How to get Japanese Driver’s License in Sapporo
Getting a Japanese driver’s license can be a rigorous process; complicated administration process as well as language barrier can be quite intimidating. But if you have a valid driver’s license from your country, you can switch your license into a valid Japanese driver’s license! This article contains a step-by-step process on how to get Japanese driver’s license in Sapporo. Please keep in mind that Japan has different rules for different countries, so please make sure you read this guide carefully. This article is based on the admin’s own experience (December 2023), and the rule may change.
STEP 1: Check your current valid driver’s license issuing country.
Check your driver’s license country. If you happen to get your driver’s license from these following countries, you do not need to take both a written and practical examination! SOURCE
- Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal,Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, The United States of America (States of Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Washington only), and Taiwan.
- In case of USA (state of Indiana), you do not need to take a practical examination.
In my case, since my country is not listed above, I needed to follow all the steps below.
STEP 2: Prepare the following documents
Having these documents ready beforehand will save you a lot of time and trouble. SOURCE
1. Your country’s valid driver’s license
ATTENTION: You also need to provide proof that you have stayed in your home country for at least three months after the date of issuance. Proof may include:
- Your old/ new passport that shows the date you arrived in Japan.
- Official letter from your country’s Department of Transportation, stating that you indeed have stayed in your home country for at least 3 months after the date of issuance of your driver’s license
2. Official Japanese translation of your driver’s license.
ATTENTION: You MUST use an official organization to translate your driver’s license. You cannot translate your driver’s license by yourself. In Sapporo, you can officially translate your license here in JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) Sapporo:
- Address: 15-chōme-8-1 Tsukisamu Higashi 1 Jō, Toyohira Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 062-0051 (Open Monday – Friday 9:00 – 5:30) map
- It costs around 4000 yen to translate your license to japanese.
- It takes around 2 weeks to translate your license.
- You can also apply online, please refer to this link for requirements and procedure. Make sure you confirm your country of issuance of your driver’s license.
- To obtain your translation document, you can either use a printing service in 7-11 convenience store OR take it directly in the JAF office after you get a notification.
３. Old Japanese driver’s license (if any)
4. Official copy of your Certificate of Residence (“Jumin-hyo”) .
- The certificate must show your registered domicile or nationality.
- You need to go to the corresponding ward office of the place where you are currently residing.
- If you have “my number” card, you can also use the printing service in the 7-11 convenience store to print it out (cost around 350 yen), so you do not need to go to the ward office. Keep in mind that the printing service has an opening hour as well! (usually regular business day, Monday – Friday, from 10 – 5pm)
5. Your old and new passport
Old passport is needed in case you need to show a page that contains the official stamp of your arrival date in Japan. This is needed in order for the official to check how long you have stayed in your home country after you obtained your driver’s license.
6. Additional supporting documents
In case you cannot prove with your passport that you have been staying in your country for at least 3 months after you get your license, you can use official letter from your country’s police department or department of transportation in charge of issuing driver’s license.
7. Photograph for application form (3cm × 2.4cm)
The photo must be colored, front facing, showing your body above chest, with no hat or head covering on (unless you have religious or medical reasons), with plain background, and taken within six months before the date of application.
- Please do not wear colored contact lenses
- One photo is required for each vehicle category you apply for.
- This photo is not used as a driver’s license photo.
STEP 3: Go to Sapporo Driver’s License Examination Center in Teine to apply
After you gather all required documents from STEP 2, you can now go to Sapporo Driver’s License Examination Center in Teine to apply. Since there is no foreign language assistance available, you may need to come with a Japanese speaker with you to make the procedure smoother.
- Address: 4 Chome-1-1 Akebono 5 Jo, Teine Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 006-0835 map
- Opening time: Monday – Friday (8:45 am – 5 pm) (Opening time might differ)
- Phone no. : 0570080456
If your application is approved, you will receive an appointment for a written examination. You need to return to the Examination Center again at the designated time to take the examination. (Check picture on the right as reference)
STEP 4: Go back to the Examination Center to take a written exam.
You need to go back to the Examination Center to take the written exam. To be honest, I was a bit nervous before taking the exam. But the exam was easier than I expected! The exam was available in either English or Chinese, and as long as you understand basic traffic rules, you can pass the exam easily.
- After taking the exam, you will be asked to wait for around 1 hour, and then you will know the result of the exam.
- If you pass the exam, you will be asked your availability for taking the practical exam. Usually it takes around 1 or 2 months until you can take the practical exam! You will also be given a map of the track for the practical exam, MAKE SURE you memorize this map and the ROUTE!
- You will also be given a paper stating the time for your practical exam (Check picture on the left). DO NOT LOSE this paper.
(OPTIONAL), you can also rent the track in the examination center to practice! It costs around 1400 yen for 1 hour. In my case, I asked my friend to take me to the examination center with a rented car for practice. It is highly recommended to do this practice beforehand so your practical examination will go smoothly! In order to rent the examination track, you need to decide time as well as the plate number of the car you want to practice with. Please check the sample on the right for the paperwork of renting the track.
STEP 5: Go back to the Examination Center to take a practical exam
You need to go back to the Examination Center to take the practical exam. Finally the day came, and I headed back to the Examination Center to take the practical exam. Before the practical exam, you will be briefed by the instructor about the rules and how to pass the practical exam (in Japanese). There will be no English translation, so it is better to come with someone who can translate for you in case you do not understand Japanese at all.
- The briefing took around 1 hour, PAY ATTENTION to what the instructor said, specially regarding the ROUTE and RULES. (based on map given in STEP 4)
- Whether or not you pass depends on the point system, if you lose too many points, you will fail. Some useful tips to pass the practical exam:
- Before getting into the car, check the surroundings of the car.
- Before opening the car door, check behind.
- Before starting the car, put on your seatbelt and ask other passengers to do the same.
- Adjust your seat and mirrors and side breaks before starting the engine.
- When you drive the car, FOLLOW THE ROUTE and KEEP LEFT.
- Turn your blinker before turning.
- If you go the opposite side of the road, INSTANT FAIL
- If you ignore stop sign/ red light, INSTANT FAIL
- If you go off-road (out the pavement), INSTANT FAIL
- You will know the result of the exam right after you finish the practical exam.
If you pass the practical exam, you can get your Japanese license on the same day, but you may need to wait for 1 or 2 hours in the examination hall. In my case, because I had other things to do that day (it was Christmas Day), I decided to go back the other day to collect my Japanese driver’s license.
Since my foreign driver’s license was issued in a country not listed in STEP 1, it took me around 4 months and a total of around 30,000 yen (translation, transportation to examination center, administration fee, and track rental fee for practice). Despite all the time and money spent, it was an amazing experience and nothing beats the feeling of joy of getting your first driver’s license in Japan! Remember to always drive safely and follow traffic rules in Japan! I hope this article will help you in converting your driver’s license in Sapporo!
