Licence Conversion Documents and Fees: What You Need, and Why It Varies by Prefecture

What documents do I need to convert my licence?

The core set is: your foreign driving licence, your passport(s), your residence card, a jūminhyō, a certified Japanese translation of your licence, and a photo. Prefectures publish their own exact checklist, but these items appear almost everywhere.

The passport matters more than people expect: it is used to confirm you stayed in the issuing country for at least about three months after the licence was issued, so bring old passports if your current one does not cover that period. Missing this proof is a common reason applications are turned away.

Why do I need a jūminhyō, and what must it show?

Since the 1 October 2025 reform you must be a registered resident, proven by a jūminhyō that shows your full foreign-resident details — nationality, status of residence, period of stay, and residence-card number. Get it issued recently (within 6 months) and ask for the version that includes those items; a basic jūminhyō without them may be rejected.

This rule is what ended tourist conversions: short-term and tourist-visa holders cannot produce a qualifying jūminhyō, so they can no longer convert or renew (apart from diplomats and consular staff).

Who can make the certified translation, and what does it cost?

The translation of your licence must come from an authorised issuer — the embassy or consulate of the issuing country, or JAF (the Japan Automobile Federation). A translation you do yourself is not accepted.

JAF's fee for translating a foreign licence is ¥6,600 including tax, effective 1 July 2026. You can apply to JAF in person, by post, or online depending on the office. Budget for this on top of the prefectural fees, and allow time — a mailed translation is not instant.

How much are the application and issuance fees?

These are set by each prefecture, so there is no single nationwide amount — you must check your own prefectural police website for the exact figures. They typically include an application/testing fee and a separate licence-issuance fee, and they can change.

This guide deliberately does not quote a number, because a figure copied from another prefecture (or an old page) is worse than no figure. Treat the JAF translation (¥6,600) as your one fixed, checkable cost, and confirm everything else locally.

Why does everything vary by prefecture?

Licence conversion is administered by each prefectural public safety commission (the police), so the document list, the booking method, the available test languages, and the fees are all set locally. Two applicants in different prefectures can face genuinely different requirements.

The practical rule: find the 'foreign licence conversion' (外国免許切替) page for your prefecture's police, use it as the source of truth, and use national guides like this one only to know what questions to ask. When a detail here and your prefecture's page disagree, your prefecture's page wins.

FAQ

What documents do I need to convert a foreign licence in Japan?

Typically your foreign licence, your passport(s), your residence card, a jūminhyō issued within 6 months showing your foreign-resident details, a certified Japanese translation of your licence, and a photo. Confirm the exact list with your prefectural police.

How much does the JAF translation cost?

JAF charges ¥6,600 including tax to translate a foreign driving licence, effective 1 July 2026. This is separate from the prefectural application and issuance fees.

How much are the total conversion fees?

There is no single national figure — application and issuance fees are set by each prefecture. Check your own prefectural police website. Only the JAF translation fee (¥6,600) is fixed nationwide.

Can I translate my own licence?

No. The translation must come from an authorised issuer — the issuing country's embassy or consulate, or JAF. A self-made translation is not accepted.

Why do the requirements differ between prefectures?

Because each prefectural public safety commission administers conversion locally, so documents, booking, languages, and fees are set per prefecture. Always treat your own prefecture's page as the authority.