●To Applicants for General motorized bicycle
 From Monday, June, 16, 2025, document screening will be done by appointment only.
 Applicants should come to Window No.10 at Chiba Driver’s License Center during the following hours.
 ・Reception date : Monday through Friday, except year-end and New Year holidays, national holidays, and substitute holidays.  
・Reception hours : 14:30 to 15:00
Applicants must come in person for identity verification.
 Therefore, please be sure to bring some ID cards such as a residence card etc.
Applicants who cannot speak Japanese should come along with a Japanese speaker for interpretation.
 
 
●To Applicants for driver’s license except General motorized bicycle
 Currently, Chiba Prefectural Police don’t require any appointment for document screening except for general motorized bicycles, those types of licenses need to make an appointment for the aptitude test, written test and driving skill test after passing the document screening.
Due to the large number of applicants, the appointments for aptitude and other tests are fully booked for the next few months.
 Reviewing of the procedures for switching foreign driver’s license is under consideration.
 So before applying please be aware that the procedures you need to go through might change after your application.

 
Reception Hours Monday through Friday (except for public holidays and New Year holidays)
※There are no exams on Saturday and Sunday.
  • 8:30 to 9:00
  • 13:00 to 13:30
※You must make a reservation prior to taking the driving skill test.
Location of Reception Reception No.10 on the 1st floor of Chiba Driver's License Center
Eligibility Requirements
  • The applicant must have a valid foreign license, have stayed in the country where the license was issued for three months or more from and inclusive of the date of issue, and be at least 18 years old for the regular-passenger-car license, 16 years old for the regular-size-motorcycle and moped license, and 18 years old for the large-size-motorcycle license.
  • The applicant must be a resident registered in Chiba Prefecture and must have a valid visa if he or she is a foreign national.
Necessary Documents
  • Driver’s License Application Form
  • A currently valid foreign driver’s license and an expired license if you have one 
  • Japanese translation of the valid foreign driver’s license
    The translation must be done by the embassy or consulate of representing the country where the license was issued, the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), Ziplus Co.Ltd, Taiwan-Japan Exchange Association (for Taiwanese license only), or ADAC (for German license only).
  • A Certificate of Residence with the permanent domicile　indicated (no photocopy acceptable).   Or, a Certificate of Residence indicating the applicant’s nationality etc., if the applicant is a foreign national (no photocopy acceptable).
  • Applicant’s photo (3 cm high × 2.4 cm wide)
  • Passport
    ※A valid passport and old passports, if you have any.
  • Documents of driver’s history or certificates from a foreign driver’s license issuing organization or Embassy, etc.(PDF:97KB)
  • Japanese driver’s license, if you have one(even if expired)
＊We recommend you to contact Chiba Driver’s License Center in advance since the documents you need to submit may vary depending on the conditions how you have earned your driver’s license overseas. The phone number should you need to call is Chiba Driver’s License Center at 043-274-2000, during our office hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 pm, JST, Monday through Friday except public holidays). Once you reach us, press “1”,”55”, then “1” while following instructions.
Procedures
  • Document-based examination
  • Aptitude test
  • Written test
The test is available in the following 20 languages.
English, Spanish, Persian, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Thai,Tagalog, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Myanmar, Mongolian,Ukrainian, Sinhalese, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi
  • Driving skill test
  •  
Notice
  • The procedure has changed from December 2024.
    No appointment is required for the document -based examination, but an appointment will be required from the aptitude test onward.
    All tests from the aptitude test to the driving skill test will be done on the same day.
    Currently, the number of applicants for the conversion of foreign license is on the rise.
    Therefore, you will have to wait for a long time until the appointment day.
    Driver’s license will be issued only to those can drive adhering to Japanese traffic Law.
    So, we recommend you that study Japanese traffic rules and practice driving at a driving school in order to pass the driving skill test on your first try.
     
    Click here for a list of designated driving schools in Chiba Prefecture.
  •  
  • Any changes to the process for switching foreign driver’s license will be announced on Chiba Prefectural Police website. Be sure to visit this website regularly for updates. 

 
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