How exemption works
When converting a foreign licence, some countries and regions are exempt from the knowledge check and the skill check. If you are exempt, the process centres on the document review and the aptitude test (eyesight and so on). If your country is not exempt, you must take both the knowledge check and the skill check.
Exempt from both the knowledge and skill checks
- Iceland
- Ireland
- USA (Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia, Hawaii, Maryland and Washington State)
- United Kingdom
- Italy
- Australia
- Austria
- Netherlands
- Canada
- South Korea
- Greece
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Spain
- Slovenia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Germany
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Hungary
- Finland
- France
- Belgium
- Poland
- Portugal
- Monaco
- Luxembourg
- Taiwan
Exempt from the skill check only
- USA (Indiana)
Licences from countries not on the lists above — such as China, Vietnam and Thailand — are not exempt, so you must take both the knowledge check and the skill check. This app is mainly for people in that situation.
The exempt countries, and the state-by-state treatment for the USA, can change, and the guidance may differ by prefecture. Always confirm the latest information published by the prefectural police where you will apply.