If you're converting a foreign driver's license into a Japanese one — a process called gaimen kirikae (外免切替) — the single biggest question is whether you'll have to take a driving test. The answer has almost nothing to do with your nationality and everything to do with which country, or which U.S. state, actually issued your license. The 警察庁 (keisatsuchō, National Police Agency) keeps an official list that sorts every license-issuing jurisdiction into one of two buckets: exempt from testing, or required to test. This article lays out that list in plain English so you know which one applies to you before you show up at the 免許センター (menkyo sentā, driver's license center).
To be clear about what "exempt" actually means: exempt jurisdictions skip the knowledge test and the closed-course skills test. You still go through document screening, a vision test, and you still pay the fees. Nobody skips the paperwork. If your license was issued somewhere not on the exempt list, you'll need to pass both a written knowledge test and a practical test on a closed course, which is a very different — and much longer — process. For a full walk-through of the entire procedure end to end, see the full conversion guide, and if you already know you're in test-required territory, read what the test involves if you're not exempt before you book anything.
The fully-exempt country list
As of this writing, licenses issued by these 28 countries qualify for document-and-vision-only conversion, with no knowledge or skills test required:
- Iceland
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
- Italy
- Australia
- Austria
- Netherlands
- Canada
- South Korea
- Greece
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Spain
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Germany
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Hungary
- Finland
- France
- Belgium
- Portugal
- Poland
- Monaco
- Luxembourg
- Taiwan
If your license was issued by one of these countries, you should still expect a genuine appointment with document review and an eyesight check — it's just that the examiner won't hand you a written exam or take you out to the course.
One footnote for drivers from Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Monaco, and Taiwan: these countries issue the 1968 Vienna Convention style of International Driving Permit, which Japan does not accept for short-term driving on a foreign license. That's a completely separate issue from gaimen kirikae — it only affects short-term IDP driving, not your conversion exemption — but it trips people up constantly. See the IDP and the Geneva-vs-Vienna catch if you're also trying to drive on an IDP before or during your conversion process.
The USA is different: it's by state, not by country
There is no blanket "USA" exemption. The United States doesn't have a single national license, so Japan's agreements are struck state by state. Only these U.S. states are fully exempt from both tests:
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Colorado
- Virginia
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- Washington
Indiana is a special middle case: the skills test is waived, but you still have to pass the knowledge test. Every other U.S. state — including large ones like California, New York, and Texas — requires the full process: both the knowledge test and the practical skills test, exactly like a test-required country.
This list isn't static, either. Colorado, for example, was only added in 2023. If you're American, don't assume anything based on what a friend from a different state experienced — check the state that actually issued the license you're converting.
Who has to take the test
Anyone whose license comes from a jurisdiction not named above must complete both the knowledge test and the closed-course practical test. This includes large groups of applicants from countries like China, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Russia, along with the 43 non-exempt U.S. states. None of this is a judgment on your driving ability — it simply reflects which countries and states have reciprocal agreements with Japan and which don't.
The 3-month rule applies to everyone
Regardless of whether your country or state is exempt, there's one requirement that never goes away: you must have stayed in the country that issued your license for a combined total of three months (90 days) or more, counted after the date the license was issued. This is verified against your passport stamps. Being from a fully-exempt country like the UK or Canada does not let you skip this — if you got your license and then left the country within a few weeks, you won't meet the requirement no matter how favorable your country's status is on the exempt list.
It's the issuing state or country, not your nationality — and the list can change. A U.S. citizen with a California license and a U.S. citizen with a Washington license face completely different processes, even though both are American. And the exempt list itself gets updated (Colorado's 2023 addition is a recent example), so don't rely on what you read somewhere last year without checking the current version.
What exemption does and doesn't get you
Being on the exempt list is genuinely valuable — it removes the two hardest parts of the process, the knowledge exam and the driving test, which can otherwise take multiple attempts and weeks of retries. But exemption does not mean a walk-in, no-paperwork process. Even fully-exempt applicants still need:
- Document screening, including your original license, a certified translation, and proof of the 3-month in-country stay
- A vision test at the center
- Payment of the applicable fees
- Since October 2025, registration as a resident with a 住民票 (jūminhyō, residence certificate)
So "exempt" should be read as "no tests," not "no process."
Confirm before you go
This list is maintained by the 警察庁 and applied through prefectural 免許センター, and it changes over time as agreements are negotiated or updated. Procedures can also vary slightly by prefecture. Nothing in this article is legal advice — treat it as a starting orientation, and confirm the current exempt list and your prefecture's specific requirements with the official source or your local center before you schedule an appointment. If you're not sure where to start, the path router can help you figure out which process applies to your situation, and the FAQ covers common edge cases.