What is the process of obtaining the Japanese License?
First and most importantly, you need to obtain an official translation of your original license. The best way to get this done is to visit or send a copy of your original license to JAF, the Japan Automobile Federation.
Once you have the translation, you can immediately visit the license bureau. But you also need to make sure that your original license has an issue date stated. In some countries, they only have the expiry date. The reason why you need to have an issue date is because the license bureau will check whether you have stayed in the country where your license was issued for at least 3 months.
If there is no issue date on the license, they would not be able to know from which date to count from. If there is no issue date, you need to apply for a separate document which is called a “driving history record” or the like. You can normally get this from the department of motor vehicles in your country of origin. This document will show since when you have had the license.
Once you have all of the documents in place, you can visit the license bureau. Depending on which prefecture you live in, there is a designated bureau you need to visit. You should check before going since the office hours might vary from location to location. After you get to the bureau, you will first submit all of the documents at the counter and wait for them to screen through. Then if all is ok, if a written & driving test is not required, you will take the eye test, have a photo taken and then pay the application fee. After that, the license will be issued. It depends on how busy they are but you might need to wait for over 1-2 hours.
