New Drivers license laws for certain US states

Author: Nathan

Get your Japanese Driver’s License without taking the test

Getting your Japanese driver’s license can seem like a daunting and at times impossible task. Japan has a specific system for testing that must be adhered to, to the T and a seemingly endless bureaucracy of paperwork that can be intimidating and is difficult, whether you’re a good driver in your country of origin or not. Because of this, there are countless stories of the examiners failing foreigners multiple times, during the skills test, before they can pass. Japanese drivers had to spend ¥100,000-300,000 to go to a rigorous driving school which prepares them to take the written and practical skills tests. Most driver’s licenses around the world are issued by the national governments, allowing Japan to negotiate directly with those countries to come to an agreement on converting driver’s licenses. This is not the case in the United States, as each state issues and governs driver’s licenses independently from the national government.

Since individual states do not have the right to enter diplomacy directly to a foreign government, it has been difficult for most US state’s driver’s licenses to be converted in Japan without the individual needing to take the written exam and skills tests in Japan. There are a handful of exceptions.

States Exempt from the written test and practical test:
Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington State

Additionally Indiana driver’s licenses only require passing the written exam, and not the skills test. The written test can be taken in English at the Hokushin Driver’s License Centerin Nagano City and at the Chu-Nanshin Driver’s License Centerin Shiojiri.

If you are from one of the US states above, continue reading. 

• Getting your Japanese driver’s License
• Converting your Foreign Driver’s License

Prepare to Apply

In order to get your Gaimen Kirikae (Japanese Driver’s License), you’ll need to prepare the following:

• The filled out driver’s license converting application
  Available at the Driver’s License Center
• Your valid US state driver’s license
  Must be issued from Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, or Washington state.
• International Driver’s License (If you have one)
  In the US, it is simple enough to get an international license before you travel to Japan through AAA. The international license is valid for 1 year, however with Japanese law, if you are going to live in Japan for more than 3 months or if you leave Japan at any time, the International License becomes invalid. Regardless, you should bring it no matter how long you’ve been in Japan since it is part of your driving record in Japan.
• Translation of your state driver’s license into Japanese:
  
  By Japanese regulations, the translation must be done by either an embassy/consulate, JAF(Japan Automobile Federation), or Zipplus Co.(site in Japanese only). Although many Japanese sites say you can get your license translated at your country’s embassy, the US embassy website clearly states that the embassy and consulates in Japan do not offer this translation service. Therefore the best place to get your license translated is through JAF which charges ¥3,000 to translate a driver’s license and ¥500 for return postage if done by mail. This is not refundable, even if the application for the Gaimen Kirikae is rejected.
  
  Depending on the circumstances, how you file, details of the driver’s license being translated, etc it may take anywhere from the same day to three weeks to receive the translated driver’s license.
  JAF Application information PDF(In English)
  JAF Application Form PDF(In English)
• Japanese Driver’s License (Only required if you’ve obtained one in the past)
• Zairyu Card (Resident’s Card)
  • Must include your current address in Japan
  • Also bring your My Number Card (This is not required, unless the examiner asks for it. If you present it without being asked, it can also speed up the processing. It is always better to be over prepared. Nagano is a large prefecture, you don’t want to have to make another appointment for another day just because you left your My Number card at home).
• Passport
  You must bring your valid passport, as well as any previous passports which contain the visas that prove when you were in the US and when you came to Japan. This can be the proof that you lived in the US for at least 3 months after your current driver’s license was issued.
• Proof that you lived in the US for at least 3 months after your current driver’s license was issued.
  The reason for this is to show reasonable proof that you do have experience driving beyond just practicing for the test.
• Documents certifying that you live at the address on your application
  You can obtain a residency certificate aka jūminhyō (住民票) at your city/town office for about ¥300. This can typically be requested at the department that deals with tax or family registration and only takes 5-10 minutes depending on how busy the office is.
• Photograph for the application
  This is standard procedure in Japan to attach a photo to applications. As such there are many ways to get one of these in Japan. There are photo booths where you can get these printed or you can use a photo printer at a combini such as Lawson, 7eleven, or Family Mart to print a photo you’ve taken with your camera for fairly cheap.
  Dimensions: 3cm by 2.4 cm
  Specifications:
  • Color photo
  • No cap (except for religious/medical reasons)
  • Front facing
  • Upper-third of body
  • White background
  • Cannot be blurry/or grainy (Must be able to see face clearly)
  It can not be the photo used to create the driver’s license itself. (The photo on your Japanese license will be taken at the Driver’s License Center the day you go to get your new license)
• (If applicable) List of Countries other than the US or Japan where you’ve obtained a driver’s license. Additional Documents need by Country
• Application Processing Fee:
  You’ll need to bring cash to purchase the application stamps at the Driver’s License Center. The vehicle size is determined by Japan standards, not your US state’s standards. This fee only covers processing your application.
  Driver’s License Types:
  • Normal: ¥2,550
  • Moped: ¥1,500
  • Large / Medium / Semi-medium: ¥4,100
    Other: ¥2,600

  	Vehicle total weight	Maximum loading capacity	Riding capacity	Age
  Ordinary car	Less than 3.5 tons	Less than 2 tons	10 people or less	18 years old and over
  Semi-medium-sized car	From 3.5 tons to less than 7.5 tons	From 2 tons to less than 4.5 tons	10 people or less	18 years old and over
  Medium-sized car	3.5 tons or more and less than 11 tons	From 4.5 tons to less than 6.5 tons	From 11 to 29	20 years and over
  Large car	11 tons or more	6.5 tons or more	30 or more	21 years old and over

• License Delivery fee:
  Bring ¥2,050
  This is the fee to get your Japanese license printed. Yes, it is a separate additional fee. Even though it has been translated to “Delivery” fee it will not be mailed to you, you will pick it up there at the Driver’s License Center.

Total cost to get all documents and license for normal driver’s license: ?8,800.

Process

If you have an Indiana driver’s License you’ll have to make an appointment to take and pass the written test before you can get it converted. Depending on availability, you may be able have both appointments on the same day, but be prepared to go on separate days.

1. Make an appointment with the Driver’s License Center you’ll be going to. Unfortunately you’ll most likely have to take time off work to go. Their hours are weekdays only from 8:30am to 11:00am and 1pm to 3pm, from Jan 4th to Dec 28th and they are not open on holidays. Depending on how busy it is, the wait between each step of the application and processing process can take 30 minutes to 2 hours; so be prepared to spend the day there.
2. Gather all documents and materials needed listed above.
3. Go to your appointment early. It is suggested to come 30 minutes before to make sure you have time to fill out the form you’ll get there and to be ready to start when they are ready for you. If your Japanese skill level is not high enough to talk in detail about your driver’s license and your driving history, you’ll need to bring a translator.
   Locations:
   Hokushin Driver’s License Center in Nagano City: 026-292-2345 (Ext. 271)
   Chu-Nanshin Driver’s License Center in Shiojiri: 0263-53-6611 (Ext. 553)
4. They will first collect all of the documents from you and process the paperwork into the system.
5. After they’ve processed the paperwork, they’ll have a list of questions for you to fill in any details about your state’s driving laws/procedures, your driving history, etc. This is standard and nothing to be worried about. Just be honest.
6. Next you’ll take a standard eye exam to test your vision and possibly also a hearing test. If your application was accepted, you’ll be asked to create a security code. This code protects your identity and information. It is 2 sets of 4 digits, however if you wish to not set up a security code, you can give your signature instead.
7. You’ll then get your photo taken to be on the driver’s license and then you’ll have to wait for the Driver’s License to be fully processed and printed. At this stage it is common for those taking the written and practical tests that day to get their licenses ahead of you. Be patient, they will call your name when it’s ready and may come to ask you a few additional basic questions while they add your information to the database.
8. Once you have your shiny new Japanese Driver’s License, you’ll be required by law to have the “Beginner Driver” sticker on the front and back of your car for the first 365 days of your license. These are less than ¥400 each, and if you are caught without them on your car, you could lose your license.

Ohio and Indiana were the most recent added states in 2021, and we’ll keep an eye out for future updates on the states that are exempt from requiring the written and practical driving skills tests.