Before you start

Address registration and a residence card
Your foreign licence, with an official Japanese translation from JAF or the issuing embassy
Proof you held the licence and were physically present in the issuing country for at least three months after it was issued
A jūminhyō residence certificate — compulsory for every applicant since 1 October 2025

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your country is exempt from the practical test
A specific list of countries and territories can convert without a driving test — most of western Europe, Australia, Korea, Taiwan and others. If yours is not on it, expect a closed-course examination with standards that surprise experienced drivers.
OnlineWho: You
2
Get the official translation from JAF
The Japan Automobile Federation issues the accepted translation of a foreign licence, and it must come from JAF or your embassy — a private translation is not accepted. Allow time for it before booking anything.
In personWho: You
3
Prove the three-month residence requirement
You must show you were in the issuing country for at least three months after the licence was issued. Old passport stamps are the usual evidence, which is a strong argument for never discarding an expired passport.
In personWho: You
4
Book at the prefectural driving licence centre and expect to return
The application, eyesight check and knowledge check are done at the Nagasaki Prefectural Police licence centre. Since 1 October 2025 the knowledge check has been fifty written questions with a 90% pass mark rather than ten illustrated ones at 70%. If a practical test is required, first-attempt failure is common and repeat bookings can take weeks.
In personWho: You
5
Understand that an International Driving Permit expires after one year
An IDP issued under the Geneva Convention is valid for one year from entry and cannot be renewed by a short trip abroad. Start the conversion well before the year is up.
OnlineWho: You
6
Confirm a car can physically reach the property before buying one
Registering a vehicle requires a shakoshōmeisho, a police certificate that you hold a designated off-street parking space, and there is no street-parking option anywhere in Japan. In Nagasaki there is a step before that: a great deal of housing sits above stairways with no vehicular access at all, so the nearest legal parking may be a five-minute climb from your front door. Ask the agent where the car would actually go, and walk it.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence
JAF or embassy translation of it
Passport, including expired ones showing the three-month residence
Residence card and jūminhyō
Passport photographs

Things most newcomers don’t know

The three-month rule blocks more conversions than the driving test does.

You must prove you were physically present in the country that issued your licence for at least three months after issue. Someone who obtained a licence shortly before emigrating simply cannot convert, however experienced. Old passports with entry and exit stamps are the standard evidence — never throw one away.

Source: National Police Agency

The practical test assesses a procedural style, not competence, and experienced drivers fail it.

For applicants from non-exempt countries the closed-course examination tests exaggerated mirror and shoulder checks, precise lane positioning, a crank course and an S-curve. Decades of safe driving do not help. Budget for two or three attempts and consider a single lesson at a local school first.

Source: community-reported

The tram is cheap, flat-fare and covers the whole central valley — and a car cannot go where it goes.

Nagasaki Electric Tramway runs a flat fare that is among the lowest of any transport network in Japan, and its four routes cover the length of the central valley from the station through Chinatown to the southern slopes. The streets it runs on are narrow, one-way in places and difficult to park near. For a resident living along the line, a car is a weekend object rather than a daily one — and that is before you reach the districts a car cannot enter.

Source: community-reported

A car earns its keep for the prefecture, not the city.

Where driving genuinely pays here is everything outside the valley: the Shimabara peninsula and Unzen, the Nishisonogi coast, the ferry ports for the Gotō and Tsushima islands, and Sasebo. That is a real argument for a car — but for a lot of households the answer is a rental or a car-share for the weekend rather than ownership, given how little use it gets in a city built on stairs.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Discarding old passports and losing the evidence for the three-month residence requirement.
Assuming your country is exempt from the practical test without checking the list.
Relying on an International Driving Permit past its one-year validity.
Buying a car before confirming where it can legally park and whether it can reach the house.
Assuming a car is necessary in a city with a cheap flat-fare tram down its spine.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.