Converting a Vietnamese Driver's License (GPLX) in Japan

A Vietnamese license means document review, knowledge test and skills test

Only licenses from some countries and regions, such as Iceland, South Korea and Taiwan, are exempt from the tests. A Vietnamese GPLX is not, so after the document review you must pass the knowledge test (知識確認: 50 true/false questions in 30 minutes, at least 45 correct) and the skills test on the course (技能確認: at least 70 out of 100).

The basic conditions are the same for everyone: (1) your Vietnamese license is still valid; (2) you stayed in Vietnam for a total of at least 3 months after getting it; (3) you are registered as a resident in Japan and can submit a copy of your residence record (住民票の写し) with the specified items. People on a short-term (e.g. tourist) status cannot apply.

Extra documents for Vietnamese licenses (they differ by prefecture)

Each prefectural police force publishes its own list of country-specific documents, and the lists differ. The table shows examples checked in October 2026. Always check the latest list of the prefecture where you apply.

Tokyo requires a certification from the embassy. Tochigi lists a "score sheet or certification (Embassy in Japan)", which reads as either one. The country list of Aichi's Higashi-Mikawa license center has no entry for Vietnam, but it also says other documents may be requested and that certificates obtained abroad need a seal confirmation by the issuing country's foreign ministry or an apostille.

Where to get the Japanese translation: main options

You cannot translate the license yourself or have a friend do it. Tokyo accepts translations made by the issuing country's embassy in Japan, JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) and a few others.

If you renew your license, you need a new translation. Tokyo says the skills test is usually about 3 to 4 months after you book, and your license must be valid until that day. If it expires soon, renew it in Vietnam first and then get the translation.

Proving 3 months in Vietnam when your passport has no stamps

Your stay in Vietnam (a total of 3 months or more after the license was issued) is checked with the entry and exit stamps in your passport. Bring all your old passports. If you used automated gates and have no stamps, you need an official record of your entries and exits or similar.

Tokyo's list names the following "documents proving the length of stay" for when the passport is not enough. A salary statement alone is not accepted; it must be combined with other documents.

Tokyo also uses your time in Vietnam to decide whether you must display the beginner mark (初心者マーク, 1 year in total) and whether you may carry a passenger on a motorcycle (1 year in total on ordinary roads, 3 years on expressways).

• An entry and exit record showing your dates in and out of Vietnam
• Utility bills (electricity, water, gas, phone, internet) with your name, address and period of use
• Employment certificate from your employer in Vietnam stating the period
• Academic transcript from a school in Vietnam stating the period
• Tax certificates from a Vietnamese government office for 3 or more consecutive years
• Residence certificate from a Vietnamese government office

If you hold both a motorbike (A1, A2) and a car (B) license

Many Vietnamese drivers hold both. Which Japanese license you can get depends on the vehicles your Vietnamese license allows you to drive (National Police Agency guidelines). The license center will ask what you want to drive in Japan, and you may apply for a lower class. In Japan, the "small-size limited ordinary motorcycle" license (小型限定普通二輪) covers motorcycles of 125cc or less.

In Tokyo, licenses from non-exempt countries such as Vietnam can in principle be converted one class per application. To convert both car and motorbike, you apply separately. If you hold two or more classes, you need a document showing the issue date of each, and one application photo per class.

You can take the knowledge test in Vietnamese

Tokyo offers the knowledge test in 20 languages, including Vietnamese. At Aichi's Higashi-Mikawa license center, booking days for the document review depend on the issuing country, and Vietnamese licenses are handled Tuesday to Thursday (July 2026 notice).

According to the National Police Agency, pass rates in October to December 2025 were 42.8% for the knowledge test and 13.1% for the skills test. If you pass the knowledge test but fail the skills test, you are exempt from the knowledge test when you reapply within 6 months of the knowledge test date. Japanese traffic rules differ from Vietnam's in many ways, so practise the 50-question format with menkyopass's mock test in Vietnamese.

FAQ

Related guides

• Japan License Conversion Documents: Juminhyo, Translation, Passport
• Japanese Translation of Your License for Conversion: JAF, Fees
• The 3-Month Stay Rule for License Conversion in Japan: Proof
• Japanese License Classes You Can Get by Converting (incl. AT)
• Failed Japan License Conversion? Reapplying and the 6-Month Rule

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「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「国別必要書類一覧」中国語版PDF（滞在期間証明書類の一覧）
• 警視庁「注意事項」PDF
• 警視庁「外国語による学科試験・知識確認」
• 栃木県警察「必要証明書類（国別）一覧」PDF
• 愛知県警察 東三河運転免許センター「外国免許から国内免許への切替え」PDF（令和8年7月）
• JAF「翻訳文の申請方法」
• 日本経済新聞「外国人の免許切り替え、筆記試験の合格率9割→4割に 25年10〜12月」（警察庁公表の報道）