Driver’s License Renewal in Saga: Sunday and Same-Day Issue at the Center, Hours and Fees

Driver's license renewal counters in Saga Prefecture

Saga Prefectural Driver's License Center opens Sundays with same-day issuance, closing Saturdays, national holidays and substitute holidays.
Center reception hours are 8:30–10:00 and 13:00–14:00 for excellent and general drivers, and 8:30–9:15 and 13:00–13:45 for violators and first-time renewals.
Renewal is ¥2,850 for a driver's license card alone, ¥2,100 for a My Number license alone, and ¥500 for the excellent lecture.

Procedures and fees can change. If in doubt, ask the Saga Prefectural Police Driver’s License Division at the Saga Prefectural Driver’s License Center, tel. 0952-98-2220.

To renew a driver’s license in Saga Prefecture, the Saga Prefectural Driver’s License Center in Saga City is open on Sundays and hands you the new license the same day. It is closed on Saturdays, national holidays and substitute holidays. Four police stations (Karatsu, Imari, Takeo and Kashima) and two branch offices (Arita and Ureshino) also handle renewals, on weekdays only, and you receive the license about 3 to 4 weeks later.

In short

Sunday renewal or same-day license: the Driver’s License Center in Saga City (Monday to Friday and Sunday).
Counter hours at the Center: 8:30 to 10:00 and 13:00 to 14:00 for “excellent” and “general” drivers; 8:30 to 9:15 and 13:00 to 13:45 for violators and first-time renewals. Sundays are the same.
Police stations: weekdays only, license received about 3 to 4 weeks later. People living in a district served by the 4 stations can use them; other residents of the prefecture can use them only if their lecture category is “excellent”.
Fees are paid in cash only. A renewal with a plain license card and the 30-minute “excellent” lecture costs ¥3,350.

Checked with official pages on October 20, 2026 (Japan time).

Note: The “lecture category” is printed on the renewal postcard and depends on your driving record: “excellent”, “general” or “violator / first renewal”. It decides the lecture length and fee. This page does not say whether the counters offer support in English.

1. Where to renew in Saga: the Center or an outlying police station

Only the Driver’s License Center offers Sunday service and same-day issue. Police stations are weekday-only and take about 3 to 4 weeks. The prefectural police call the 4 stations and 2 branch offices “outlying police stations”.

Want to renew on a Sunday or get the license today: the Driver’s License Center (Saga City).
Living in the district of the Karatsu, Imari, Takeo or Kashima station: you can also use a nearby station or branch office (collect the license later).
Living elsewhere in the prefecture with an “excellent” category: you can also use the 4 stations and 2 branch offices.

Counter	Days	License issued	Who can use it
Driver’s License Center	Mon-Fri and Sun	Same day	Anyone living in the prefecture
Outlying police stations	Mon-Fri	About 3 to 4 weeks later	Residents of the 4 stations’ districts, and “excellent” drivers in the prefecture

Source: Saga Prefectural Police, “Renewal procedures” (checked October 20, 2026). Both are closed on Saturdays, national holidays, substitute holidays and December 29 to January 3.

If you only need to change your address on the license, see our Japanese guide Address change on a driver’s license in 7 Kyushu prefectures (Japanese).

2. Saga Prefectural Driver’s License Center: counter hours and access

Counter hours depend on your lecture category and are the same on Sundays.

Category	Morning	Afternoon
Excellent / general	8:30-10:00	13:00-14:00
Violator / first renewal	8:30-9:15	13:00-13:45
Senior lecture already completed	9:30-10:30	13:30-14:30
Renewal through another address	9:30-10:00	13:30-14:00
Early renewal	8:30-9:15	13:00-13:45

Source: Saga Prefectural Police, “Renewal procedures” (Monday to Friday and Sunday; checked October 20, 2026).

Lectures start whenever enough people have gathered. They last 30 minutes (excellent), 1 hour (general) or 2 hours (violator / first renewal). Sundays, especially mornings, are crowded with long waits, so the police recommend a weekday.

The Center takes your photo on the day, so you do not need to bring one. If you want to use your own photo, you can bring it on weekdays only. In that case the license is ready at about 11:30 for morning applications and about 16:00 for afternoon ones.

By bus, take the Saga City bus bound for Kinryu from stop 2 at Saga Station Bus Center and get off at “Unten Menkyo Center”, about 40 minutes. By car, it is about 7 km north from the intersection in front of Saga-Kita Police Station on Route 34.

Address: Saga-ken Saga-shi Kubo-izumi-machi Oaza Kawakubo 2121-26 · Google Maps · Tel: 0952-98-2220

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3. Renewing at an outlying police station: Karatsu, Imari, Takeo, Kashima

The Karatsu, Imari, Takeo and Kashima police stations and the Arita and Ureshino branch offices accept renewals on weekdays from 9:00 to 16:00. You can use them if you live in the district of one of the 4 stations, or anywhere in the prefecture with an “excellent” category.

Lectures are held only on set weekdays for each district. Check the dates and venues in the police PDF “Renewal lecture dates and places outside the Center” (Japanese). From September 2026, the venue for violator and first-renewal lectures in the Imari and Arita districts moved to the Arita branch office, and Arita-district lectures are held every Friday. The violator / first-renewal lecture in the Takeo district on December 17, 2026 is cancelled.

If you applied at a police station, you can still take the lecture at the Driver’s License Center, but you collect the license at the station where you applied. At a police station, bring one photo for the license (3 cm tall by 2.4 cm wide, taken within the last 6 months).

Only the 4 police stations can handle procedures for the My Number license. The Arita and Ureshino branch offices cannot.

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4. How much does a license renewal cost in Saga?

Fees are cash only, so bring ¥3,350 for a plain license card with the “excellent” lecture. The renewal fee depends on whether you keep a plain license card, a My Number license only, or both.

Card after renewal	Renewal fee
Driver’s license card only	¥2,850
My Number license only	¥2,100
Both cards	¥2,950

Lecture category	Length	At the venue	Online
Excellent	30 min	¥500	¥200
General	1 hour	¥800	¥200
Violator / first renewal	2 hours	¥1,400	Not available

Source: Saga Prefectural Police, “Renewal procedures” (renewal and lecture fee tables, checked October 20, 2026).

Adding the two tables, a plain license card costs ¥3,650 with the general lecture and ¥4,250 with the violator / first-renewal lecture. The online lecture on a smartphone is open only to “excellent” and “general” drivers who already hold a My Number license before the renewal.

5. What to bring

If you are getting a My Number license for the first time, bring your My Number card and the PIN for its signature certificate (6 to 16 alphanumeric characters). Everyone brings the current license, the fee in cash and the renewal postcard. If you lost the postcard, tell the staff at the counter.

Item	Who needs it
Driver’s license	Anyone who has one
Fee in cash	Everyone
Renewal postcard	Everyone (tell the staff if lost)
My Number card	Those who hold or want a My Number license
One photo	Those renewing at an outlying police station
Certificate of completing the senior lecture	Those aged 70 or over on the expiry date
Cognitive function test result notice	Those aged 75 or over on the expiry date

If your My Number card is also due for renewal, the police advise renewing the card first. A certificate for a “specific voluntary lecture” (taken within the last 6 months) exempts you from the renewal lecture.

6. FAQ

Can I renew my driver’s license on a Sunday in Saga? Yes. The Driver’s License Center in Saga City is open on Sundays. Sunday mornings are crowded, and the police recommend visiting on a weekday.

I live in Saga City. Can I renew at Karatsu Police Station? Yes, if your lecture category is “excellent”. General, violator and first-time renewals are done at the Driver’s License Center.

Can I pay the fee by card? No. The police say fees are cash only.

Who do I contact? The Driver’s License Division of the Saga Prefectural Police Traffic Department. The Center’s number is 0952-98-2220.

Official information checked on October 20, 2026 (Japan time). Hours, fees and lecture venues can change.

Sources

4 pages we checked