Even if you do not have a Japanese driver’s license, you can drive in Japan if you have one of the following driver’s licenses.
Please check the official information of the relevant country for use yourself.
■A driver’s license from a foreign country (a country or region that does not issue international driver’s licenses but has a licensing system recognized as being of a level equivalent to that of Japan) for driving a motor vehicle, etc.
You can drive if you have both a driver’s license from the relevant country and a Japanese translation (prepared by an institution designated by government ordinance*).
- Applicable Countries
Switzerland
The Federal Republic of Germany
The Republic of France
The Kingdom of Belgium
The Principality of Monaco,
Taiwan
- Institutions designated by goverment ordinance*
License issuing agency or embassy/consulate of that country in Japan
Taiwan Japanese Relations Association for Taiwanese driver’s licenses
German Automobile Association for German driver’s licenses
JAF, Zip Plus Co., Ltd.
Association for Support of Drivers Visiting Japan
- terms of use
Carrying your own driver’s license and its Japanese translation(prepared by an institution designated by government ordinance*)
An international driver’s license issued by a country which is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions and conforms to the forms prescribed by the Conventions.
※An international driver’s license issued by a country that is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions but issued in accordance with other conventions (such as the Vienna Convention) is not valid for driving in Japan.
You can drive if you have both your national driver’s license and an international driver’s license.
- States Parties to the Geneva Conventions, Special Administrative Regions, etc.
Iceland
Ivory Coast
Trinidad and Tobago
Belgium
Ireland
Congo
Turkey
Botswana
United States
Democratic Republic of Congo
Nigeria
Poland
United Arab Emirates
San Marino
Namibia
Portugal
Algeria
Sierra Leone
Niger
Madagascar
Argentina
Jamaica
Japan
Malawi
Albania
Georgia
New Zealand
Mali
Israel
Syria
Norway
Malta
Italy
Singapore
Haiti
Malaysia
India
Zimbabwe
Vatican
South Africa
Uganda
Sweden
Papua New Guinea
Monaco
United Kingdom
Ecuador Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Barbados
Montenegro
Egypt
Slovakia
Bahrain
Jordan
Republic of Estonia
Slovenia
Hungary
Lao People’s Republic
Australia
Senegal
Bangladesh
Lithuania
Austria
Serbia
Fiji
Liechtenstein
Netherlands
Thailand
Philippines
Luxembourg
Ghana
Republic of Korea
Finland
Romania
Canada
Czech Republic
France
Rwanda
Cambodia
Central Asia
Bulgaria
Lesotho
Cyprus
Tunisia
Burkina Faso Lebanon
Cuba
Chile
Brunei
Russian Federation
Greece
Denmark
Benin
Guatemala
Togo
Venezuela
Croatia
Dominican Republic
Peru
- terms of use
The following requirements must be met in order to drive with an international driver’s license.
１，Must be within one year from the issuance of the international driver’s license.
２，Must be within one year from the date of landing in Japan.
３，The so-called “three-month rule” stipulated in Article 107-2 of the Road Traffic Law is not violated.
４，Carrying an international driver’s license and your home country’s driver’s license.
Please click on the link below for more information. kokusaimenkyo_english.pdf
