I want to get a drivers license here in Japan. I already have a valid one for Europe. Has anyone else done this (specifically from UK) ? And can you let me know what i need to do?
Not from UK but done it from my Romanian license last year.
Conditions should be the same as per the Geneva convention...
Too much to write, lets talk on 27th @ BCU game?
ok thanks. kinda need it soon though.
Depending on reciprocal agreements with your country and Japan you will either simply need to do an eye test or an entire driving test. I got mine 3 or 4 years ago and I needed to provide a translation o my driving record from home and be able to prove that I drove for at least 6 months in my home country on my drivers license. Once I had those two documents I took them to the driving center, had an eye test, took some photos, and sat through a two hour seminar on driving safety. I am Canadian.
More info here
http://www.globalcompassion.com/driving.htm
Tobo,
All you need to do is sit an eye test and they will give you the Japanese License
Not sure when you did this FarEast, but I know for the French the conversion system changed from just an eye test to having the driving test too. It just basically spares you the writing test, and makes the driving one a bit easier.
Not sure how it is for UK, but might have changed too, be mindful of this.
Oh, and it costs about 7,000 Yens.
yeah i did mine about 3 weeks ago, and for UK citizens it is still the same. no written test or driving test ... just quite a bit of paperwork. you need to go to a JAF office, or your embassy, to get a translation (basically you pay them 3000 yen or so to fill out a form and photocopy a few things).
then you go to the test center (i went to the one near shinagawa). you need the translation from JAF, original british photo licence and paper counterpart, your passport is good enough (old ones if neccessary) to show you lived in UK after getting your licence there (i guess its 6 months), and your alien card... thats it i think. also make sure everything on your alien card is up to date. i forgot to update my new visa status, so had to end up taking two days off work to get everything done.
If you get everything right, takes about 2 or 3 hours of queuing, filling in forms, eye test etc at the test center till you get your licence.
also the test center has to be the one 'for your area'. shinagawa is for tokyo (i think theres another tokyo one out west, past kichijoji), theres a different one for saitama, etc etc
Has anyone tried just challenging the driving test?
I did last year
1 out of 2
Wow you only passed your second time...was it difficult? I heard horror stories about it.
(17-06-2009 02:05 PM)Hawk Wrote: [ -> ]I did last year 1 out of 2
Well, you need to know the specific course (@ Samezu in my case), if possible take a lesson in advance so the instructor tells you everything you need to know in advance.
I took it only after the first fail, but there are high chances to take it from your 1st try as advised above.
I've heard that the driving test is as much about safe driving as tea ceremony is about drinking tea. Supposedly the reason most people fail the test is not because they aren't competent drivers or because they make mistakes, but because they forget the inane crap that nobody ever really does. Walking around the car and inspecting your tires, double checking the mirrors, etc etc.
Yep
we used to joke while waiting our turns that the reason all look under the car is too see if there aren't any drunk policemen there...
Thanks for all the help guys! I'll be running car pools to airsoft games in no time.