Converting a Foreign License in Okayama: Booking and Documents

The Okayama flow: book → document review → tests on an assigned day

You first attend the document review (書類審査); those who pass take the aptitude test, knowledge test and driving test on an assigned day later. You aren't told the review result on the spot — you check it yourself by phone or similar afterwards. The counter is the test reception counter C (C窓口) on the 1st floor of the center.

Book by phone or in person — phone only at the start of the month

Book with the Okayama Driver's License Center (086-724-2200), either by phone or by visiting. Document-review bookings at the start of the month, however, are phone-only. Bookings are taken Monday–Friday (excluding holidays and the New Year period), 10:00–17:00.

Okayama police have an online booking site for written exams, but they state clearly that it is not for foreign license conversion. Book the conversion by phone or in person. The police also say a booking is needed to take a test in one of the 20 languages, so mention your preferred language when you book.

Documents needed in Okayama

This is the list on the Okayama police official page.

• ID (residence card 在留カード, passport, etc.)
• Your foreign driver's license
• A translation of the license (翻訳文), only from an approved maker such as the issuing country's or region's authority or consulate, JAF, or the German Automobile Club (ドイツ自動車連盟)
• Residence certificate (住民票): no copies, no My Number. Foreign nationals need one showing nationality, residence status, period of stay and the category under Article 30-45 of the Basic Resident Registration Act; Japanese nationals need one showing 本籍
• Proof of your period of stay (passport, seaman's book, etc.)
• Your Japanese license or My Number card license if you have one (valid or expired; bring both if you have both)
• One application photo, 3.0cm tall × 2.4cm wide, taken within 6 months, no hat, plain background, facing forward, chest up
• An International Driving Permit (if you have one from a Geneva Convention country)
• Fees
• Glasses etc. if you need them for the eyesight test

The review checks your 3-month stay and how you got the license

Your stay in the issuing country is checked with your passport etc.: you must have been there for 3 months or more from the license's acquisition date (or its issue date if no acquisition date is shown). If neither date is shown, or a renewal changed the issue date so that 3 months can't be confirmed, you may be asked for a certificate of the acquisition date. Check the dates on your license before applying.

At the review you will be asked how you obtained your foreign license. The questions are in Japanese; if you can't answer in Japanese, you must bring an interpreter.

Knowledge test, driving test and 20 languages

After passing the aptitude test (eyesight etc.) comes the knowledge test: 50 questions, pass with 45 or more correct, 30 minutes. You can choose from 20 languages: English, Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Persian, Korean, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Burmese, Mongolian, Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic and Hindi.

After passing it, you take the driving test in a real car on the course inside the Okayama Driver's License Center, following Japanese traffic law. If you apply for a large or regular motorcycle license, bring gloves, a helmet and so on. The police say both tests are at the level of the provisional license (仮免許) exam, and recommend studying and practising beforehand at a driving school or similar.

If you previously held a Japanese license of the same class (for example, you can submit an expired one), the knowledge and driving tests may be waived.

Fees

According to the Okayama police fee page (revised 24 March 2025), the test fees for general applicants and the issuance fees on passing are as below. The same page says that taking a driving test or skills review in a center vehicle costs an extra vehicle fee (regular car, on-course test: 1,750 yen). Confirm the exact total for conversion when you phone to book.

Getting to the center, and preparing for the test

Address: 岡山市北区御津中山444-3; phone 086-724-2200.

• From the south of the prefecture: Chutetsu or Okaden bus from JR Okayama Station, get off at 免許センター
• From the north: Mitsu-Takebe community bus (Chutetsu) from JR Kanagawa Station etc., get off at 免許センター
• By car: aim for the Karako Tunnel (辛香トンネル) on Route 53, about 5 minutes from the Okayama IC exit towards Tsuyama
• Bus times: ask the operators (Okaden Tsudaka office 086-253-7678, Chutetsu Okayama office 086-222-6601)
• You need 45 correct answers in the knowledge test. menkyopass mock tests let you practise the same 50-question, 30-minute format in Vietnamese, English, Chinese or Japanese

FAQ

Related guides

• Japan License Conversion Process: 6 Steps from Booking to License
• Japan License Conversion Documents: Juminhyo, Translation, Passport
• How to Book a License Conversion Appointment in Japan
• The 3-Month Stay Rule for License Conversion in Japan: Proof
• Foreign License Conversion in Hiroshima: Phone Booking & Centers

Sources (in Japanese)

• 岡山県警察「外国免許の切替え（試験の一部免除）手続について」（2026年7月1日更新）
• 岡山県警察「学科試験・知識確認の外国語問題が20言語になりました」PDF
• 岡山県警察「学科試験の予約について」
• 岡山県警察「運転免許関係の手数料について」
• 岡山県警察「岡山県運転免許センター等へのアクセス」
• 警察庁 丙運発第59号（令和8年1月8日）別添「外国免許等関係事務取扱い要領」