Driving on Japan’s Roads Requires Converting a Ukrainian License

What should someone who came to Japan holding a driver’s license obtained in Ukraine do to drive a car on Japan’s roads? To state the conclusion first: neither a Ukrainian driver’s license nor an international driving permit issued in Ukraine, by itself, qualifies you to drive in Japan. You need to obtain a Japanese license, and a person holding a Ukrainian license can use a procedure called “conversion of a foreign license” (外国免許の切替え), which exempts part of the exam.

This article is based on what could be confirmed in September 2026 on official pages of the National Police Agency (NPA), the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD), and the United Nations treaty database, among others. This article cannot determine whether the procedure applies to your particular case. Check with the driver’s license center in the prefecture where you live.

Why an International Driving Permit Doesn’t Work

According to the NPA, to drive in Japan you must hold one of the following three (Road Traffic Act, Articles 64 and 107-2).

• A Japanese driver’s license
• An international driving permit under the “Convention on Road Traffic” (signed in Geneva in 1949, known as the Geneva Convention)
• A license from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan, accompanied by a Japanese translation prepared by a designated preparer

The key point is the second item. The international driving permit Japan recognizes is limited to one in the format of the 1949 Geneva Convention. According to the UN treaty database, Japan acceded to this convention on August 7, 1964, but Ukraine’s name does not appear on the list of parties. Ukraine is instead a party to a different treaty, the 1968 “Convention on Road Traffic” (the Vienna Convention), which it ratified on July 12, 1974. Japan is not on the Vienna Convention’s list of parties.

Ukraine also does not appear on the NPA’s published “List of Geneva Convention Parties and Others” (as of August 27, 2025). Nor is it among the third category, the “6 countries/regions whose licenses can be used with a translation.” The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ page for travelers (posted in 2016) likewise explains, in its entry on Japan, that a Ukrainian-format driver’s license cannot be used in Japan, and that it must be converted into a Japanese license.

Under Ukraine’s own system, an international driving permit is issued by a regional service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is valid for 3 years (not exceeding the validity period of the domestic license) (Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 340, “Regulation on the Procedure for Issuing Driver’s Licenses and Admitting Citizens to Operate Vehicles,” Item 33). This means that even if you obtained one before leaving Ukraine, it cannot be used to drive in Japan.

What “Conversion of a Foreign License” Means

A person holding a driver’s license issued by a foreign government body can apply to have part of Japan’s driving test (the written test and the practical skills test) waived, for the categories of vehicle their license covers (Road Traffic Act, Article 97-2, Paragraph 3). This procedure is commonly called “gaimen kirikae” (foreign-license conversion). After applying, the applicant undergoes a check of the knowledge needed to drive (a “knowledge check”) and a check of actual driving (a “skills check”), and if no problems are found, a Japanese license is issued.

The NPA gives the main conditions as follows.

• The foreign license must be valid. An expired license cannot be used for conversion.
• You must have stayed in that country for a total of 3 months or more after obtaining the license. A document showing the length of stay, such as a passport with entry and exit records, is required.
• The applicant must apply in person. Applications by proxy are not accepted.
• Applications are made at the driver’s license center of the prefectural police with jurisdiction over your address in Japan, or a similar office.

The NPA states clearly that conversion from an international driving permit is not carried out. What is used for conversion is the Ukrainian domestic driver’s license itself.

The Procedure Became Stricter From October 2025

On October 1, 2025, the Regulation for Enforcement of the Road Traffic Act was revised, changing the foreign-license conversion procedure. Here is a summary of the points relevant to readers, from TMPD and NPA materials.

• A copy of the certificate of residence is now required. You must submit a copy of your certificate of residence (住民票の写し) showing “specified items” such as nationality, status of residence, period of stay, and residence card number. TMPD requires one issued within 6 months and not showing your My Number.
• Applying is no longer possible on a “Temporary Visitor” status of residence. The NPA’s administrative guidelines state that, unlike before, people with Temporary Visitor status cannot apply for a license.
• The knowledge check grew from 10 questions to 50. Illustration-based questions have been abolished; applicants now answer 50 text-based questions within 30 minutes and must get at least 45 correct. Previously, the requirement was 7 correct out of 10.
• The skills check has also become stricter. TMPD cites added tasks, such as crossing a pedestrian crossing, and tighter scoring standards.

For some people who evacuated from Ukraine, their status of residence on entering Japan was “Temporary Visitor.” In that case, it means they cannot apply for conversion until their status of residence changes and they have completed resident registration. Terms related to resident registration are compiled in a separate article.

Documents to Prepare

The documents required for a conversion application, as listed on the NPA’s page, are as follows. Some prefectures may ask for additional documents.

• The application form and a questionnaire about medical conditions and symptoms
• 1 photo for the application (3.0 cm by 2.4 cm, taken within the past 6 months)
• A copy of the certificate of residence showing the specified items
• An identity document (such as a passport)
• Your Ukrainian driver’s license (an international driving permit cannot be used)
• A Japanese translation of the driver’s license
• A document (such as a passport) showing you were in Ukraine for a total of 3 months or more after obtaining the license
• The application fee

TMPD states that a foreign license must be the original, in card or paper form, and that an electronic license alone is not sufficient for conversion. In Ukraine, a driver’s license can be displayed in the government app Diia (Дія), but this means that, to convert a license in Tokyo, you need to bring the original physical card. If the license does not state the date it was obtained, a document showing that is also required.

Who Can Prepare the Translation

Not just anyone can prepare the translation. The NPA limits, by law, who may prepare it, and also notes that this does not include a translation by a foreign country’s certified (sworn) translator.

• The government body of the country that issued the license, or that country’s embassy or consulate in Japan
• A corporation designated by the National Public Safety Commission (the NPA’s page names JAF (the Japan Automobile Federation), Zipplus Corporation, and the Japan Visitor Driver Support Association, a general incorporated association)

TMPD’s “required documents” material lists Ukraine among the countries Zipplus Corporation can translate for. JAF also issues translations for licenses from countries other than the 6 countries/regions whose licenses can be used with a translation alone (it has suspended issuing translations for Afghan licenses); as of September 2026, JAF’s page gives ¥6,600 (revised July 1, 2026, tax included) for a translation intended for converting to a Japanese license, and an average turnaround of 5 to 10 business days for licenses from countries other than Switzerland and the other 5 named countries/regions. Applications can only be made online from within Japan. JAF also notes that it may not be able to issue a translation for some licenses.

Can the Knowledge Check Be Taken in Ukrainian?

In a notice issued in May 2024, the NPA called on each prefectural police to introduce written tests and knowledge checks in 20 languages, including Ukrainian. However, which language is introduced, and when, is up to each prefecture.

TMPD’s (Tokyo’s) page states that its foreign-license-conversion knowledge check questions are available in 20 languages, including Ukrainian. If taking the check in another prefecture, check with the driver’s license center in advance whether Ukrainian-language questions are available. TMPD also states that a person who cannot speak Japanese may be asked to bring someone who can interpret.

For People Who Evacuated Without Their Documents

Some people who evacuated from Ukraine were unable to bring their license or passport with them. On this point, TMPD’s page includes the following note.

For a person who evacuated from Ukraine and does not have their Ukrainian driver’s license, its translation, or a document proving the length of their stay, these documents can be replaced by showing the “Certificate Proving the Holder Is a Person Who Evacuated From Ukraine” issued by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and declaring that they hold a Ukrainian driver’s license. This applies only to those who were in Ukraine for a total of 3 months or more after obtaining the license.

This is the handling described on TMPD’s page. What the NPA has published as a nationwide, common approach is an internal procedure: where a person recognized as a refugee or a person eligible for complementary protection cannot produce the license, its translation, or documentation of their stay, the prefectural police consults with the NPA on how to handle it (per administrative guidelines in effect from April 2026). Those living outside Tokyo should check with their own prefecture’s driver’s license center, before applying, on how it is handled there.

Cost, and What Comes After Conversion

On TMPD’s page, the fees for converting a regular license are a ¥2,500 application fee and a ¥2,350 issuance fee. Check with the driver’s license center in other prefectures for their fees. The cost of the translation and the photo are separate.

There are also rules that apply after conversion. According to TMPD, the newly issued license is valid from the issuance date until one month after your third birthday following that date. TMPD also states that it checks, from documents, whether you have a total of at least 1 year of experience in the country where you obtained your license, in order to determine whether you must display a beginner driver mark (初心運転者標識). Anyone classified as a beginner driver must display the beginner mark on the front and back of their vehicle while driving for 1 year from the license’s issuance date. Carrying a passenger on a motorcycle also has an experience-based requirement.

What to check	Where to check it
Whether the Ukrainian license is within its validity period	The license itself
Whether you were in Ukraine for a total of 3 months or more after obtaining the license, and whether you have a document showing this	Passport entry/exit records, etc.
Whether your status of residence is not “Temporary Visitor,” and whether resident registration is complete	Residence card, municipal counter
A copy of your certificate of residence showing the specified items (within 6 months)	Municipal counter
Japanese translation	JAF, Zipplus Corporation, etc.
Whether the knowledge check can be taken in Ukrainian, and whether a reservation is needed	The driver’s license center for your address
How a shortage of documents is handled	The driver’s license center for your address

One last point. Driving on a Ukrainian license or international driving permit before obtaining a Japanese license constitutes driving without a license. Do not drive until your conversion is complete.