The process of license conversion changes according to the country that issued your foreign license.
Applicants are divided into the following two categories:
Test
Non-Required
Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Korea Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom.
Applicants holding drivers licenses issued in the above countries do not need to sit either the written or driving tests when converting their foreign licenses.
Test Required
Applicants holding drivers licenses from countries not listed under the "Test Non-Required" heading above are required to pass both written and driving tests to complete the conversion process.
Why?
Countries are separated in each category according to the driving safety record. The Japanese government feels it is not necessary for those people from countries that have an equal or better safety record to take a written or driving test. Please feel free to check with us if you are not sure which category you fall under.