They’ll ask you a bunch of questions like when you got your license how did you get it did you do the test on the road or not, did you get a learner’s permit or not etc. I had to say I didn’t remember for a lot of the questions.
Like “what car did you take your original driver’s test in” um I don’t remember what the car model was but it was some kind of sedan. “How many questions were on your driving written test” “um idk like 100 or so I think”
It’s not like they can check anyway so just answer truthfully. As long as the polygraph test results are clear they won’t toss you into the pit of eternal zangyo (that was a joke).
I don’t think they ever talked about or scheduled an interview with me. It was very similar to a renewal once I got the translation in the mail.
Less of a formal interview and more of a conversation. Just some questions like how old I was when I started driving, did I go to driving school in my country, did they administer the test at the driving school or did I do it at the motor vehicle office, did the test involve highway driving, etc… Possibly asked if I’ve ever received a ticket, but I don’t remember.
It just like document confirmation. I can say its only formality.
There was I guess what you could call an interview for me (American), during the handling of the paperwork. The officer asked me questions about getting my original license, like whether I used my own car or not for the practical exam, if it was on a closed course or open course circuit (I told him it was in actual traffic, not on a closed course), how old I was when I got the license and how much I paid, how many times I took the test, how many questions were on the written portion, and a lot of things I couldn’t remember the real answers to since it had been 15 years.
I had once read on this subreddit that someone was refused their license for not answering these questions to satisfaction, so that spooked me and I made sure to research everything I could think of in advance. Still, I wasn’t sure on a couple of the questions and so added “I think” to the end of what I was saying… He seemed a little perturbed that I didn’t know the answers for certain.
He also asked me the exact date of when I originally had gotten my license, which I didn’t know. Even my DMV record from the states did not list that date. Unfortunately it seems to depend on the state you are from, what info is listed in the record. My record only showed the previous few years. I was able to give him a month and year, plus the exact date of my most recent renewal. But because I couldn’t remember the exact date of the original, I couldn’t prove how long I had had the license prior to coming to Japan and therefore had to drive around with a “beginner” mark for a year, which I didn’t mind at all.
Different people have very different experiences with that, but it’s better to prepared be to answer some bizarre questions like what model was the car you practiced driving in 25 years ago, and how many hours did you need to practice before you could take the road test. They even asked me if the written part of my test was done on paper or a computer.
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They’ll ask you a bunch of questions like when you got your license how did you get it did you do the test on the road or not, did you get a learner’s permit or not etc. I had to say I didn’t remember for a lot of the questions.
Like “what car did you take your original driver’s test in” um I don’t remember what the car model was but it was some kind of sedan. “How many questions were on your driving written test” “um idk like 100 or so I think”
It’s not like they can check anyway so just answer truthfully. As long as the polygraph test results are clear they won’t toss you into the pit of eternal zangyo (that was a joke).
I don’t think they ever talked about or scheduled an interview with me. It was very similar to a renewal once I got the translation in the mail.
Less of a formal interview and more of a conversation. Just some questions like how old I was when I started driving, did I go to driving school in my country, did they administer the test at the driving school or did I do it at the motor vehicle office, did the test involve highway driving, etc… Possibly asked if I’ve ever received a ticket, but I don’t remember.
It just like document confirmation. I can say its only formality.
There was I guess what you could call an interview for me (American), during the handling of the paperwork. The officer asked me questions about getting my original license, like whether I used my own car or not for the practical exam, if it was on a closed course or open course circuit (I told him it was in actual traffic, not on a closed course), how old I was when I got the license and how much I paid, how many times I took the test, how many questions were on the written portion, and a lot of things I couldn’t remember the real answers to since it had been 15 years.
I had once read on this subreddit that someone was refused their license for not answering these questions to satisfaction, so that spooked me and I made sure to research everything I could think of in advance. Still, I wasn’t sure on a couple of the questions and so added “I think” to the end of what I was saying… He seemed a little perturbed that I didn’t know the answers for certain.
He also asked me the exact date of when I originally had gotten my license, which I didn’t know. Even my DMV record from the states did not list that date. Unfortunately it seems to depend on the state you are from, what info is listed in the record. My record only showed the previous few years. I was able to give him a month and year, plus the exact date of my most recent renewal. But because I couldn’t remember the exact date of the original, I couldn’t prove how long I had had the license prior to coming to Japan and therefore had to drive around with a “beginner” mark for a year, which I didn’t mind at all.
Different people have very different experiences with that, but it’s better to prepared be to answer some bizarre questions like what model was the car you practiced driving in 25 years ago, and how many hours did you need to practice before you could take the road test. They even asked me if the written part of my test was done on paper or a computer.