To drive legally in Japan, you have two options: obtain a Japanese license or use an International Driving Permit (IDP). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, if you want to drive in other countries than Japan and your home country, an IDP is the way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You need to obtain an IDP in your home country. If you\u2019ve already arrived in Japan, don\u2019t worry\u2014it\u2019s still possible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first way to gain your IDP is to visit a branch in person. You should download and fill out your application in advance, but you can often take the two passport pictures you need at the branch office. You\u2019ll also need to present your license and pay a permit fee (the amount depends on your country of origin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your second option is to apply by mail. This allows you to apply for the IDP from anywhere in the world. Mail your completed application form along with two passport photos (signed on the back), the permit fee, and a photocopy of both sides of your license. However, this option may come with risks (see below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alternatively, you can apply and receive an IDP while in Japan if you have plans to travel to another country. You can get an IDP using your Japanese driver\u2019s license. The permit is valid for one year from the date of issue and must be used in conjunction with your Japanese license. The process generally takes one hour and requires a visit to a license center within the prefecture where you live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
License centers may offer this service only at specific times or on certain days. Although the requirements remain the same, procedures at each license center will vary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the license center:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people, especially those who came to Japan before 2002 are unaware that they are driving on an invalid IDP and are in danger of suffering fines, jail time, or even deportation if they are discovered during a routine traffic stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before 2002, you could renew your IDP repeatedly with a valid overseas license, instead of formally applying for a Japanese driver\u2019s license. But, after the law changed, the use of an IDP became limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After your IDP expires, you must convert your foreign license to a Japanese license. You may not renew it unless you leave the country again for at least three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though this law changed more than 20 years ago, the information has still not completely filtered out to the foreign communities of Japan, with many people risking penalties of up to one year imprisonment, loss of employment, or deportation every time they get behind the wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2011 saw two high profile drivers arrested for driving without a license in Japan in situations involving invalid IDPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japanese golf star Ryo Ishikawa was the first. Ryo Ishikawa was named Sports Illustrated\u2019s Sportsman of the Year for promising to donate all of his golf earnings for 2011 to support relief projects related to Japan\u2019s recent devastating tsunami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The award and the golf pro\u2019s notoriety did not help when he was caught driving on an invalid IDP\u2014he was arrested and charged. Ishikawa had acquired a United States driver\u2019s license and IDP while playing in the U.S., but he failed to notice that an IDP only continues to be valid if the license holder has been outside of Japan for more than three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second arrest of 2011 was \u201cthat foreign guy from the Softbank commercials with the cute dog,\u201d which is how most people in Japan know American actor Dante Carver<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carver was stopped in Shibuya after making an illegal U-turn. When asked by police for his license, he produced an invalid IDP and was arrested. Having lived in Japan since 2005, he was well beyond the legal limit for driving with an IDP. It appears that he had been renewing his IDP and continuing to use it, unintentionally breaking the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law seems cut and dry on paper, but the advice provided is often confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United Kingdom and New Zealand embassies in Tokyo both recommend that their citizens living in Japan abide by the rules as written and utilize an IDP for no more than their first 365 days in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.S. and Australian Embassies advise their citizens to use an IDP in Japan for no longer than 90 days if on a tourist visa and not at all for those residing in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The differing advice is related to comments by police officials in Japan that they prefer an IDP be used only by visitors to Japan, rather than residents. While the rule is written clearly, it is interpreted differently throughout Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.S. embassy advises its citizens that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cResidents\u201d are expected to convert or obtain a Japanese driver\u2019s license. Persons using an international driver\u2019s license who are a resident in Japan can be subject to fines or arrest. The exact boundary between \u201cresident\u201d and \u201cnot resident\u201d is unclear. In practice it seems to involve more than simply visa status or length of stay in Japan and is determined by the police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have heard from several Americans who were told by the police that using an IDP after exiting and then returning to Japan, when you are residing in Japan, after you have obtained an Resident Card, or after 90 days in Japan or using a license obtained by mail is illegal. In two instances, following accidents, Americans were charged with driving without a license\u2014a serious offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Driving without a license may also void your insurance coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Australian embassy advises its citizens that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Australians can drive in Japan on an International Driver\u2019s Permit (in conjunction with your Australian driver\u2019s license) up to 365 days following their initial entry into Japan. However, local authorities expect anyone who is residing in Japan (i.e. those not on a 90-day temporary visitor entry visa) to drive with a Japanese license, not an International Driver\u2019s Permit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The safest option is to convert your foreign driver\u2019s license to a Japanese license immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the law gives you a grace period of one year, in practice you could be cited anyway. When you consider that a conviction for driving without a license will void your insurance coverage as well, driving on an IDP as a resident is simply too much risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BigPAPA8<\/a>, CC BY 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To drive legally in Japan, you have two options: obtain a Japanese license or use an International Driving Permit (IDP). Of course, if you want to drive in other countries than Japan and your home country, an IDP is the way to go. Obtaining an IDP You need to obtain an IDP in your home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":51902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,134,135,61,37],"tags":[78,136,62],"class_list":["post-1810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hr-group","category-japan-drivers-license","category-lease-japan","category-relo-japan","category-tokyo-2","tag-cars-and-driving","tag-international-drivers-license-idp","tag-login"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1810"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51927,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1810\/revisions\/51927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Legal Advice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n