International Driving Permit Japan 2026: Validity and Conversion

Reviewed by the XROSS HOUSE team — a Tokyo-based operator of share houses and furnished apartments across 11 prefectures in Japan, with more than 50,000 residents housed to date.

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Which license can you drive with in Japan?

Most newcomers ask the same thing in their first week: can I just drive on the license I already have? The answer depends on what you carry and how long you have been in Japan.

Japan accepts a foreign license in only two ways. The first is an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. The second applies to licenses from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan: you may use the home license together with an official Japanese translation made by a designated body, such as the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF).

The police count the year from the date you landed. A permit that is valid for three years on paper still stops being usable in Japan one year after you arrive.

Source: Aichi Prefectural Police, Driving with a foreign license (Japanese page) and National Police Agency, If you hold a foreign license (Japanese page) (as of October 2026)

What about tourists?

If you are visiting for a few weeks, the rule is simple. Bring your home license and a valid IDP, and keep both with you whenever you drive. An IDP is issued in your home country, so arrange it before the trip.

Getting an International Driving Permit

An IDP must be issued by the authority designated in the country that gave you your license, and the simplest plan is to get it before you leave. Japanese license centers issue permits only to holders of a Japanese license, not for a foreign one.

Check three things with your issuing authority before you fly:

• That your country issues permits under the 1949 Geneva Convention
• How long the permit stays valid
• Whether your home license will still be valid on the day you plan to drive

If you realise after landing that you have no IDP, ask your home authority whether it can send one. Otherwise, plan on converting your license instead.

Source: National Police Agency, If you hold a foreign license (Japanese page) (as of October 2026)

How long is the permit valid if you live in Japan?

For residents, the key point is the one-year limit. Even a long-validity IDP can be used in Japan only until one year after the day you landed.

Registered residents sometimes assume a short trip abroad resets the clock. It does not. If you are on the resident register and you leave Japan and come back, your landing date does not restart the one-year count unless you stayed outside Japan for 3 consecutive months or more. This includes departures under the special re-entry permit. Short holidays do not renew the period.

So if you plan to live here for more than a year, treat the IDP as a bridge. Start preparing your license conversion early, because the process has several steps.

Source: Aichi Prefectural Police, Driving with a foreign license (Japanese page) (as of October 2026)

Converting your foreign license to a Japanese license

Converting means exchanging your foreign license for a Japanese one. Official sites call it foreign license conversion. Once you have a Japanese license, the one-year limit no longer applies, so it is the long-term answer for residents.

The rules below come from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Other prefectures follow the same national framework but have their own centers and details, so check the prefectural police page for the area where you live.

Requirements

• You must have stayed in the country that issued your license for a total of 3 months or more after you obtained it. Passport stamps and similar records can show this.
• You must live in the area covered by the center, for example Tokyo for Tokyo centers.
• You must meet the eyesight standards.
• You must bring original documents only. Copies are not accepted.
• Residents submit a copy of a certificate of residence, issued within the last 6 months, with the specified items listed.

The knowledge test and the practical driving test apply unless your country is exempt (see the next section). The practical test is by reservation only, and you book it on the web. Applications are accepted on weekdays.

Where to apply in Tokyo

Fuchu and Samezu handle licenses from all countries. Koto handles only licenses from the exempt countries and regions listed below. Knowledge tests are available in 20 languages at Fuchu and Samezu on weekdays.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Foreign license conversion (Japanese page) (as of October 2026)

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Which countries skip the tests?

Licenses from 29 countries and regions are exempt from the knowledge test and the practical test. Everyone else takes both. Exemption does not remove the other requirements, such as the 3-month stay and the document checks.

If your license comes from India, the Philippines, or a US state not on the list, expect to take the tests. This is a general rule about the issuing country, not a judgment about any individual driver.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Foreign license conversion (Japanese page) (as of October 2026)

What changed on October 1, 2025

If you read older guides, the test details may be out of date. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department announced these changes, effective October 1, 2025:

• Residents must submit the certificate of residence when applying.
• The knowledge test used to be 10 illustrated questions with 7 correct needed. It is now 50 questions with 45 correct needed, and the illustration questions are gone.
• The practical test adds new tasks, such as passing pedestrian crossings, and uses stricter scoring.

The new knowledge test is much longer and has a higher pass mark than before. Plan extra time for study and driving practice, and book the practical test as early as the web reservation allows.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Notice of changes (Japanese page) (as of October 2026)

A simple step-by-step plan

1. Before you leave home, get an IDP from the authority designated in your country.
2. After you arrive, register your address and get your residence card. See our Japan residence card guide.
3. Keep your passport and any records that show your stay in the issuing country.
4. Check your prefectural police page for your conversion center and the exempt countries.
5. If your country is not exempt, book the practical test and prepare for the 50-question knowledge test.
6. Convert well before the one-year mark of your IDP.

Keep your IDP and your home license together until you hold the Japanese license in your hand.

After you move house, update the address on your Japanese license promptly at a police station or license center. This is easy to forget in the middle of a move.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Changing details on your license (Japanese page) (as of October 2026)

Do you need a car? Think about your home first

Many newcomers in Tokyo and Osaka find they do not need a car at all. Trains and buses cover most daily trips, and parking in central Tokyo is costly. Many apartments have no parking, and where it exists it is often limited and paid separately.

That shapes how you choose a home. In a big city, an apartment near a station may mean you never need to drive. Your residence card is the main ID that landlords ask for, so keep it handy when you apply. In car-friendlier areas such as Aichi and Nagoya, check parking when you choose a home, before you sign.

The order matters too. License conversion asks residents for a certificate of residence, and you can only get one after you register an address at your city office. So in practice the steps run home first, address registration second, license conversion third. If you plan to drive, mention it when you ask about a room, so you can check parking around the building before you decide.

XROSS HOUSE offers two options in 11 prefectures:

• Furnished apartments: the main option. Your own home with furniture and appliances already in the room, so you can move in with a suitcase.
• Share houses: a private room in a shared home. Wi-Fi is included in share houses and shared apartments.

Start-up costs compared with a typical rental

For individual contracts, guarantee company fees are charged separately (details below).

See our fees page for current details, and our cost of living in Japan guide for a monthly budget. Once you are settled, our guide to opening a bank account in Japan is a good next read.

Comparing costs for your first year? Get an estimate for a furnished apartment

Guarantor and guarantee company

• No personal joint guarantor is needed.
• Individual contracts generally require joining a rent guarantee company. An initial guarantee fee and a monthly guarantee fee are charged separately, on top of the initial fee.
• If you pay everything from the initial costs through to the move-out costs in one lump sum at move-in, you do not need to join a guarantee company.

Ask for a written estimate so you can see the total for your stay before you sign.

Planning a move to Japan? Talk to our team about your first home

The first step is a home and an address. If you are looking for a furnished apartment or share house in Japan, XROSS HOUSE can support your search, so please feel free to contact us.