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What you need to drive in Japan

If you do not possess any of the following, you will be treated as driving without a license and will not be permitted to drive in Japan. Furthermore, when using TBC Rent-a-Car, all of the required licenses listed below must be valid and original documents must be presented. (Copies are not accepted.)

Driving with an International Driving Permit

To drive with an international driver's license, you need the following three things:

① International Driving Permit

Issued by a signatory to the Geneva Convention in accordance with the Geneva Convention. *The validity period of an International Driving Permit is one year from the date of issue. Please be sure to check that the period you intend to use the rental car is within the validity period.

② Driver's license

An international driving permit must be issued in the country that issued it. *French driving permits do not qualify.

③ Passport

The nationality of your passport does not matter.

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How to verify your International Driving Permit under the Geneva Convention

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① The names of the signatory states to the Geneva Convention are listed.

Please check if your country's name is listed in the list of member countries in the table below.

② The year of the Geneva Convention, "September 19, 1949," is listed.

*This year is always printed on the cover. Items with any other year printed on them cannot be used in Japan. Also, items that have both the year of the Geneva Convention and the year of another convention printed on them cannot be used.

③ The rental period is within one year from the date of issuance.

An International Driving Permit issued under the Geneva Convention is valid for one year from the date of issue.

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① It includes the last name, first name, place of origin, date of birth, and address.

② There are categories A through E for the types of vehicles that can be driven, and a stamp will be placed on one of them.

③ The person in the photo is the person in question.

Member states of the Geneva Convention (1949)

Asia

  • Philippines

  • India

  • Thailand

  • Bangladesh

  • Malaysia

  • Singapore

  • Sri Lanka

  • Cambodia

  • Laos

  • South Korea

  • Hong Kong

  • Macau

America

  • America

  • Canada

  • Peru

  • Cuba

  • Ecuador

  • Argentina

  • Chile

  • Paraguay

  • Barbados

  • dominican republic

  • Guatemala

  • Haiti

  • Trinidad and Tobago

  • Venezuela

  • Jamaica

Europe

  • England

  • Greece

  • Norway

  • Denmark

  • Sweden

  • Netherlands

  • France

  • Italy

  • Russia

  • Serbia

  • Montenegro

  • Spain

  • Finland

  • Portugal

  • Austria

  • Belgium

  • Poland

  • Ireland

  • Hungary

  • Romania

  • Iceland

  • Bulgaria

  • Malta

  • Albania

  • Luxembourg

  • Monaco

  • San Marino

  • Vatican

  • Kyrgyzstan

  • Georgia

  • Czech Republic

  • Slovakia

  • Slovenia

  • Estonia

  • Croatia

Middle East

  • Türkiye

  • Israel

  • Syria

  • Cyprus

  • Jordan

  • Lebanon

  • United Arab Emirates

Oceania

  • new zealand

  • Fiji

  • Australia

  • Papua New Guinea

Africa

  • South Africa

  • Central Africa

  • Egypt

  • Ghana

  • Algeria

  • Morocco

  • Botswana

  • Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Congo

  • Benin

  • Côte d'Ivoire

  • Lesotho

  • Madagascar

  • Malawi

  • Mari

  • Niger

  • Rwanda

  • Senegal

  • Sierra Leone

  • Togo

  • Tunisia

  • Uganda

  • Zimbabwe

  • Namibia

  • Burkina Faso

  • Nigeria

[!] The following international driving permits are not valid for driving in Japan. [!]

  • International driving permits issued in the format of other conventions such as Vienna (1968), Paris (1926), and the Washington Convention (1943).

  • International driving permits issued by organizations or private companies that do not have the authority to issue them (IDL, IAA, KIDA, IDD, IADA, ITDL, etc.)

  • International driving permits issued in countries that are not signatories to the Geneva Convention (including those that resemble international driving permits based on the Geneva Convention).

  • Even within countries that are signatories to the Geneva Convention, the country that issued the driver's license and the country that issued the international driving permit may be different. (Example: A driver's license issued in the United States and an international driving permit issued in Canada)

[!] Important Notice [!]

  • If you hold a driver's license issued in the Philippines but are a non-Filipino national, we may ask to verify your travel history to the Philippines. If we suspect that your driver's license or international driving permit is fraudulent, obtained from the internet or elsewhere, we will refuse to rent you a vehicle.

Driving with a foreign driver's license

To drive with a foreign driver's license, the following three things are required:

① Foreign driver's license

Driver's licenses from Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, and Monaco.

②公式日本語翻訳文

Only translations issued by the embassy or consulate of the country whose foreign driver's license you are using, or by the Japan Automobile Federation, are valid. The validity period of the translation is the same as the validity period of the driver's license. Please be sure to check that the period you intend to use your vehicle is within the validity period. However, even if your license is still valid, you can only drive in Japan for one year from the date you enter the country.
*If there are any changes to the information provided (e.g., change of address), you will need to re-obtain the information.
*For those holding a Taiwanese driver's license, only translations issued by the Taiwan Driver's License Center, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, or the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) are valid.

③パスポート

The nationality of your passport does not matter.

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[!] Important Notice for Customers with a Taiwanese Driver's License [!]

  • If your driver's license has an expiration date printed on it, please check if the period during which you intend to drive in Japan is within that period.

  • Taiwanese driver's licenses do not expire, but if the expiration date printed on the license has passed, be sure to renew it to an unlimited driver's license before creating a translation.

  • If the expiration date on this document has expired after the period during which you are driving in Japan, you cannot drive in Japan.

Publication of Japanese translation

Japanese translations can be obtained from embassies and consulates of various countries, or from JAF branches throughout Japan.
*For those holding a Taiwanese driver's license, only translations issued by the Taiwan Driver's License Center, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, or the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) are valid.

Cars that can be driven

Those who drive with a foreign driver's license/official Japanese translation

If you are using a 10-passenger vehicle (WD class), please be sure to check if you fall into one of the following categories.
*If your vehicle does not fall under this category, you cannot drive a 10-seater vehicle in Japan (it will be treated as driving without a license).

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