Converting your driver’s license from Spanish/European to Japanese

Hello everybody!

Since I couldn’t find any substantial (and recent) posts about converting your European license to a Japanese (the countries which don’t require doing an exam), I’ll summarize my adventure today as I got my driver’s license at Kadoma, Osaka! Everything you’ll read below should be valid as of September 2023 🙂 (process is for big motorcycle license and car license up to 3.5 tons, as always ymmv)

First of all, things you’ll need:

– Passport and a copy (didn’t copy the visa page though)
– Original driving license (international driving license was not needed iny case, even though I brought it as well)
– Translation of your driver’s license (did mine through JAF, ¥4.000 and 4 days of waiting via regular mail)
– Ward registration paper, the green one (住民票) and a copy, be mindful that they will keep the original and copy, so don’t bring the one with the number on it!
– Proof that you lived in your home country for at least 3 months after getting the license (brought 3 phone bills and 3 payslips from my previous job)
– Bring an ID sized photograph (or more than one? I brought several and they cut off I believe 1 or 2
– Be a morning person 🌅
– A bit of 日本語上手 will make you wonders, or go with someone who speaks Japanese, I was sweating the whole time as I was almost running out of battery on my phone to use Google Translate!

So now, the process begins at the Police Driving Test Site (in Kadoma, at least), you get in and ask someone at the help desk where to go to convert your license into a new one. They will let you know where to go (counter number 6 @ Kadoma on the 1st floor, there’s usually no line there, but you can end up waiting the line for counter number 4, be advised as it’s a bit hidden the access point behind some desks).
Hand in paperwork, they will give you an application form where you select the different licenses that you want converted. Then they will tell you to wait and will call you through the PA system.

NOTICE AS FOR THE BEING A 🌅 MORNING PERSON 🌅: conversions are restricted to 25 persons each day, if you arrive later, you will have trouble!!!

When they call you back again, I was requested to fill in another form (never fell asleep suddenly lately, never got drunk for more than 3 days, never had a doctor order you not to drive, the usual…) and then they will ask you about your driving history. They asked me when I took my test, how long did I prepare myself, what kind of tests did I have to do (test + driving outside a circuit for car license and test + driving in a closed circuit + driving outside a circuit for motorcycle iny case) and also what type of motorcycle did I use for the exam, Japan restricts by capacity while Spain restricts by horsepower. This was all done in Nihonglish, they guy there was very patient with me, I gotta admit!

Once that is done, you get told to go pay all the fees, in my case it was ¥7.400 for everything, that included ¥2.050 of the actual driving license and then about ~¥2.500 per each conversion, motorcycle one was a bit more expensive than the one and you go get your sight checked. I was a bit nervous about the eyesight exam, but it’s really easy, just say where you see the opening in a circle (in Japanese, of course) and afterwards they will flash some colours. I think it was like 2-3 minutes of test. I’m right almost at the point of needing glasses and I did just fine.

After getting your eyes checked, you go back to counter 6 in the 1st floor, hand in the papers and wait for a bit. Then they will give you a card to get you photo taken with a specific time to be upstairs (“counter” 28 @ 2nd floor – it’s just a waiting room) and will tell you to get yourself a PIN right at some automatic machines near counter 1 @ 1st floor. Sorry for my lack of 日本語上手 but I didn’t really get what that is for, but you’ll get a ticket with a QR code and the 4-digit PIN number.

We are levelling up! Now you have to go to the second floor and just sit at the waiting room AKA counter 28. Don’t worry if there’s no employees there, they come out of a room and gather everyone. They will call you by the hour shown on the card they gave you on the first floor, they will also call you by your name. So you gather around the employee, leave the card they gave you in a container and proceed to have your photo taken. THIS IS THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT THEY WILL USE IN YOUR DRIVING LICENSE, be sure to tidy yourself beforehand. I didn’t bring a comb and my hair was a mess and sweaty because of reasons that day, so be advised. After getting your picture taken, they will give you yet another card and you’ll have to go to the third floor.

We did it guys, we reached the top floor finally! In the card they gave you, you will have an exam room displayed (room 6 @ 3rd floor in my case). Don’t worry, you’re not gonna sit an exam. Just enter the room even if it’s empty and take a seat. You can now enjoy the fruits of success, as this is the last step! After a while, an employee will enter the room and will start calling people by the type of transaction they are there to do (they had different papers than mine), at least today conversions were last, you have to stay alert for the keyword “gaikoku”. You will hand the papers that you have left and show your driving license and they will finally give you what you were craving for.

The next step is to get out and take a deep breath, it’s been a long morning and you were victorious in one of many bureaucracy battles to come against the Japanese System. Now it’s time to get yourself that sweet bike you wanted and that drift car you were eyeing and enjoy a “car-full” life (pun intended 😎, you could say you’re now also “otobai-tically qualified to drive).

I hope you guys find this useful and ganbatte! If you have any further questions, leave them below and I’ll try to answer them as good as I can and as good as my memory can if it’s in a couple months.