You renew a Japanese driver's license in person, from 1 month before to 1 month after your birthday in the expiry year. Foreign residents must also show a residence card or equivalent. As of October 2026 Tokyo charges ¥2,850 plus a ¥500 to ¥1,400 lecture fee. A gold license needs 5+ years licensed and 5 clean years, and is valid 5 years. If you are abroad at expiry, you can re-acquire it without tests within 3 years, applying within 1 month of return.
Driver’s license renewal in Japan works the same for foreigners as for Japanese drivers, with one extra step: you show your residence card (在留カード) or an equivalent. You renew in person from 1 month before to 1 month after your birthday in the year your license expires. In Tokyo, as of October 2026, a gold license renewal costs ¥3,350 (¥2,850 plus a ¥500 lecture). Miss the window and the license lapses.
The National Police Agency (警察庁) sets the renewal period (更新期間) as the 2 months around your birthday: from 1 month before to 1 month after the birthday just before the expiry date printed on your card. If the last day falls on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day.
A new license, including one you got by converting a foreign license, is valid until 1 month after the third birthday after it was issued, per Hamamatsu City’s guide for foreign residents. So your first renewal usually comes about 3 years after you got it.
Police mail a renewal notice postcard (更新連絡書) before the window opens. Tokyo and Aichi police say you can renew without it, but keep it if it arrives: Tokyo’s online booking asks for it.
Your lecture category, license color and validity depend on your record in the 5 years before a reference date 40 days before your birthday, per Aichi Prefectural Police.
| Category | Who | Color | Valid | Lecture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent (優良) | Licensed 5+ years in a row, no accidents or violations in 5 years | Gold | 5 years | 30 min |
| General (一般) | Licensed 5+ years, one minor violation (3 points or less) | Blue | 5 years | 1 hour |
| Violation (違反) | Anyone not in the other categories | Blue | 3 years | 2 hours |
| First renewal (初回更新) | Licensed under 5 years, at most one minor violation | Blue (see below) | 3 years | 2 hours |
A brand-new license has a green band. For the first renewal, the NPA’s Q&A says the “violation drivers etc.” group (違反運転者等) gets a blue 3-year license, and the Road Traffic Act (道路交通法, Article 92-2) puts anyone licensed for under 5 years in that group. Aichi police’s table lists green for first renewers, so ask at the counter if the color matters to you. Either way, the first renewal gives you 3 years. You can’t get gold until you’ve held a license for 5 years in a row.
From age 70 the validity is shorter. Tokyo police list, by your age on the expiry date: gold or general drivers get 5 years at 70, 4 years at 71 and 3 years at 72 or older. Violation and first-renewal drivers get 3 years.
A gold license (ゴールド免許) is the license for excellent drivers (優良運転者): 5+ years licensed continuously and no accidents or violations in the past 5 years. The NPA says it has nothing to do with whether you used early renewal. The benefits are practical:
Since 24 March 2025, the fee depends on whether you keep a card license, a My Number license, or both. Tokyo’s figures (Aichi lists the same):
| Fee | Card license only | My Number license only | Both |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renewal fee | ¥2,850 | ¥2,100 | ¥2,950 |
Add the lecture fee: ¥500 gold, ¥800 general, ¥1,400 violation or first renewal. Aichi charges ¥200 for the online lecture for gold and general drivers. If you are 70 or older and took the senior lecture beforehand, you pay only the renewal fee at the counter.
Since 24 March 2025 you can record your license on your My Number card (マイナ免許証) instead of, or as well as, the plastic card. The NPA lists three benefits: the online renewal lecture, a one-stop address change through your city office, and a lower renewal fee.
For foreign residents the online lecture is the main draw. Tokyo streams it in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese and Nepali as well as Japanese. You must hold a My Number license, be in the gold or general category and be under 70. The lecture alone doesn’t finish the renewal: you still book a slot for the eye test at a renewal venue.
Renewal is by reservation in Tokyo and Aichi. Where you can go depends on your category:
| Tokyo venue | Who can renew there |
|---|---|
| License centers (運転免許試験場): Fuchu, Samezu, Koto | All categories |
| Kanda renewal center | Gold and general |
| Shinjuku renewal center, 12 designated police stations | Gold only |
If a health condition may add or change a condition on your license (other than glasses), Tokyo says you must go to a license center.
In-person lectures are in Japanese. Aichi’s English leaflet says people who can’t communicate in Japanese must bring an interpreter. The only English lecture we found is the online one above.
Moved house? Updating your residence card at the city office does not update your license. You report the change to the police separately (記載事項変更): in Tokyo it is free at any police station, renewal center or license center, with your license and residence card. You can also do it at renewal. If you hold only a My Number license and have signed up for the one-stop service (by registering your signature certificate with the police and linking through Mynaportal), the city office change is enough, per Tokyo police.
If you are 70 or older on the expiry date, you must complete a senior lecture (高齢者講習) at a designated driving school before renewing. From 75, you first take a cognitive function test (認知機能検査), which you can do from 6 months before your renewal period ends. Police send a notice.
Yes. Early renewal (期間前更新) lets you renew before the window if you’ll be abroad during it. Bring proof that you will be abroad, such as your passport. In Tokyo it needs no reservation, and police suggest a license center. The new license is valid for a shorter time than a normal renewal.
You cannot renew your Japanese license from abroad. The NPA says renewal by proxy is not allowed and you must apply yourself. Foreign nationals who are no longer on the resident register generally can’t renew at all, so do it before you move out (see our leaving Japan checklist).
If you plan to drive abroad on a Japanese international driving permit (国外運転免許証, ¥2,250 in Tokyo, valid 1 year), Tokyo suggests early renewal when your license has under a year left, because the permit dies with your license. Visitors driving in Japan should see our international driving permit guide.
An expired license is not reissued. You re-acquire it as a new license, but the tests can be waived:
| Time since expiry | Reason needed? | What you take |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 months | No | Eye and aptitude test only |
| 6 months to 3 years | Yes: a stay abroad, hospitalization or similar | Aptitude test only; apply within 1 month of returning |
| Over 3 years | n/a | No waiver for a stay abroad |
“I was busy” or “I couldn’t get a booking” don’t count, Tokyo police say. Prove your stay with passport stamps. Automated gates don’t stamp, so bring an Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) entry and exit record, an embassy residence certificate or an employer’s posting letter instead. The NPA warns that if you returned once before and didn’t apply, that earlier return may be treated as the day your reason ended.
If you had a valid reason, the NPA counts your lapsed license years as continuous, so you can still qualify for gold later. In Tokyo, re-acquiring costs ¥1,950 for the test, the lecture fee and ¥2,350 to issue a card license.
Japan’s point system (違反点数) adds points for each violation; nothing is deducted. Tokyo police count the points over the past 3 years. With no past suspensions, 6 to 14 points means a suspension and 15 or more means revocation. After one past suspension, the thresholds drop to 4 and 10.
| Violation (Tokyo, April 2026) | Points |
|---|---|
| Speeding under 20 km/h over | 1 |
| Running a red light, not stopping at a stop sign | 2 each |
| Holding a phone while driving | 3 |
| Speeding 30 to 50 km/h over (general roads) | 6 |
| Drink driving under 0.25 mg/l | 13 |
One minor violation in 5 years turns gold into blue at your next renewal. Anything more, including one violation of 4 points or more, puts you in the 3-year violation category.
More guides: converting a foreign license, international driving permit, car insurance for foreigners, buying a car in Japan and re-entry permits.
It is the license for excellent drivers (優良運転者): licensed for 5+ years in a row with no accidents or violations in the past 5 years. It is valid 5 years (shorter from age 71) and needs only a 30-minute lecture.
No. The National Police Agency says renewal is in person only and proxies are not allowed. Renew early before you leave, or, if it expires while you are away, re-apply within 1 month of returning and within 3 years of expiry.
Not as far as we can find: no police page ties the two. The expiry date is set by your birthday and your record. You do need a valid residence card (在留カード) or equivalent to renew.
With no past suspensions, 6 to 14 points in 3 years means a suspension and 15 or more means revocation, per the Tokyo police. Running a red light is 2 points; holding a phone while driving is 3.
No. Tokyo and Aichi police say you can renew within the period without the postcard. Tokyo's online booking does ask for it, so keep it if it arrives.
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