What You Need to Drive

Japan has strict legal requirements for driving. A licence from your home country is not enough on its own.

You must be between 18 and 85 years old, and you must bring one of the four document sets below.

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Option 1 — Japanese Driving Licence

If you live in Japan and hold a licence issued by a Prefectural Public Safety Commission, bring it with you. Nothing else is required.

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Option 2 — Foreign Licence + International Driving Permit

Your IDP must be issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. This is the only type Japan accepts. Permits issued under the Paris (1926), Washington (1943), or Vienna (1968) conventions are not valid here.

Your IDP must be issued by an official authority in your own country, usually the national automobile association. It is valid for one year from the date of issue.

Is my country eligible?

Commonly eligible countries include the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland.

Countries we are often asked about that are not eligible include China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico. If your licence was issued in one of these countries, you will not be able to drive in Japan.

Check your country →

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Option 3 — Foreign Licence + Official Japanese Translation

If your licence was issued in Switzerland, Germany, France, Taiwan, Belgium, Slovenia, or Monaco, you do not need an IDP. Bring an official Japanese translation instead.

The translation must come from an authorised body. Translations you make yourself are not accepted.

Where to get the translation

Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Slovenia, Monaco
Your embassy or consulate in Japan, or any JAF branch.

Taiwan
JAF, the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan. Taiwanese international driving permits are not accepted.

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Option 4 — SOFA Licence (US Forces Japan)

Driving licences issued by the US Armed Forces under the Status of Forces Agreement are accepted.

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Residents of Japan using an IDP

If you are registered as a resident of Japan and wish to drive on an International Driving Permit, additional conditions apply. You must have stayed outside Japan for at least three consecutive months, and it must be less than one year since you re-entered the country.

An IDP issued by the Japanese government cannot be used to drive in Japan.

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Still not sure?

It is your responsibility to bring the correct documents. We check every licence at the shop before the tour begins. If the documents are not valid, participation will be refused and no refund can be given.

Email us at info@japan-gokart-osaka.com with a photo of your licence and permit, and we will confirm before you book.