There are two types of regular cars: manual transmission (MT) and automatic transmission (AT), and there are corresponding licenses for each. There is Regular Automatic-only license, which allows you to drive only AT cars, and Regular Manual license, which allows you to drive both AT and MT cars. You need to get the license for the type of car you want to drive. Until now, if you wanted to get Regular Manual license, all lessons were done in MT cars, but from April 1, 2025, the system for obtaining Regular Manual license will be revised, and the method of obtaining it will change significantly from the past. This article will explain in detail how to obtain the new Regular Manual license, as well as the advantages and disadvantages. If you are thinking of obtaining Regular Manual MT license in the future, please use this as a reference when choosing a driving school.

With the April 2025 change in the law, training for Regular Manual license will be based on driving an automatic transmission vehicle.

To put it simply, training for Regular Manual license is based on driving an automatic transmission vehicle.

Until now, the curriculum for obtaining a standard Regular Manual license required training entirely in manual transmission vehicles. However, under the new system that comes into effect from April 1, 2025, training will be based on automatic transmission vehicles, and an manual transmission license will be obtained by taking additional training in manual transmission vehicles.

However, it is still possible to obtain leave under the old system for a certain period of time, so it is important to carefully consider which method to choose.

Three types of curriculum

From April 2025, there will be three ways to obtain Regular Manual license:

Old law (training with manual transmission cars as before)

・Stage 1: On-site training for manual transmission vehicles (15 classes)

・Stage 2: On-road training for manual transmission vehicles (19 hours)

・At graduation: "Manual vehicle graduation certificate" issued

New Law (automatic car training + manual car training 4 hours)

・Stage 1: On-site training for automatic transmission vehicles (12 hours)

・Stage 2: On-road training for automatic vehicles (19 hours)
On-site training for manual transmission vehicles (4 classes)

・At graduation: "Manual vehicle graduation certificate" issued

Restriction removal method (change to MT after acquiring AT restriction)

・Stage 1: On-site training for automatic transmission vehicles (12 hours)

・Stage 2: On-road training for automatic vehicles (19 hours)

・At graduation: "AT vehicle graduation certificate" issued

・Added: Restrictions removed for manual transmission vehicles (4 hours)

・After passing the skills examination: "Certificate of Examination Passing" will be issued

Under the old law, one stage is 15 hours using a manual transmission, whereas under the new law and the restriction removal method, one stage is 12 hours using an automatic transmission. This means that until you get a provisional license, you will follow the same curriculum as when you get an automatic transmission license.

Under both the new law and the unrestricted driving law, you are required to drive a manual vehicle for four hours from the second stage onwards, but under the new law you will only need to bring one ``Manual Vehicle Graduation Certificate'', while under the unrestricted driving law you will only need to bring two documents, the ``Automatic Vehicle Graduation Certificate'' and the ``Examination Pass Certificate'', to the driver's license centre and pass the written test (regular driver's license test) to be issued a manual vehicle license.

The pros and cons of each

curriculum	Merit	Demerit
Old Law	Gain solid experience in operating manual transmission vehicles One post-graduation document	Driving on the road in MT in two stages
New Law	You can practice safe driving techniques and clutch and gear operation separately. One post-graduation document	If you pass the AT Final Driving Test but fail the MT Final Driving Test, you can retake the AT Final Driving Test.
Limited release	Once a graduation certificate for an automatic transmission is issued, it is easy to change your plan to an automatic transmission.	Two types of post-graduation documents

Under the old law, you have to drive a manual transmission vehicle for a total of 34 hours, so you can get used to driving a manual transmission vehicle, but in the second stage, you also have to drive a manual transmission vehicle. Naturally, there are disadvantages to driving on the road compared to driving in the driving school, such as the pressure of stalling the engine being greater.

On the other hand, the new law and the restriction removal method only allow you to drive manual transmission vehicles for four hours, but you can concentrate on operating the clutch and gears because you drive in a driving school. The disadvantage of the new law is that the on-road and on-campus Final Driving Test are conducted in one class, so even if you pass the on-road test for an automatic transmission vehicle, if you fail the on-campus test for an automatic transmission vehicle, you will have to start again on the road for an automatic transmission vehicle. In that respect, with the restriction removal method, once you pass Final Driving Test for an automatic transmission vehicle, a graduation certificate is issued, so even if you change your mind before proceeding with the restriction removal or get stuck with the restriction removal, it is easy to obtain an automatic transmission license. However, please note that when obtaining a manual transmission license, you will need to bring two documents to the driver's license center: the "AT vehicle graduation certificate" and the "certificate of passing the examination for restriction removal."

Points to consider when choosing a driving school

From April 2025, each driving school will adopt a different curriculum, so it is important to check in advance whether the method of obtaining the license you want is available.

The car you use at home or for work is a manual transmission

→ "Old Law" allows you to gain practical experience

I want to get a manual transmission license as a qualification.

→ "New Law" or "Limit Release" - lessons on actual use of automatic vehicles and operation of manual vehicles are separate. It is best to check the driving school's website or contact them directly to find out which curriculum they use before applying.

Summary: Get Regular Manual license in a way that suits you!

Due to legal changes in April 2025, there are now three ways to obtain Regular Manual license:

1. Old Law (mainly manual transmission driving lessons)
2. New Law (training for automatic transmission vehicles + 4 hours for manual transmission vehicles)
3. Restriction removal method (switch to MT after obtaining AT license)

It is important to choose the method that best suits your goals and your level of confidence in your driving skills. If you are thinking of getting Regular Manual license, make sure you fully understand the contents of the new system and choose the best method!