From my understanding, due to a certain agreement between countries, Canadians can get a Japanese driver’s license quite simply after having their Canadian license translated into Japanese and applying at a licensing office here in Japan.
In my case, I have an expired Canadian driver’s license and although it seems like common sense that an expired license may not be accepted, I haven’t found any official rules on the Government of Canada website saying that the license needs to valid (before expiry) in order to apply for the Japanese license.
The only only definition that I found for “valid” was from the Canadian Gov Website section about applying for a Japanese License (https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/japan-japon/drivers_licenses-permis_de_conduire.aspx?lang=eng):
“In order for your Canadian license to be considered valid, you must have spent at least 3 months in Canada after your Canadian license was obtained.”
By this definition, my license is valid because I spent 3 months in Canada after obtaining my license.
Does anyone have experience receiving a Japanese license even though their Canadian license was expired?
by deanoyu08