If you have a foreign driver's license, you will need an "international driver's license" to drive in Japan.

You must have one of the following licenses:

・Regular domestic driver's license (for those living in Japan)

・International driver's license (issued by a country that is a member of the Geneva Convention based on the Geneva Convention)

・Foreign driver's license (Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, Taiwan) + Japanese translation

About International Driver's Licenses

You must present your international driver's license from a member country of the Geneva Convention (1949) and your passport at the same time.

An international driver's license is valid for one year from issue (be sure to check the issue date) and is valid for driving in Japan for one year from the date of entry into Japan (check the stamp on your passport with the date of entry into Japan). Driving with an international driver's license in a format based on the Paris Convention (1926), Washington Convention (1943), or Vienna Convention (1968) is not permitted in Japan.

*However, a Japanese international driver's license issued in Japan cannot be used to drive in Japan.

*Countries that have signed the Geneva Convention but do not issue international driver's licenses in accordance with the convention: France and Belgium (drivers from these countries are permitted to drive in Japan with a domestic driver's license and a Japanese translation)

*For more information, please visit the National Police Agency's website [https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/traffic_safety/drivers_licenses/geneva.html].

*For more information, please visit the All Japan Rent-a-Car Association's website [https://rental-car-tips.jp/en/rentacar/].

Warning

*International driver's licenses issued in accordance with the Paris Convention (1926), Washington Convention (1943), and Vienna Convention (1968) do not allow the holder to drive in Japan.

*If a person who is registered in the Japanese Basic Resident Register or has been registered as a foreign resident wishes to drive a car in Japan with an international driver's license, the following two conditions must be met at the same time.

① Staying outside of Japan for more than three consecutive months, one year from the date of re-entry. (Does not necessarily have to be from the country or region where the license was issued.)

*If you re-enter Japan within less than three months (continuously, not total) after leaving Japan, the date of re-entry will not be the "date of landing (starting date of the validity period of the international driver's license and foreign driver's license)".

②Expiration date of the international driver's license

If you enter or leave Japan through an "automated gate", please inform the staff when passing through the gate and have them stamp your entry/exit, or we will check the date of your entry into Japan on your airline ticket stub.
Please note that we will not be able to rent you a car if we are unable to confirm your return/re-entry date.

About Vehicles you can drive

Please make sure that there is a stamp in the appropriate place for vehicle classification B, C, or D that you can drive.

B: Standard car (9 passengers or less)

C: Large freight vehicle (total vehicle weight 3.5t or more)

D: Large passenger vehicle (10 passengers or more)

About Foreign driver's licenses

If you hold a driver's license from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan, you can drive for one year after landing in Japan by carrying a Japanese translation of that license. Please bring the following two items and the driver's passport to the store.

Abut Issuance of a Japanese translation


Japanese translations can be issued at embassies and consulates of each country, or at JAF branches throughout Japan. For more information about JAF, please see the following page.
For Taiwan, a translation issued by JAF or the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association is required.