Hokushin Driver's Licence Centre (Nagano)

Address	704-2 Hara, Kawanakajima-cho, Nagano
Access	About 2 min on foot from the Alpico bus stop Menkyo Center Iriguchi, or about 20 min on foot from JR Shinonoi Station.
Booking	By appointment. Phone the exam section first: 026-292-2345 (Tohoku-Shin Driver's Licence Division).
Days and times	Centre counters: weekdays 8:30-17:00, plus 1st/3rd/5th Sundays. Specific hours for 外免 are not published. Skills check from the second attempt is by appointment.
Written check languages	zh, en, pt, fa, es, th, tl, vi, ko, ru, uk, id, km, ne, my, mn, si, ur, ar, hi, ja
Driving test course	Driving test course The police publish the course map:
Fees	Conversion fee, ordinary car: ¥2,500 Licence issue fee (licence card only): ¥2,350 Issue fee (My Number licence only): ¥1,550 Issue fee (both): ¥2,450

Documents

Foreign licence and its Japanese translation (by embassy/consulate, JAF, ZIPLUS, ALADDIN, or for Taiwan/Germany their designated bodies)
International driving permit, if you hold one
Residence certificate (jumin-hyo) abstract showing domicile/nationality
All passports you hold (old ones may be needed)
Application photo 3 cm x 2.4 cm, taken within 6 months
Past or expired Japanese licence and other items, if applicable

Only Hokushin (Nagano) and Chunanshin (Shiojiri) handle conversion; Toshin centre (Saku) does not.
You must have a Nagano address and a valid foreign licence with 3+ months stay in the issuing country after issue.
From 2025-10-01 Nagano says address checks and knowledge/skills screening are stricter; the 住民票 is listed as required.
Skills check: driving the centre's on-site course.

Not checking the blind spot (turn your head) before moving off, changing lanes and turning.
Left turns: not moving close to the left edge first, then turning slowly along the edge of the intersection.
Right turns: not moving close to the centre line beforehand, or not turning just inside the centre of the intersection (wait there for oncoming traffic).
At a stop sign (止まれ): not stopping completely at the stop line, then stopping again where you can see.
Signalling late: signal 30 m before a turn, 3 seconds before a lane change.
Crossings: not slowing down or not stopping for a pedestrian who may cross.
Railway crossings: not stopping before the crossing and checking left and right with the window open.

Always check the official page before you go: times and rules change. Official page · Checked 2026-11-09