. Unlike test-reduced exchanges, this process is demanding enough that preparation matters significantly. For practical evaluations, the license center's examination course has specific conventions — mirror checks, signaling timing, stopping positions — that differ from everyday driving. Many applicants in this category prepare with a driving instructor familiar with the examination course before attempting the test, even if they are experienced drivers. Costs for preparation sessions run ¥5,000-20,000 per session, far less than full driving school enrollment.
The National Police Agency (NPA) maintains the official country eligibility list — confirm current status with your prefectural police license center or the JAF English guidance page before assuming which category applies to your license.
Bottom Line
The October 2025 rule changes made the foreign license exchange process more demanding in two ways: the written test expanded from 10 to 50 questions (90% pass threshold), and the practical evaluation now covers a more comprehensive set of scenarios. Tourists and short-term visitors are no longer eligible — long-term residency status and a 住民票 are now required. If your license falls into the test-reduced category, the process can still be completed relatively efficiently at Makuhari with the right preparation. If your license requires the full written and practical checks, plan for preparation rather than assuming a quick same-day pass. Start the translation step early — it is the part most people delay and then regret. See the full Chiba expat relocation guide for more on which neighborhoods benefit most from having a car.