Valid Driving License in Japan

A valid driving license is required for drivers for driving in Japan. To drive in Japan, you must have either of the following licenses:

・Japanese Driving License
・International Driving License (issued by a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention)
・Foreign Driving License (issued in Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan)＋A Japanese translation of the domestic driving license
・“U.S. Forces, Japan-Operator’s Permit for Civilian Vehicle” and “Military ID card”

  • International Driving License
Drivers are required to present both their passport and an international driving license.
Drivers are required to present both their passport and an International Driving License issued by a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention (including two administrative regions) .

Those with an International Driving License issued under different conventions – the 1926 Paris Convention, the 1943 Washington Convention and the 1968 Vienna Convention – are not allowed to drive in Japan.

List of the contracting states
of the Convention at Geneva 1949

International Driving License is valid for one year from the date of issuance (the date of issuance to be confirmed), and the period of validity for driving a car in Japan is one year from the date of entry into Japan (the date of entry to be confirmed with the entry stamp in the passport).
*When foreign nationals registered on Japan’s Basic Resident Register (or Alien Registration) System drive in Japan with an international driving license, the following two conditions must be satisfied:
1) Their international driving license shall be valid for one year from the date of re-entry, after spending at least three consecutive months overseas (not necessarily in the country or region where the permit was issued).
*In case they have returned to Japan less than three months after leaving Japan (i.e., less than three consecutive months, not a total of three months), the date of their return shall not be considered as the date of re-entry (from which the validity of an international driving license and a foreign driving license are calculated).

2) They shall have a valid international driving license, which expires one year from the date of issuance.
Once you pass through the Automated Gate in the landing/departure examination area, you are required to ask the immigration officer to issue you a passport stamp or show us the air ticket stub.
Please note that we reserve the right to refuse service to you if the date of landing in Japan cannot be confirmed.
Both an international driving license issued by a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention (including two administrative regions) and a passport must be presented.
An international driving license is valid for one year from the date of issuance (the date of issuance to be confirmed), and the period of validity for driving a car in Japan is one year from the date of entry into Japan (the date of entry to be confirmed with the entry stamp in the passport). Those with an international driving permit issued under different conventions – the 1926 Paris Convention, the 1943 Washington Convention and the 1968 Vienna Convention – are not allowed to drive in Japan.
  • Types of vehicle that can be driven
Please check that your permit has stamp(s) in B,D box(es) according to the type(s) of vehicle that can be driven.
B: Passenger car (a maximum of 9 passengers) C0～C5, W1～W3, SUV1～SUV4, V0～V3, T0～T1 class
C: Truck(allowable maximum load over 3.5t)T2～T5 class
D: Large passenger vehicle (10 passengers or more)W4, BUS2 class
* To drive a car in the W4 class, the license must have a stamp in the D box.
  • Foreign Driving License
If you have a domestic driving license of Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, and its Japanese translation, you are allowed to drive in Japan for one year from the date of entry into Japan. Please take the following two documents and your passport with you to the office when you pick up the car.
A Japanese translation of the domestic driving license
The Japanese translation of the domestic driving license is issued by the embassy and consulate in Japan or the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). For JAF, please click the link below. A driving license issued in Taiwan must be accompanied by a translation by JAF or the Japan-Taiwan Relations Association.
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/translation/with.htm