Before you start

A residence card (zairyū card) and a Japanese address registered on your jūminhyō (tourists and hotel-stay applicants were excluded from 1 October 2025)
A foreign licence that was valid when you entered Japan and is still valid on application day (expired licences cannot be converted)
Documented proof you were physically in the issuing country for at least 3 months in total AFTER the licence was issued
A Japanese translation of your licence from JAF or your embassy

Step-by-step

1
Order a JAF translation of your licence
Apply online (from inside Japan) on JAF's translation site for an official Japanese translation of your foreign licence — the licensing centre will not accept the licence without it. You print the result at any convenience store. Your embassy can also issue an accepted translation, but JAF is the standard route. Order early: some countries take 2-3 weeks.
OnlineWho: YouAbout 1-2 weeks (up to 2-3 for some countries)¥6,600 (from 1 July 2026; was ¥6,000)
2
Gather documents and prove 3+ months in the issuing country
Collect your valid foreign licence (plus any older ones), the JAF translation, your residence card, a jūminhyō issued within the last 6 months, your passport(s) current and expired, and a photo. The make-or-break item is proof you stayed in the issuing country for 3+ months AFTER the licence was issued — old passports with entry/exit stamps are the cleanest evidence.
In personWho: You (jūminhyō from your ward office)A few days to assemble¥300 for the jūminhyō
3
Book and attend the document screening at a Tokyo licensing centre
Reserve a foreign-licence-conversion slot at Samezu, Fuchū or Kōtō via the Tokyo Metropolitan Police online reservation portal. Slots open roughly two months out, are released around midnight on weekdays, and are snapped up within minutes — expect to refresh repeatedly. At the appointment, staff check your documents, confirm eligibility against the exempt-country list, and run an eyesight test.
In personWho: YouHalf a day; booking can take weeks of tryingAround ¥2,550 application/processing fee
4
Take the knowledge and practical tests (only if NOT from an exempt country)
Exempt-country holders skip straight to licence issuance. Everyone else (most US states, China and others) sits a 50-question multiple-choice knowledge test — 90% to pass, available in English — then a practical driving test on a closed course. The practical is graded to Japanese-instructor standards and is brutal: post-October-2025 pass rates are reported around 13%. Most non-exempt applicants need several attempts.
In personWho: YouTest day plus likely re-bookings (weeks apart)Around ¥2,050 issuance + practical-test fees (~¥2,900) per attempt

Documents you’ll need

Valid foreign driving licence (and all older/expired licences you've held)
JAF (or embassy) Japanese translation of the licence
Passport(s), current and expired, with entry/exit stamps proving 3+ months in the issuing country after issuance
Residence card plus a jūminhyō issued within the last 6 months and one passport-size photo

Things most newcomers don’t know

The single biggest rejection cause is failing to prove 3 months in the issuing country AFTER your licence was issued — not before.

Many applicants assume holding the licence is enough. The rule is about presence post-issuance, so people who got a licence and left soon after (common for students or quick test-takers abroad) are caught out. Keep every old passport.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police / JAF

Whether you face the tests is decided entirely by your licence's country — not your nationality or skill.

Most EU states, the UK, Australia, Canada, South Korea and Taiwan are exempt and just do paperwork. The US is treated state-by-state (only about seven states are exempt) and China is not exempt at all, so those holders face the full knowledge + practical test.

Source: Keishichō exemption list / JAF

For non-exempt applicants the practical test, not the written one, is the real wall — pass rates sit near 13%.

It's a closed-course exam graded to strict Japanese-instructor standards (exact lane positioning, exaggerated safety checks, precise stops) where even experienced drivers fail repeatedly. Budgeting for a few paid English driving lessons at a Tokyo school is the norm.

Source: Tokyo driving-school guides

Booking the appointment is often harder than the test itself.

Tokyo releases conversion slots about two months ahead, around midnight on weekdays, and they vanish within minutes. Treat it like buying concert tickets — know which centre you want and be logged in and ready when slots drop.

Source: TabiTalk Tokyo gaimen kirikae guide

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting your IDP year lapse: an International Driving Permit is valid only ~1 year from entry and can't be renewed in Japan, so start the conversion well before it expires.
Applying after the October 2025 tightening without a registered address — you now need a jūminhyō and residence card; tourist/short-stay applicants are no longer eligible.
Bringing only your current passport: without the older passports showing 3+ months in the issuing country, the screening fails even if everything else is perfect.
Assuming a US licence is automatically fine — most US states require both the written and practical tests; verify your specific state against the Keishichō list first.