International Driving Permit for Japanese drivers
Japanese licence holders drive on the left at home and Japan is a contracting state to the Geneva 1949 convention. What that changes abroad, and how to get your IDP online.
What changes when a Japanese driver goes abroad
Japan is a contracting state to the 1949 Geneva Convention but not the 1968 Vienna Convention. Worth knowing before you book: 31 of the countries we cover — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam among them — recognise the 1968 Vienna form instead, so check the destination page before you drive there.
And coming the other way. Japan recognises only the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP. Carry your home licence and passport too. Drivers from a few countries (France, Germany, Switzerland, etc.) need an official Japanese translation instead of an IDP. It is worth knowing what Japan asks of visiting drivers, because it is the same question every destination will ask of you — see the Japan destination page for the detail.
The other change is the road itself. You drive on the left at home, and 118 of the 154 destinations we cover drive on the right — Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico among them. Licensing age travels too: Japan licenses from 18, but the destination's minimum is what applies when you get there, and rental desks add their own on top.
How to get your IDP as a Japanese driver
You don't need to visit an office. Get your International Driving Permit online with International DL — we translate your licence into the languages the road-traffic conventions set out and issue your IDP digitally, ready before you fly.
Where it changes most for Japanese drivers
Destinations whose rules differ most from Japan — a different side of the road, a different convention, or an IDP that is required rather than recommended.
Common questions from Japanese drivers
Do Japanese drivers need an International Driving Permit?
Japanese driving licences are not issued in the Latin alphabet, so an International Driving Permit matters when you drive abroad. Many countries expect a certified translation of your licence, and rental agencies will ask to see it. An IDP is a certified translation of your national licence and never replaces it, so carry your licence, your passport and your IDP together.
Will I be driving on the other side of the road?
At home you drive on the left. 118 of the 154 destinations we cover drive on the right, including Italy, France, Spain — worth checking before you book a car, because it changes more than the steering wheel.
What is the minimum driving age for Japanese drivers abroad?
You can hold a licence from 18 in Japan, but the age that counts abroad is the destination's, and rental companies set their own minimum on top of it — frequently 21 or 25, with a young-driver surcharge. Each destination page lists the local minimum.
Is my Japan driver's licence valid abroad?
Your Japan licence stays valid at home. Abroad it is presented together with an IDP, which translates it into the languages the road-traffic conventions set out for police and rental agencies.
How do Japanese citizens get an IDP?
You can get a digital International Driving Permit online from International DL — apply, upload a photo of your licence, and we issue it without a trip to an office.
How long is an International Driving Permit valid?
For the term you choose when you apply, and only while your national licence is still valid — an IDP translates that licence, so it cannot outlive it.
Travelling abroad soon?
Get your digital International Driving Permit in minutes and drive worry-free wherever you go.
Get my IDP →IDP for other nationalities
Checked 30 October 2026. Driving rules change and can vary by destination and nationality. Always confirm the current requirements with the embassy or official transport authority of your destination before you travel.