Renewing Your Japanese Driver’s License (運転免許更新) and Myna Menkyosho Guide: 3 Card Options, Fees, and Online Safety Lecture

When your birthday approaches in a renewal year, renewing a Japanese driver’s license (運転免許更新 – Unten Menkyo Koshin) now involves an important decision: integrating your license into your My Number Card (マイナ免許証 – Myna Menkyosho), keeping a traditional standalone license card, or holding both cards at once. Under the National Police Agency (警察庁) fee structure, your choice directly affects how much you pay, whether you can take the safety lecture online from home, and how easily you can rent cars or drive abroad.

1. The Three Holding Options at Renewal: Myna Only, Traditional Only, or Both Cards (2枚持ち)

Since Japan’s nationwide integration of the My Number Card and driver’s license took effect, every driver renewing a license can choose freely among three holding patterns:

• Option 1: Myna Menkyosho Only (マイナ免許証のみ): Your license number, expiration date, vehicle categories, and driving history are written onto the IC chip inside your My Number Card. You surrender your old physical driver’s license card and pay the lowest base renewal fee of 2,100 yen.
• Option 2: Traditional Driver’s License Card Only (従来の運転免許証のみ): You keep a standalone plastic driver’s license card without linking your My Number Card. The base renewal fee is 2,850 yen (750 yen more than the Myna-only option).
• Option 3: Holding Both Cards (2枚持ち – Nimai-mochi): Your license data is encoded onto your My Number Card IC chip AND you receive a physical standalone driver’s license card. The base renewal fee is 2,950 yen (just 100 yen more than the standalone traditional card).

For foreign residents in Japan, Option 3 (holding both cards for 2,950 yen) is often the most practical choice for three reasons:

1. Easier car rentals and overseas driving: A My Number Card does not print your license expiration date or vehicle classes on the card surface; viewing them requires the official IC reader app (マイナ免許証読み取りアプリ). When applying for an International Driving Permit (国際運転免許証), converting a license in your home country, or using certain rental car counters, having a physical driver’s license card avoids verification delays.
2. Backup during My Number Card renewal: When your My Number Card itself is renewed or reissued at city hall (役所), having a second physical license card ensures you always have valid proof of driving privileges in your wallet.
3. Lower total cost when combined with the online lecture: Because the online safety lecture (オンライン更新時講習) costs only 200 yen compared to 500 yen (Gold) or 800 yen (General) in person, choosing both cards plus the online lecture (2,950 + 200 = 3,150 yen) actually costs 200 to 500 yen less in total than renewing a traditional card alone (3,350 yen for Gold or 3,650 yen for General).

Comparison Feature	1. Myna Menkyosho Only (マイナ免許証のみ)	2. Traditional License Card Only (従来の免許証のみ)	3. Both Cards (2枚持ち)
Base Renewal Fee (更新手数料)	2,100 yen (lowest)	2,850 yen	2,950 yen
Online Renewal Lecture (オンライン講習)	Eligible (200 yen lecture fee)	Not eligible (in-person lecture required)	Eligible (200 yen lecture fee)
Total Cost for Gold Driver (優良)	2,300 yen (online) / 2,600 yen (in person)	3,350 yen (500 yen in-person lecture)	3,150 yen (online) / 3,450 yen (in person)
Total Cost for General Driver (一般)	2,300 yen (online) / 2,900 yen (in person)	3,650 yen (800 yen in-person lecture)	3,150 yen (online) / 3,750 yen (in person)
One-Stop Address Update (ワンストップ)	Automatic sync when moving at City Hall (役所)	Must visit a police station separately	Automatic for Myna only; physical card still needs police update

2. Understanding Your Renewal Postcard (更新連絡書ハガキ) and the 2-Month Window

Roughly 35 to 40 days before your birthday in your expiration year, your prefectural police headquarters mails an official Driver’s License Renewal Notification Postcard (運転免許証更新連絡書ハガキ) to your registered address.

Your renewal window (更新期間) runs for two full months: from one month before your birthday to one month after your birthday (誕生日の前後1か月間). For example, if your birthday is November 20, you can renew between October 20 and December 20. If the final deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday (祝日), or the year-end closure (December 29 to January 3), the deadline extends automatically to the next business day.

Check the Lecture Classification (講習区分 – Koshu Kubun) printed inside the postcard to see your lecture length, fee, and eligible renewal venues:

• Gold / Superior Driver (優良運転者 – Yuryo, 5-year validity): Licensed for 5+ years with zero traffic violations over the past 5 years. Lecture takes 30 minutes (500 yen in person, or 200 yen online). You can renew at a Driver’s License Center (運転免許試験場 / 免許センター), Gold Driver Renewal Center (優良運転者免許更新センター), or designated Police Station (指定警察署).
• General Driver (一般運転者 – Ippan, 5-year validity): Licensed for 5+ years with at most one minor violation (3 points or fewer) in the past 5 years. Lecture takes 60 minutes (800 yen in person, or 200 yen online).
• First-Time Renewer (初回更新者 – Shokai) or Violator (違反運転者 – Ihan, 3-year validity): Requires a 120-minute in-person lecture (1,350 yen lecture fee; total cost 3,450 to 4,300 yen) at a prefectural Driver’s License Center. Online lectures are not available for this category.

3. How to Take the Online Safety Lecture (オンライン更新時講習) via Myna Portal

Drivers classified as Gold (優良) or General (一般) who hold a Myna Menkyosho and have linked it to Myna Portal (マイナポータル) can watch their mandatory renewal lecture at home 24 hours a day on a smartphone or computer:

1. Step 1 (Link Myna Portal): After registering your Myna Menkyosho at a police facility and enabling digital signature linkage, log in to the Myna Portal (マイナポータル) app and open the Driver’s License (運転免許) menu.
2. Step 2 (Complete the video lecture with facial verification): Launch the Online Renewal Lecture (オンライン更新時講習) during your 2-month renewal window. Your device camera takes three automated facial verification photos during the video (roughly 30 minutes for Gold, 40 minutes for General) alongside short comprehension prompts.
3. Step 3 (Quick counter visit for vision test and photo): Once the online lecture is marked complete, visit your license center or police station. You skip the classroom entirely, pay the renewal fee plus the 200-yen online lecture fee, pass the eye test (適性検査: 0.7 or better combined vision and 0.3 per eye for a standard 普通第一種 car license), take your photo, and update your card chip.

4. Five-Item Checklist for Renewal Day (Don’t Forget Your My Number PINs)

Before heading to the license center or police station, verify these five essentials:

• Online appointment (事前予約): Most prefectural police departments (including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, and Aichi) require an advance web reservation for renewal visits.
• Current Driver’s License (運転免許証) and Renewal Postcard (更新連絡書ハガキ): If you switch from a traditional card to マイナ免許証のみ, you must surrender your old physical license card. If you choose 2枚持ち, the old card is hole-punched and replaced.
• Valid My Number Card (マイナンバーカード): Check both the 10-year physical card expiration date and the 5-year electronic certificate (電子証明書) expiration date.
• Your two My Number PINs (暗証番号): You will set a 4-digit PIN for your Myna Menkyosho (マイナ免許証用の暗証番号4桁). In addition, activating Myna Portal linkage (for online lectures and one-stop address changes) at the police terminal requires entering your 6-to-16 character alphanumeric digital signature password (署名用電子証明書暗証番号). If you have forgotten or locked that password, reset it at your municipal office (役所) before renewal day.
• Glasses or contact lenses (眼鏡・コンタクト) and Residence Card (在留カード): Bring your Residence Card if you also need to update your name, nationality, or address at the counter.

Official Sources

• National Police Agency of Japan (警察庁): Official Guide to Integrating the My Number Card and Driver’s License (Myna Menkyosho)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁): Driver’s License Renewal Procedures, Lecture Categories, and Fee Table
• Myna Portal (マイナポータル): Online Driver’s License Renewal Safety Lecture and One-Stop Address Service