運転免許証
Certified translation of Japanese driver's licenses
Exchanging a Japanese licence for a local one, renting a car, or opening an insurance policy abroad usually means handing over a licence the office cannot read. Send a scan or clear photograph of both sides, and we will email your certified translation and signed certificate of accuracy in PDF and Word formats within 48 hours of payment. A licence is a single card, so the total is $24.95 and it is fixed before you pay.
$24.95 per licenceFront and back count as one page
Certificate of accuracy included · Fixed total before you pay
- Delivered within 48 hours
- Sent by email in PDF and Word formats once payment is confirmed. A 24-hour expedited option is available.
- Official documents only, since 2021
- Driver’s licenses, vehicle records, and civil-status documents for licence exchange, vehicle registration, and insurance procedures abroad.
- Fixed total before you pay
- Send your scans and our quote will state the single, fixed total for the entire order. You can cancel for a full refund at any point before work begins.
What a Japanese driver's license records
A Japanese licence is a single plastic card printed on both sides. The front shows the holder's name, date of birth, registered address, the date the licence was first issued, the expiry date, the licence number, the vehicle categories the holder is licensed for, and the prefectural Public Safety Commission that issued it. It also carries the colour band and classification that reflect the holder's record. The back is used for later entries, most often a change of registered address recorded by a police station, and for any conditions attached to the licence, such as corrective lenses. Because both sides can carry information the receiving office needs, the translation covers the card as a whole.
Dates, categories, and conditions
Japanese licences print dates in the Japanese era calendar, and the categories are listed in a grid of Japanese vehicle classes that has no exact equivalent abroad. Dates are converted to the Gregorian calendar, and each category is translated by the class it denotes rather than replaced with a foreign licence class, so the receiving office can map it to their own system themselves. The same applies to the classification band and any conditions: they are translated as what the card states, without interpretation.
How much does a driver's license translation cost?
Translation costs $24.95 per licence, with both sides treated as a single page. That includes our signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy and standard delivery within 48 hours. If you are submitting other documents in the same application, such as a residence certificate or a family register extract, they are billed per page of the original and discounts start at three documents. You can review our complete fee structure and sample order totals on our pricing page.
Common questions
Do you need both sides of the licence?
Yes. The front carries your name, date of birth, address, licence number, issue and expiry dates, and the categories you are licensed for. The back records later changes such as an address update, and any conditions attached to the licence. Offices abroad generally want the full record, so send a scan or photograph of both sides and both will be translated as one page.
What appears in the translation?
Everything printed on the card, in the same arrangement as the original: name, date of birth, address, issue date, expiry date, licence number, the licence categories, the issuing Public Safety Commission, and the classification band shown on the card. Nothing is added that is not on the original. Stamps and blank fields are recorded as such.
Will the licensing office accept the translation?
That decision rests with the office receiving it. Requirements for exchanging a foreign licence differ by country and, in federal countries, by state or province: some accept a translation by any competent translator, some name particular organisations, and some require the translation to be produced locally. Check what your licensing authority asks for before ordering, so you pay only for something they will take.
Do you need the physical licence, or is a scan enough?
A clear scan or legible photograph of each side is all we need; nothing is mailed. The completed translation and signed certificate of accuracy are delivered electronically by email in PDF and Word formats.
More in the general FAQ, including certification requirements by country.
Send your document, get a fixed quote.
Submitting more than one document to the same authority? Upload the full packet in one order. Bundle discounts apply automatically from 3 separate documents (10%) and from 5 (15%).
Get a fixed quoteNo payment today. Upload clear scans, and we confirm the fixed total before work begins.