Getting Your Japanese License (Canadian Version)
PA Disclaimer [06.23.2014]: This is a personal account by an unnamed JET in Oita Prefecture in 2014. At the current time, neither PAs have acquired Japanese driving licenses and so neither PA can verify this information.
Japanese Driver’s License Process for Canadians
Here is a layout of the process, as a Canadian, to get your Japanese driver's license at the Oita driving centre.
What You Need:
If you only prove that you were living in Canada for four months before coming to Japan, you will be issued a BEGINNER Japanese driver's license, along with the restrictions and rules placed on beginner drivers. The beginner status only lasts a year after obtaining your Japanese driver's license and no further paperwork is needed to obtain a regular license.
If you can prove you were in Canada for at least a year after obtaining your Canadian license you will be issued a REGULAR Japanese driver's license. You will not have any of the beginner restrictions.
Once you obtain your Japanese license, you cannot change it to another kind of license. In other words, after you obtain your Japanese license, you cannot change your beginner's license to a regular license even if you provide proof of living in Canada for a year after obtaining your Canadian license,.
*You do not need to make photocopies of your documents, they will do this for you at the license centre and will not accept your photocopies.
*You also need to prove that you had your Canadian driver's license at least four months before leaving for Japan. If you DID NOT have your license renewed four months before you left the country, I understand that the date on your license is enough proof. If you DID renew your license less than six months before leaving the country, apparently they will also accept your license as proof IF it states the date you got your first driver's license. I wasn't sure if this would be accepted, so I got a document from my provincial driving centre in Canada that showed my driving history, and so when I got my first license. They did accept and keep this document for their records at the Oita driving centre.
The Process:
Be prepared to be at the Oita driving centre for a long time. Even though all my documents were in order, the process still took at least two hours. And I had made an appointment to get my Japanese license ahead of time.
Yay, hopefully you've made it to this step with little to no difficulty.
If you get a beginner's Japanese driver's license, they will also give you a handout outlining your rules and restrictions. But then you're (finally) free to go.
Here is a layout of the process, as a Canadian, to get your Japanese driver's license at the Oita driving centre.
What You Need:
- residence certificate
*the original copy, which you need to request and pay for at your City Office - your Canadian license
- Japanese translation of your Canadian license
*you must pay for this at JAF, either by going in person or sending in the mail per their instructions - your passport
- your residence card
- official university transcript
(alternatively, anything that proves you were living in Canada AT LEAST four months after you obtained your Canadian license)
*You can either buy your official university transcript and get it sent from your school to Japan OR have a photocopy of your official transcript officiated and stamped by a member of the Oita Board of Education or the principal at your school. - one recent photo of you (as per the driving centre's instructions)
You can get this at the driving centre for 700 yen, you get three pictures for this price, and they only actually use one for the license process. So you'll still have two left over! - 4700 yen
If you only prove that you were living in Canada for four months before coming to Japan, you will be issued a BEGINNER Japanese driver's license, along with the restrictions and rules placed on beginner drivers. The beginner status only lasts a year after obtaining your Japanese driver's license and no further paperwork is needed to obtain a regular license.
If you can prove you were in Canada for at least a year after obtaining your Canadian license you will be issued a REGULAR Japanese driver's license. You will not have any of the beginner restrictions.
Once you obtain your Japanese license, you cannot change it to another kind of license. In other words, after you obtain your Japanese license, you cannot change your beginner's license to a regular license even if you provide proof of living in Canada for a year after obtaining your Canadian license,.
*You do not need to make photocopies of your documents, they will do this for you at the license centre and will not accept your photocopies.
*You also need to prove that you had your Canadian driver's license at least four months before leaving for Japan. If you DID NOT have your license renewed four months before you left the country, I understand that the date on your license is enough proof. If you DID renew your license less than six months before leaving the country, apparently they will also accept your license as proof IF it states the date you got your first driver's license. I wasn't sure if this would be accepted, so I got a document from my provincial driving centre in Canada that showed my driving history, and so when I got my first license. They did accept and keep this document for their records at the Oita driving centre.
The Process:
Be prepared to be at the Oita driving centre for a long time. Even though all my documents were in order, the process still took at least two hours. And I had made an appointment to get my Japanese license ahead of time.
- hand in all your required documents and photos
- wait forever
- you will be interviewed about your driving history back in Canada
This mainly consisted of asking how long I've been driving, what kind of driver's education I had, if any, and what my driver's tests were like. I was asked if I learned specific driving maneuvers, as well as the cost of driver's education and testing. Other questions were how many questions were on my written driving theory tests and the percentage you needed to pass. They also check how many times it took you to pass your tests. I didn't know all the answers, considering I've had my driver's license for six years I forgot a lot of the specifics about my tests, but the questioning was pretty informal so it's nothing to worry about. - you will be given an eye exam to test your vision
If you fail part of your eye exam you will be given an additional eye exam to test your peripheral vision. If you pass the second test you will have no conditions or restrictions on your Japanese driver's license. I assume if you fail one or both of these tests you will have conditions or restrictions implemented. - pay 2200 yen for the driving centre services
- wait some more
- pay 2500 yen for your Japanese license
- make two special pin numbers (these can be the same or different)
(I still have no idea what this is for.) - get your picture taken for your license
- get your Japanese driver's license!
Yay, hopefully you've made it to this step with little to no difficulty.
If you get a beginner's Japanese driver's license, they will also give you a handout outlining your rules and restrictions. But then you're (finally) free to go.