Becoming a designated vehicle-inspection garage: how it differs from certification, and the equipment and staffing requirements

In short: certification is the qualification to perform specified maintenance; designation (a private inspection garage) is the qualification for your own vehicle inspector to inspect a vehicle and issue a safety-standard conformity certificate. Designation presupposes certification and adds equipment such as a completion inspection site and the appointment of a vehicle inspector.

Information checked: 12 October 2026. This article is for operators running a certified specified-maintenance garage who want to upgrade to a designated vehicle-maintenance business (a private inspection garage) and inspect vehicles in-house. For certification itself, see the specified-maintenance certification guide.

How do a certified garage and a designated garage (private inspection site) differ?

The basis is the Road Transport Vehicle Act (Act No. 185 of 1951). Certification and designation are separate dispositions with different roles and a set order.

	Certification (certified garage)	Designation (designated / private inspection garage)
Basis	Article 78(1)	Article 94-2(1)
What is granted	Certification by the District Transport Bureau Director-General	Designation by the Director-General (certification required first)
What you may do	Specified maintenance (inspection and repair)	Also inspect in-house and issue a safety-standard conformity certificate
Vehicle at inspection	Bring the vehicle to a Transport Branch Office inspection site	Submitting the conformity certificate can waive presenting the vehicle

Specified maintenance was broadened from the former "disassembly maintenance" on 1 April 2020 to add electronic-control-device maintenance relating to automated driving. Certification is the qualification to perform this specified maintenance; designation is granted on application to certified garages that meet certain standards.

With designation, how much can you do in-house?

A designated garage may issue a safety-standard conformity certificate and conformity sticker for vehicles that a vehicle inspector has inspected and confirmed as conforming to the safety standards (Article 94-5). Submitting the certificate to a Transport Branch Office or Vehicle Inspection and Registration Office waives presenting the actual vehicle for continuing inspection and the like.

This does not mean inspection authority has been transferred from the State. Designation entrusts part of the inspection to the private sector, operated within the framework of State audits and restrictions on issuance for vehicles subject to extraordinary inspection. The conformity certificate and sticker carry a validity period (Article 94-5(6)); confirm the number of days in the current Transport Bureau guidance.

What are the equipment, worker and vehicle-inspector requirements?

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, designation requires the following in addition to certification. Confirm exact dimensions and equipment lists against the notifications, ordinances and the latest guidance of the competent Transport Bureau.

Item	Main content
Equipment, technology, management organisation	Meet the levels set by the Superior Vehicle-Maintenance Operator Certification Rules
Inspection equipment	Hold the inspection equipment set by the Designated Vehicle-Maintenance Business Rules
Facilities	An indoor work area plus a vehicle storage area and a completion inspection site
Workers	At least four (five or more for large vehicles under certain conditions); at least one third must hold a vehicle mechanic qualification
Vehicle inspector	Appointed per workshop under Article 94-4: at least one year of experience as a maintenance supervisor and completed training (six months for a first-class vehicle mechanic)

Large vehicles mean those with a gross weight of 8 tonnes or more, a maximum load of 5 tonnes or more, or a capacity of 30 or more passengers. Appointment or change of a vehicle inspector must be notified to the Director-General within 15 days (Article 94-4(3)). Confirm the detailed qualification requirements in the latest examination and training guidance.

Where and with what documents is the designation application filed?

Item	Content
Filed with	The Transport Branch Office of the prefecture with jurisdiction over the workshop
Review flow	Formal review at the Branch Office → substantive review at the District Transport Bureau → the Director-General decides
Standard period	Per MLIT guidance, roughly 45 days from filing to the designation decision

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The application is accompanied by documents showing the equipment details, inspection machinery, appointment of the vehicle inspector and management organisation. The forms, attachments and fees in the competent Transport Bureau's current guidance govern. The table is not a complete, fixed document list applicable to every workshop.

What duties apply after designation? (proper operation, records, conformity certificates)

After designation you must continue to perform inspections properly, keep records and ledgers, and issue conformity certificates appropriately. If a vehicle inspector commits misconduct, the Director-General may order dismissal (Article 94-4(4)), and the person cannot be a vehicle inspector for two years from dismissal (paragraph 5). The designation itself may be revoked if the standards are no longer met.

Professional or business	Role
四葉行政書士事務所	Preparing designation-application documents and procedural guidance
District Transport Bureau / Branch Office	Checking vehicle-inspector appointment requirements; the designation review
Equipment supplier	Installing inspection machinery, the completion inspection site and buildings
Judicial scrivener	Incorporation and change registrations
四葉社会保険労務士事務所	Labour matters such as inspectors' overtime and shifts

四葉行政書士事務所, 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 and 四葉不動産株式会社 are separate, independent businesses (独立した事業体). Each field is engaged under a separate contract with its responsible provider, who bills and receives payment directly. Our office receives no referral fees. The Transport Bureau and Branch Office are administrative windows, not providers engaged under a professional-services contract.

See licensing support, the engagement process and fees.

FAQ

Q. If I hold certification, is designation unnecessary?
A. Certification is the qualification to perform specified maintenance; designation is the qualification to inspect in-house and issue a conformity certificate. You need designation to inspect in-house and waive presenting the vehicle, and certification is its prerequisite.

Q. Does designation mean I no longer go to the State inspection site?
A. Submitting the conformity certificate waives presenting the vehicle for continuing inspection and the like. It is operated within State audits, extraordinary-inspection cases and issuance restrictions, so not all inspection authority transfers.

Q. Can anyone become a vehicle inspector?
A. Requirements include at least one year of experience as a maintenance supervisor and completed training (six months for a first-class vehicle mechanic). The inspector is appointed per workshop and notified to the Director-General. Confirm the details in the latest examination and training guidance.

Q. Where is the designation application filed and how long does it take?
A. File it with the Transport Branch Office that has jurisdiction over the workshop; after the Branch Office's formal review and the District Transport Bureau's substantive review, the Director-General decides. Per MLIT guidance, roughly 45 days from filing.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov: Road Transport Vehicle Act: Article 78 (certification), 94-2 (designation), 94-4 (vehicle inspector), 94-5 (conformity certificate).
• MLIT: difference between certification and designation, designated vehicle-maintenance business: requirements, waiver of vehicle presentation, review period. Checked 2026-10-12.
• Designated Vehicle-Maintenance Business Rules; Superior Vehicle-Maintenance Operator Certification Rules (inspection-equipment and management-organisation standards).

Checked on 2026-10-12. The provisions were checked against the e-Gov XML and the requirements against MLIT pages, but the full text of each page could not be fully retrieved. The number of validity days for the conformity certificate, exact equipment dimensions and lists, the detailed vehicle-inspector qualification requirements, and the fees and forms are unverified. Reconfirm with the competent Transport Bureau's latest guidance before applying.

This is general information and does not guarantee the grant of designation, required documents, the review period or inspector qualifications. Human qualified professionals and the responsible authority assess individual matters after checking the records. Written by 浦松 丈二, administrative scrivener and licensed real-estate transaction specialist.