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 have, the test language, and the dates you can reserve.

2 ways to get a moped license

① Get a new moped license

You can choose this even if you do not have a foreign license. In Kanagawa Prefecture, you take the traffic rules test in Japanese or English.

👉 Other prefectures offer different languages. We have listed the test languages, documents, and costs for all 47 prefectures here. If you plan to move, you will take the test under the rules of the prefecture you move to.

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 things like 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 your 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. Ask the driver's license center whether your license can be converted into a Japanese moped license.

The 90 days are counted during the time your foreign license was valid. Even if your passport has no stamps, you may be able to prove it with other documents. If you are not sure, do not give up. Ask for advice.

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. Method ① may be faster.

• If a test in Japanese or English is hard for you: Check whether method ② lets you choose a language you can read.

This guide is for people who live in Kanagawa Prefecture. In other prefectures, the test languages and how to reserve are different.

If you need a license soon: compare what you are waiting for

This is what we were told when we called the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Driver's License Center on September 2, 2026.

• ① Get a new moped license: The test reservation is 2 weeks to 1 month away.

• ② Convert a foreign license: The reservation for the day they check your documents is about 2 and a half months away.

This is not the number of days until you get your license. It is also not the current availability of reservations. The day you get your license changes depending on your reservation date and the steps needed after that.

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

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

Steps

1. Reserve the test online.

2. On your reservation day, go to the driver's license center for check-in and an eye test.

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

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

5. When the required steps are done, you get your license.

Some people do not need the training course. On busy days, the training course may be on another day, so it does not always finish in one day.

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

Test language, questions, and check-in time

• Language: Japanese, English

• Questions: 46 text questions + 2 illustration questions

• Passing: 45 points or more out of 50

• Check-in: Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 9:00. Closed on national holidays, other holidays, and during the New Year period.

Each illustration question has 3 questions about one picture. You get 2 points only if all 3 are correct. If this is your first time, you also need time to fill out the application form, so arrive early.

What to bring and costs

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

• Certificate of residence (juminhyo): one that shows all the details about foreign residents, such as nationality and status of residence. Bring one issued by your city office within the last 6 months. Copies are not accepted.

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

• ID such as your passport

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

• Pencil and eraser, and 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, also bring rain gear.

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

If you had a license that let you ride a moped in another country, you may not need the training course. The conditions include holding that license within 6 months before you apply, and how long you stayed in that country after getting the license. Bring your foreign license, a Japanese translation, your passport, and so on, and ask.

Check what to bring to the moped training course and when you do not need it

② Convert a foreign license: from reservation to the test

Steps

1. Make a reservation at Counter 12 of the driver's license center. What you reserve is the day your documents are checked. As a rule, reservations are taken on weekdays from 14:00 to 15:00. Check the official guide for the days you can visit.

2. On your reservation day, your documents are checked. This check of your foreign license, passport, and other documents is called the "document review (shorui shinsa)."

3. After the document check, people who can continue take the traffic rules test. This test is called the "knowledge test (chishiki kakunin)." Some people do not need it.

When we called on September 2, 2026, we were told that after passing the document review, you can take the knowledge test on the same day. Check whether the same applies on your reservation day.

You get your license after all the other required steps are also done. When you make your reservation, also ask about the training course and costs needed to convert to a moped license.

Check how to reserve license conversion and what documents you need in the official guide

Languages you can choose for the test

The knowledge test has 50 questions where you answer whether each statement is right or wrong. You pass if you get 45 or more correct.

You can choose Japanese or one of these 20 foreign languages.

• English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Spanish

• Thai, Tagalog, Russian, Persian, Korean

• Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Myanmar, Mongolian

• Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi

Even if you can take the test in a foreign language, the counter may not explain things in the same language. If communicating in Japanese is hard for you, go with someone who can interpret Japanese.

Main documents to prepare

• Your foreign driver's license that has not expired

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

• 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 documents you need depend on the country and how you got your license. Always check when you make your reservation, including the conditions for the certificate of residence and 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 for advice early.

Once you choose a method, start studying for the test

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

With Drivey, run by ZIPLUS, the company behind this site, you can study for the moped license written test and the license conversion knowledge test. You learn with videos, text, check tests, and mock exams.

The learning languages are Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Myanmar.

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

• ① For people getting a new moped license: see the moped license course

• ② For people converting a foreign license: see the license conversion course

👉 Both courses have a free trial. In Kanagawa Prefecture, test ① is only in Japanese and English, so you can first understand the meaning of the traffic rules in your native language, then move on to practicing reading the questions in Japanese or English.

Where to ask if you are not sure

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

For questions about license conversion reservations, call 045-365-6000. As a rule, 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 12.

When you ask, it helps 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 do not have a foreign license and Japanese and English are also hard for me?

If you do not have a foreign license, you cannot use license conversion. While you study the Japanese or English used on the moped test, ask the driver's license center or people who support you about anything you do not understand.

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

As a rule, people on a short-term stay, such as tourists, cannot get a Japanese license or convert a license. If you are not sure whether you can apply, ask the driver's license center.

Sources and dates 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 waits and same-day knowledge test are based on our phone call on September 2, 2026. We did not recheck reservation availability on September 11. Check the latest information before you apply.

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