Can you drive in Japan on your own licence or an International Driving Permit?

Which documents let a visitor drive in Japan?

To drive in Japan you must carry one of three documents, according to the National Police Agency:¹

1. A Japanese driving licence.¹
2. An International Driving Permit issued under the Convention on Road Traffic signed in Geneva on 19 September 1949, in the form that convention sets out.¹²
3. A licence from a country or region that does not issue Geneva permits but whose licensing system Japan recognises as equivalent, with a Japanese translation made by an approved body. At present that means Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan.¹

The agency's chart gives examples of main parties to the Geneva Convention, including the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Hong Kong, and of main non-parties, including China, Vietnam, Brazil and Indonesia.²

The agency also publishes samples of permit formats from different countries, but warns that the list is not complete and may not show the latest formats.¹

Who can make the Japanese translation?

For the six licences above, only a translation from a body set by government ordinance counts. The National Police Agency lists three kinds:¹

• The foreign authority that issued the licence, or that country's consulate, for example its embassy or consulate in Japan.¹
• A body that the foreign licensing authority has notified to Japan's National Public Safety Commission and that the Commission accepts. The agency names the body for Taiwanese licences and a German automobile club for German licences.¹
• Corporations designated by the National Public Safety Commission as able to translate foreign licences properly. The National Police Agency lists them on its own page.¹

A translation by a foreign sworn or legal translator is not accepted, the agency warns.¹

We do not link to translation providers; contact the bodies named by the agency directly.

How long can I drive on it?

An International Driving Permit or a foreign licence with translation is valid for driving in Japan for one year from the day you land, or until the document expires, whichever is shorter. An International Driving Permit is itself valid for one year from the date it is issued.¹

The agency explains that the one-year validity of the permit comes from the Geneva Convention, which Japan has signed.³

People registered as residents in Japan who leave and come back within three months do not start a new period on their return; the agency warns that driving after the period has ended counts as driving without a licence, even with a valid permit.¹³

Can I renew the permit in Japan or swap it for a Japanese licence?

No. Each country issues its own International Driving Permit under the convention, so a permit cannot be renewed in Japan, and Japan does not convert an International Driving Permit into a Japanese licence.³

Holders of a foreign licence itself can apply for a Japanese licence with parts of the test waived, provided they spent at least three months in total in the issuing country after getting the licence. The application is made in person at the licence centre for their address in Japan, and people not on Japan's resident register generally cannot apply.¹

What this page cannot tell you

• Other permit types are not listed. The National Police Agency lists what is accepted: the Geneva permit and the six translated licences. It does not discuss other permit types separately, so we do not either.
• Car hire is not covered. What a hire company asks for is not described in the official pages we used; check with the company.
• Road rules are not covered. This page is about which documents are valid, not about driving rules, tolls or insurance.
• Not legal advice. For your case, ask the prefectural police driving licence centre.

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