Guide • Life in Japan
After you pass at Fuchu: payment, photo, license pickup, and the IC machine outside
Passing the drive isn’t the end. At Fuchu, there’s usually a post-test sequence: waiting blocks, payment, a photo, then finally receiving your license — plus a last step at an IC reader machine.
This is Part 3 of 3 in a Fuchu foreign license conversion series: Part 1: Theory test, Part 2: Practical test, Part 3: I passed; now what?.
Last updated: 2026-01-28. If things have changed, contact us at hello@tabitalk.com.
Quick official facts (fees, validity, renewal)
Fees are published on the official Keishicho foreign license conversion page (application fee + separate license issuance fee): Keishicho: foreign license conversion (gaimen kirikae).
On my pass day (26 Jan 2026), I paid 2,350 yen. Payment was possible by card and mobile NFC payment.
Keishicho also states that a newly issued license is valid until one month after your third birthday after the issue date. In practice, think of it like this: you get a license that lasts until your third birthday after issuance, plus one extra month.
- Example: Issued 2026-01-26. Birthday March 10 → third birthday after issuance is 2029-03-10 → expiry is 2029-04-10.
- Example: Issued 2026-01-26. Birthday January 30 → third birthday after issuance is 2029-01-30 → expiry is around 2029-02-28/2029-03-01 (month-length edge case).
My pass-day timeline (example)
This is the example timeline from the source notes. Use it to plan your day (especially if there are long gaps between stages).
- 11:00 — Finished the drive (skills verification).
- 11:30 — Wait on Level 3 (blue benches area). Staff briefing + payment. Done around 12:00.
- 13:30 — Wait again at the same Level 3 area. Staff briefing + photo. Done around 14:00.
- 15:00 — Wait on Level 2. Staff bring you to a room to collect your license.
- After pickup — Use the machine outside the room to check the IC chip (honseki/nationality printout). Then you are done.
Expect downtime between stages. In my experience there was roughly an hour between each block, so don’t just sit and stare at the wall: bring something to do (podcast, book, work), or pick one nearby place you can walk to and reset your brain before the next call.
I personally went to the park beside the test center: Nearby park (map).
What is the IC reader machine / “print honseki”?
The Japanese driver’s license is an IC card, and that some items (like honseki — or for foreign nationals, nationality/related fields) are not printed on the card and are stored electronically. They can be checked with an IC reader.
In this context, “print honseki” usually means printing a slip that confirms the data stored in the IC chip of the license. Feel free to print yours if you want to keep a copy of it, but there is no need to do so. So once you've collected your license, you're done and free to go! Congrats!
Renewal: don’t forget the validity rule
Btw! A newly issued license is valid until one month after your third birthday after the issue date. In Tokyo, renewal is typically done within one month before your birthday through one month after your birthday in the year your license expires. If your expiry date (your birthday + 1 month) falls on a weekend, public holiday, or the year-end/New Year break (Dec 29–Jan 3), the renewal period can extend to the next weekday.
Practical planning: assume you’ll need to book a slot (Tokyo renewal is reservation-based) and set aside time on the day. Even with a reservation, the on-site flow can still take around 1 hour (and longer on busy days).
Keishicho will send a renewal notice postcard to your registered address (the address on your resident registration). Once it arrives, don’t wait — book early in your renewal window so you can pick a convenient time and avoid last-minute crunch.
If you know you’ll be traveling or hospitalized during your renewal window, Keishicho notes that you may be able to renew early for an unavoidable reason (but your next validity period becomes shorter).
Official Tokyo renewal info:
Sources
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