Before you start

Ward registration and a residence card
Your foreign licence, with an official Japanese translation from JAF or the issuing embassy
Proof you held the licence and were physically present in the issuing country for at least three months after it was issued
A jūminhyō residence certificate — compulsory for every applicant since 1 October 2025

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your country is exempt from the practical test
A specific list of countries and territories can convert without a driving test — most of western Europe, Australia, Korea, Taiwan and others. If yours is not on it, expect a closed-course examination with standards that surprise experienced drivers.
OnlineWho: You
2
Get the official translation from JAF
The Japan Automobile Federation issues the accepted translation of a foreign licence, and it must come from JAF or your embassy — a private translation is not accepted. Allow time for it before booking anything.
In personWho: You
3
Prove the three-month residence requirement
You must show you were in the issuing country for at least three months after the licence was issued. Old passport stamps are the usual evidence, which is a strong argument for never discarding an expired passport.
In personWho: You
4
Book at the prefectural driving licence centre and expect to return
The application, eyesight check and knowledge check are done at the Miyagi Prefectural Police licence centre. Since 1 October 2025 the knowledge check has been fifty written questions with a 90% pass mark rather than ten illustrated ones at 70%. If a practical test is required, first-attempt failure is common and repeat bookings can take weeks.
In personWho: You
5
Understand that an International Driving Permit expires after one year
An IDP issued under the Geneva Convention is valid for one year from entry and cannot be renewed by a short trip abroad. Start the conversion well before the year is up.
OnlineWho: You
6
Fit winter tyres before December, and treat it as compulsory
Sendai gets much less snow than the Japan Sea side of Tōhoku, but it gets freezing rain, black ice on the hill roads in western Aoba and Taihaku, and enough snow days to matter. Studless winter tyres are the norm from roughly late November to early April, prefectural rules restrict driving on inadequate tyres in winter conditions, and a rental car booked in winter should be confirmed as winter-shod.
In personWho: YouBy late November

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence
JAF or embassy translation of it
Passport, including expired ones showing the three-month residence
Residence card and jūminhyō
Passport photographs

Things most newcomers don’t know

The three-month rule blocks more conversions than the driving test does.

You must prove you were physically present in the country that issued your licence for at least three months after issue. Someone who obtained a licence shortly before emigrating simply cannot convert, however experienced. Old passports with entry and exit stamps are the standard evidence — never throw one away.

Source: National Police Agency

The practical test assesses a procedural style, not competence, and experienced drivers fail it.

For applicants from non-exempt countries the closed-course examination tests exaggerated mirror and shoulder checks, precise lane positioning, a crank course and an S-curve. Decades of safe driving do not help. Budget for two or three attempts and consider a single lesson at a local school first.

Source: community-reported

Two subway lines is not a rail network, and it changes the ownership calculation.

The Namboku Line has run north–south since 1987 and the Tōzai Line east–west since 6 December 2015. Between them they cover a cross through the middle of the city and nothing else — everywhere off that cross is bus-served. In practice a household in central Aoba or along either line does not need a car, and one in the hillside estates or the outer parts of Izumi and Taihaku usually does. Decide where you are living before deciding whether to convert.

Source: community-reported

Winter tyres are a household cost here that western Japan does not have.

Sendai's winter is milder than Sapporo's or Niigata's, which lulls people into treating tyres as optional. The city's hills freeze, the sea-level roads get black ice after a clear night, and a set of studless tyres plus storage for the summer set is a real annual cost. It is also the reason a lot of newcomers here drive far less between December and March than they expected to.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Discarding old passports and losing the evidence for the three-month residence requirement.
Assuming your country is exempt from the practical test without checking the list.
Relying on an International Driving Permit past its one-year validity.
Buying a car before securing the parking-space certificate.
Driving a hillside commute through a Sendai winter on summer tyres.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.