How to Get a Moped License in Kanagawa Prefecture: 2 Ways, Test Languages, and Reservations Explained Simply

For foreign residents who want to get a moped license in Kanagawa Prefecture.

There are 2 ways to get one. Find the method that fits you based on the license you hold, the test language, and the dates you can reserve.

2 ways to get a moped license

① Get a new moped license

People without a foreign license can choose this. In Kanagawa Prefecture, you take the traffic rules test in Japanese or English.

② Convert a foreign license

This is how you change a foreign license into a Japanese license. It is called "license conversion (gaimen kirikae)". Whether you can use it depends on the type of foreign license and how long you stayed in that country.

For the traffic rules test, you can choose Japanese or one of 20 foreign languages. Depending on the country or region where you got your license, you may not need this test.

Which method should you check?

People who do not have a foreign license

Check ① Get a new moped license.

People who have a foreign license

First, check these 3 things.

• Is your license still valid (not expired)?

• After you got the license, did you stay in that country for a total of 90 days or more?

• Can you prove that period with documents such as your passport?

If you meet the conditions, you may be able to use ② Convert a foreign license. Check with the driver's license center whether your license can be converted to a Japanese moped license.

The 90 days are counted during the period when your foreign license was valid. Even if you have no stamps in your passport, you may be able to prove it with other documents. If you are not sure, don't give up. Ask.

If you can use both methods, choose by language and reservation date

• If you can take the test in Japanese or English: compare the reservation dates for both. ① may let you move forward sooner.

• If the Japanese or English test is difficult for you: check whether you can choose a language you can read with ②.

This article is a guide for people living in Kanagawa Prefecture. In other prefectures, the test languages and reservation methods are different.

If you need a license soon: compare how long you wait

This is what the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Driver's License Center told us by phone on September 2, 2026.

• ① Get a new moped license: test reservations are 2 weeks to 1 month ahead.

• ② Convert a foreign license: reservations for the document check date are about 2 and a half months ahead.

This is not the number of days until you receive your license. It is also not the current availability. The day you receive your license changes depending on your reservation date and the procedures needed after it.

With ②, you first go to the counter to make a reservation, and your documents are checked on a different day. With ①, you reserve the test online, so you can skip this reservation and visit for the document check.

① Get a new moped license: from reservation to receiving your license

Order of procedures

1. Reserve the test online.

2. Go to the driver's license center on the reserved day for reception, an eye test, and so on.

3. Take the traffic rules test, called the "written test (gakka shiken)".

4. If you pass, take the 3-hour training course, where you learn how to ride a moped and more.

5. When the required procedures are finished, you receive your license.

Some people do not need to take the training course. On busy days, the training course may be on a different day, so it does not always finish in 1 day.

See the official guide to the moped test (it has a link to online reservations)

Test language, questions, and reception hours

• Language: Japanese or English

• Questions: 46 text questions + 2 illustration questions

• Passing: 45 points or more out of 50

• Reception: Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 9:00. Closed on national holidays, other holidays, and the year-end and New Year period.

Each illustration question has 3 questions about 1 picture. If you answer all 3 correctly, you get 2 points. If it is your first time, you also need time to fill in the application form, so go early.

What to bring and the cost

These are the main things to bring for people getting a Japanese license for the first time.

• Certificate of residence (juminhyo): one that lists all items about foreign residents, such as nationality and residence status. It must be issued by your city, ward, town, or village within the last 6 months. Copies cannot be used.

• Residence card, or special permanent resident certificate, etc.

• ID such as a passport

• 1 photo: 3.0 cm tall × 2.4 cm wide, taken within the last 6 months

• Pencil and eraser; glasses or contact lenses if you need them

For the training course, wear long sleeves, long pants, and shoes that are easy to ride in. Helmets and gloves can be borrowed. On rainy days, bring rain gear too.

If you receive only a regular driver's license card and also take the training course, the cost is 9,200 yen in total. The amount changes if you choose the My Number Card license or if you do not need the training course.

People who held a foreign license that allows riding a moped may not need the training course. The conditions include holding the license within 6 months before applying and how long you stayed in that country after getting the license. Bring your foreign license, its Japanese translation, your passport, and so on, and check.

Check what to bring to the moped training course and who does not need it

② Convert a foreign license: from reservation to the test

Order of procedures

1. Make a reservation at Counter No. 12 of the driver's license center. You are reserving the day your documents will be checked. Reception is, in principle, weekdays from 14:00 to 15:00. Check the official guide for the days you can visit.

2. On the reserved day, your documents are checked. The procedure of examining your foreign license, passport, and so on is called the "document review (shorui shinsa)".

3. When the document check is finished and you can move forward, you take the traffic rules test. This test is called the "knowledge test (chishiki kakunin)". Some people do not need the test.

In our phone check on September 2, 2026, the answer was that after passing the document review, you can take the knowledge test on the same day. Check whether your reservation date will be handled the same way.

You receive your license after the other required procedures are also finished. When you make your reservation, also ask about the training course and costs required for converting to a moped license.

Check the official guide for how to reserve license conversion and the required documents

Languages you can choose for the test

The knowledge test has 50 true-or-false questions. You pass with 45 or more correct answers.

You can choose Japanese or one of the following 20 foreign languages.

• English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Spanish

• Thai, Tagalog, Russian, Persian, Korean

• Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Burmese, Mongolian

• Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi

Even if you can take the test in a foreign language, the explanations at the counter are not always in the same language. If communicating in Japanese is difficult, go with someone who can interpret Japanese.

Main documents to prepare

• A foreign driver's license that has not expired

• Passport: if you have old ones, bring them too.

• A Japanese translation of your foreign license: it must be made by an organization listed in the official guide.

• Certificate of residence, residence card, etc., and a photo for the application

The required documents differ by country and by how you got your license. Be sure to check when you make your reservation, including the conditions for the certificate of residence and the photo.

If your passport has no entry or exit stamps, you may need documents such as a certificate from your employer, pay slips, or a school graduation certificate.

If your foreign license will expire soon, ask early.

Once you decide on a method, start studying for the test

You can study traffic rules with official police information, books sold in stores, learning services, and so on.

Drivey, run by Ziplus, the company that operates this site, lets you study for the moped written test and the license conversion knowledge test. You learn with videos, text, review tests, and practice exams.

The study languages are Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Burmese.

The languages you can study in and the languages you can choose for the actual test are different. For example, even if you study in Chinese, when you take the ① moped test in Kanagawa Prefecture, you choose Japanese or English. In the end, practice reading the questions in the language you will use on the test as well.

• ① Getting a new moped license: see the Moped License course

• ② Converting a foreign license: see the License Conversion course

Where to ask when you are not sure

Kanagawa Prefectural Police Driver's License Center
Phone: 045-365-3111 (main number)

For questions about license conversion reservations, call 045-365-6000. In principle, someone who understands Japanese should call on weekdays from 15:00 to 16:00. This number is for questions only. Reservations are made at Counter No. 12.

When you ask, it is easier for them to check if you say, "I want to get a moped license. My foreign license is a ○○ license from ○○. I want to take the test in ○○."

Frequently asked questions

What if I have no foreign license and Japanese and English are also difficult?

If you have no foreign license, you cannot use license conversion. Study the Japanese or English used in the moped test, and ask the driver's license center or a supporter about anything you do not understand.

I am in Japan as a tourist. Can I get a license?

In principle, you cannot get a Japanese license or convert a foreign license during a short stay such as tourism. If you are not sure whether you can apply, check with the driver's license center.

Sources and date checked

• Kanagawa Prefectural Police: Moped license test procedures

• Kanagawa Prefectural Police: Moped training course

• Kanagawa Prefectural Police: Converting a foreign license to a Japanese license

Official police information checked on September 11, 2026. The reservation waiting times and the same-day knowledge test are based on our phone check on September 2, 2026. We did not re-check reservation availability on September 11. Please check the latest guidance before applying.

Detailed explanation for employers and supporters is here