The 3-Month Stay Rule for License Conversion in Japan: Proof

What “3 months in total after getting the license” means

The National Police Agency's (警察庁) guidelines count the stay “from the date the foreign license was obtained” and require it to be “3 months or more in total.” Because it's cumulative (通算), it doesn't have to be continuous: several separate stays that add up to 3 months qualify. Time spent there before you got the license does not count.

If you renewed your license and the card doesn't show the original issue date, you need a document proving the first issue date, such as a driving record (Tokyo Metropolitan Police, 警視庁). If you hold two or more classes (for example car and motorcycle), you need proof for each.

The basic proof: your passports, old ones included

The NPA lists “a passport or similar bearing entry and exit stamps” as proof, and its guidelines also mention documents such as a seaman's book. Bring every expired passport too, so all entries and exits since you got the license can be seen.

If you have dual nationality, Tokyo police ask you to bring the passports of every country on your appointment day. JAF's translation page also notes that conversion requires being able to prove “a total stay of 3 months or more in that country from the date the license was obtained.”

No stamps? Get the issuing country's entry/exit record

If you used automated gates, or the country doesn't stamp passports, your passport alone won't show the period. Tokyo police tell applicants to obtain an entry/exit record certificate from the country where they got the license, and note that some countries require additional documents even without e-gates.

The NPA guidelines say that when departure can't be confirmed from the passport, staff may ask for proof of employment or enrollment, payslips, a rental contract and similar, and confirm the stay by interview. Which documents suffice is up to the counter, though. The table shows examples from the Tokyo police country list (as of August 2026).

Can Japan's own immigration record be used?

You can request disclosure of your own entry/exit records from Japan's Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁). For foreign nationals it covers 1 November 1970 onward; the fee is ¥300 per request (paid with a revenue stamp, 収入印紙), in person or by mail. By law a decision is due within 30 days, but the agency warns of delays due to heavy demand.

However, the agency states clearly that the record only shows entries into and exits from Japan and does not prove travel to or residence in other countries. It may support the time you were away from Japan, but it may not prove you were in the country that issued your license. Ask your license center whether it helps, and prepare records from the issuing country as your main proof.

Other stay periods checked besides 3 months

At the document check, Tokyo police also look at the following, and ask you to bring anything showing your driving history and stays (such as old foreign licenses).

• Whether you must display the beginner driver mark (初心者マーク): 1 year or more in total in the issuing country
• Carrying a passenger on a motorcycle on ordinary roads: 1 year or more in total (otherwise not until your stays in the issuing country and Japan add up to 1 year)
• Carrying a passenger on a motorcycle on expressways: 3 years or more in total (likewise combined with time in Japan)
• Tokyo police warn that, depending on the country, the period provable by passport may differ from your actual stay

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Proof of stay usually has to be ordered from your home country, so it's the slowest part to prepare — sort it out before you book. Once your documents are ready, the next hurdle is the knowledge test (45 of 50 correct to pass; 42.8% pass rate). Practicing menkyopass mock tests in English will get you used to the real format.

• Leaving old passports at home → bring every passport since the license was issued
• No stamps because of e-gates → order the entry/exit record before booking
• Renewed license with unclear first issue date → prove it with a driving record or similar
• Dual national bringing only one passport → bring passports from all countries
• Not checking country-specific extra documents → read your prefecture's country list

FAQ

Related guides

• Japan License Conversion Documents: Juminhyo, Translation, Passport
• Japanese Translation of Your License for Conversion: JAF, Fees
• Converting a Chinese Driver's License (驾驶证) in Japan
• Converting a Philippine Driver's License in Japan: Apostille, OR
• Japan License Conversion Process: 6 Steps from Booking to License

Sources (in Japanese)

• 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」
• 警察庁「外国で取得した免許をお持ちの方」
• 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（滞在期間の確認）
• 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」
• 出入国在留管理庁「出入（帰）国記録の開示請求について」
• JAF「翻訳文の申請方法」（3か月滞在の注意）