Sapporo licence conversion: prepare documents, calls and costs
For people preparing their own application, and someone helping them. Organise your documents, prepare a Japanese phone script and estimate your budget.
Sources checked: 2026-09-09
These booking instructions are for the Sapporo Driver’s Licence Examination Centre. Your home address determines which centre handles your application. Not every address in Hokkaido is covered by Sapporo.
Prepare my checklistEstimate costs
Before you call
Prepare all required documents before booking. If you call earlier to ask about additional documents, the centre may give you a confirmation number. Sapporo handles calls in Japanese. The wait from booking to document examination can be several months.
Choose what you know so far
Without JavaScript, you can still read the scripts, checklist instructions and calculation formula below.
Japanese text for your call
Replace the bracketed parts with your details. Ask someone who can interpret to help if a conversation in Japanese is difficult.
First script: “I want to convert my foreign licence. It was issued in [country/region]. I live in [municipality]. Is this the correct centre? What additional documents do I need?” Second: “All my documents are ready. My name is [name]. My confirmation number is [number, if any]. When can I book, and what should I bring?” Last line asks the person to repeat slowly and lets you repeat the details back.
Ask about extra documents
もう一度、ゆっくりお願いします。確認のため、私から言い直してもいいですか。
Book after all documents are ready
もう一度、ゆっくりお願いします。確認のため、私から言い直してもいいですか。
This tool does not send your answers or notes to the site server and has no save function. Print anything you need before leaving.
Estimate your budget, including travel
The defaults use the police example for an ordinary licence (¥2,500 test + ¥2,350 issuance) and JAF’s ¥6,600 conversion-purpose translation. Photos, residence certificates, country-specific records and retests are excluded unless you add them.
Sapporo normally lists 3 visits if both knowledge and practical checks are required; 2 if both are exempt, and 2 for Indiana. Missing documents or unsuccessful tests can require more visits. Check your category with the official source.
Total for the items entered:
Fees + translation + ¥20 × print pages + travel × visits + other budget. Licence categories and issuance options can change the fees.
Can your current phone make this call?
A booking call alone does not necessarily require a new SIM contract. If you also need your own number or SMS regularly, compare setup costs as well as monthly prices.