The postcard never came. Can I still renew?

Yes. The postcard is a courtesy reminder, not a required document; you can renew with your license alone. But its absence does not extend your deadline, so check the expiry date on your license yourself. The most common reason it does not arrive is a move without a change-of-address filing.

Is the 更新期間 the same as my expiry date?

No. The expiry date is the single last valid day printed on the license. The 更新期間 is the wider window in which the counter will accept your renewal, normally the month before and the month after your birthday. You generally cannot renew before that window opens.

Do I need to bring a photo?

At most 運転免許センター the photo is taken on the spot. Some prefectures and some police-station procedures require you to bring one, so check the postcard or the prefectural police website before you go.

Can I renew in any prefecture?

In principle you renew in the prefecture of the address on your license. If you are staying elsewhere, a procedure called 経由更新 (renewal via another prefecture) may be possible, but conditions vary, phone the licensing centre for your registered address to ask.

Traffic / Car

Driver's License Renewal Notice (更新連絡書): What to Do

The 運転免許証更新のお知らせ / 更新連絡書 (driver's license renewal notice) is a postcard sent by your prefectural 公安委員会 (Public Safety Commission, i.e. the police) when your license is approaching its expiry date. It normally arrives about a month before your birthday, at the address registered on your license. It is not a bill and not a penalty notice. It tells you four things: the 更新期間 (the window during which you may renew), your 講習区分 (lecture category, 優良 excellent, 一般 general, 違反 violation, 初回 first-time), where and when you can do the procedure, and, if you are 70 or older, information about the 高齢者講習 (elderly driver course). Fees and lecture lengths differ by category and prefecture, so read the amounts on your own postcard or the prefectural police website rather than assuming. Two important points: you can renew even if this postcard never arrives, and not receiving it is not an excuse if your license expires. Your expiry date is printed on the front of the license itself as 有効期間の末日.

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Who receives it

Anyone holding a Japanese driver's license whose expiry date is approaching, regardless of nationality. It is mailed to the address registered with the licensing authority, so if you have moved and not filed a change of address, it will not reach you. People whose license is suspended, or whose expiry is still far off, will not receive one.

What to do

1Check the 更新期間 (renewal window) and 講習区分 (lecture category) on the postcard, and the 有効期間の末日 (expiry date) on the front of your license.
2If you are 70 or older, book the 高齢者講習 (and the 認知機能検査 cognitive test if you are 75 or older) by phone early, because slots fill up weeks ahead and it must be completed before renewing.
3Confirm on the postcard or your prefectural police website which venue (運転免許センター or a police station) handles your lecture category, and on which days and hours.
4Bring your license, this postcard, the fee in cash, and your glasses or contacts if your license carries the 眼鏡等 condition, and go during the renewal window.
5If you have moved, file the change of address (住所変更 / 記載事項変更) beforehand or at the same counter on the same day.

About the deadline

The 更新期間 box on the postcard is your renewal window. It is generally from one month before your birthday to one month after, but always confirm the actual dates on the postcard and the 有効期間の末日 printed on your license. If you miss it, the license lapses, and driving on a lapsed license counts as 無免許運転 (driving without a license). There are recovery procedures for a limited period after expiry, usually requiring extra lectures. If you cannot attend during the window because of travel abroad, hospitalisation, childbirth or similar, contact the 運転免許センター in advance, early renewal is sometimes permitted with proof.

Common misunderstandings

The postcard never came. Can I still renew?: Yes. The postcard is a courtesy reminder, not a required document; you can renew with your license alone. But its absence does not extend your deadline, so check the expiry date on your license yourself. The most common reason it does not arrive is a move without a change-of-address filing.
Is the 更新期間 the same as my expiry date?: No. The expiry date is the single last valid day printed on the license. The 更新期間 is the wider window in which the counter will accept your renewal, normally the month before and the month after your birthday. You generally cannot renew before that window opens.
Do I need to bring a photo?: At most 運転免許センター the photo is taken on the spot. Some prefectures and some police-station procedures require you to bring one, so check the postcard or the prefectural police website before you go.
Can I renew in any prefecture?: In principle you renew in the prefecture of the address on your license. If you are staying elsewhere, a procedure called 経由更新 (renewal via another prefecture) may be possible, but conditions vary, phone the licensing centre for your registered address to ask.

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