Attention Working Holiday Makers! Renew your license early!

I went to Estonia for a year on a working holiday from March last year, and came back this month 🇪🇪

After coming back, I noticed that I had received a notice to renew my license.

When I checked the renewal deadline, I found that it had already expired...

However, I found out that if you are unable to complete the procedure within 6 months of expiration due to unavoidable reasons such as overseas travel, disaster, or hospitalization for illness, you can make a special new application 😆

So I checked with the driver's license testing center, and they said that if you are traveling overseas, you need both Japanese entry and exit stamps to prove that it was unavoidable.

Currently, Japanese people can enter and leave Japan through automated gates, so naturally there are no stamps, and I had to request disclosure of my entry and exit records from the Immigration Bureau 😨😨

If you are leaving Japan for a long period of time on a working holiday or studying abroad, I recommend that you don't forget to get an entry and exit stamp 👍
You can get your entry and exit stamp at the reception desk just beyond the automated gates.

Alternatively, if you can prove that you plan to stay long-term even if you still have time to renew your license, you can renew it in advance.

For specific information, please check the website of the police station in your prefecture.

Additional note! ⚠️
I checked with the nearest driving school and they told me that you can show that you are in an unavoidable situation with an airline ticket instead of an entry/exit stamp!

Specifically, the airline ticket should have the following information:

・Date (must be written up to the year)

・Flight

・Name

・Departure and arrival points

I don't think that the year is written on a normal airline ticket, so I recommend that you print out the e-ticket sent by the airline and bring it with you.

However, this is the case at my nearest driving school, so I recommend that you first inquire at your nearest driving school.

#WorkingHoliday

#StudyingAbroad

#PreparingForStudyAbroad

#TravelingAbroad

#EntryRelatedInformation