Expired, Renewed or Reissued Foreign License: Can You Convert?

An expired license cannot be converted

The 警察庁 guidelines (外国免許等関係事務取扱い要領) tell examiners to check the validity period of the foreign license during document screening. Anyone who presents a license that has expired at the time of application is “not recognized as holding a foreign license,” so the partial test exemption (the conversion) doesn't apply. JAF also lists it as a condition: an expired license cannot be converted.

If yours has expired, you first need a valid license again, for example by renewing it under the rules of the issuing country. For licenses with no expiry date printed, the guidelines say they are not necessarily lifetime licenses, so the counter will check, for example by asking 警察庁.

It must stay valid until your skills check

Being valid on the screening day isn't enough: if it expires afterwards, the process stalls. Tokyo Metropolitan Police (警視庁) says skills-check applicants need a license valid on the day of the skills check (技能確認), which is roughly 3–4 months after the booking date, so anyone close to renewal should renew first and then book. Kanagawa Police (神奈川県警) likewise says you must pass through the skills check within your foreign license's validity.

If you fail and reapply, you also need a valid license at that time. Count back from the expiry date and allow for the following.

• Getting the translation: JAF averages 5–10 business days (6,600 yen for conversion)
• Waiting for a screening appointment: varies widely by prefecture and season
• Skills check: in Tokyo, roughly 3–4 months after the booking date
• If you fail, reapply and rebook (within 6 months of the knowledge test date, the knowledge test is waived)

Just renewed: get a new translation, and the first issue date is what counts

If you apply with a renewed license, you need a Japanese translation of the renewed license (警視庁). JAF also says a new translation is required after renewal or any change on the license, and that a translation is valid only as long as the license is. A translation of the old license won't be accepted.

Under the 要領, the 3-month stay is counted “from the date the foreign license was obtained” (取得年月日). In some countries, renewal resets the card's issue date or validity start date. 警視庁 says that if the license doesn't show the date obtained, you need “a document proving the date obtained (first issue date, 初回取得日), such as a driver record.” If you hold two or more classes (for example car and motorcycle), you need proof for each.

警視庁 also asks you to bring any expired previous licenses from the same country. The beginner-mark exemption (1 year in total) and motorcycle passenger rules (1 year / 3 years in total) are also checked against your stay after getting the license, so old cards help show your driving history.

Applying with a reissued license (lost or stolen)

A license reissued after loss can be used if it is valid. But if the card only shows the reissue date, the original date isn't visible, so, as with renewal, you need proof of your first issue date. If details changed with the reissue, get a new translation for the new card (JAF).

In some countries, the old card becomes void once a replacement is issued. For example, China's rules state that after a lost license is replaced, the original license is void (作废) and may not be used (Ministry of Public Security Order No. 162, Article 69). Bring the new valid card to the counter, and the old card only as supporting history.

No issue date on the card? Examples from the 警視庁 country list

The 警視庁 country-specific document list (国別必要書類一覧, as of August 2026) shows what to bring when the first issue date or issue date isn't on the license. Other prefectures may ask for different documents, so check with the police in the prefecture where you apply.

Chinese licenses (驾驶证): check the 初次领证日期 field

Article 12 of China's 机动车驾驶证申领和使用规定 (Ministry of Public Security Order No. 162) lists what the vehicle administration office records on the license, including 初次领证日期 (the date the license was first issued), vehicle class codes and validity period. Validity is 6 years, 10 years or long-term (Article 13), and renewal on expiry must be applied for within 90 days before expiry (Article 63).

Because the 3 months run from the date obtained, compare 初次领证日期 with your entry/exit records to confirm you stayed in China for at least 3 months in total afterwards. In Tokyo, Chinese license holders also need a stamped 基本信息, one of the listed certificates (results, history, credit status or a digital license printout) and 10 years of entry/exit records from the National Immigration Administration (NIA).

Checklist before you apply

If you only discover a validity or issue-date problem at the counter, you'll have to start over from booking. Check these first. Once your documents are ready, the next hurdle is the knowledge test (50 questions, 45 correct to pass). menkyopass's practice tests in English help you get used to the real format.

• Does your foreign license expire after your expected skills-check date?
• If renewed or reissued, is the translation for the new card?
• Is the first issue date on the license? If not, do you have a driver record or similar?
• Are you bringing your expired old licenses too?
• For two or more classes, do you have proof of each issue date?

FAQ

Related guides

• Japan License Conversion Documents: Juminhyo, Translation, Passport
• The 3-Month Stay Rule for License Conversion in Japan: Proof
• Japanese Translation of Your License for Conversion: JAF, Fees
• Converting a Chinese Driver's License (驾驶证) in Japan
• After Converting Your License in Japan: Renewal and Beginner Mark

Sources (in Japanese)

• 警察庁 丙運発第59号 別添「外国免許等関係事務取扱い要領」（令和8年1月8日）
• 警察庁「外国で取得した免許をお持ちの方」
• 警視庁「外国で取得した運転免許証を日本の運転免許証に切り替えるには」
• 警視庁 必要書類（共通）PDF
• 警視庁 国別必要書類一覧PDF（令和8年8月現在）
• 警視庁 注意事項PDF
• 神奈川県警察 外国免許からの切替え
• JAF 日本語翻訳文について
• 中国 公安部令第162号「机动车驾驶证申领和使用规定」（中国政府网）