Before you go
This site offers information based on guidance from public agencies, rental car companies and others, to help you get ready for your trip (as of September 2026; it isn’t legal advice), but rules and conditions can change. Before you leave, always check the official guidance listed at the end of this article, and the company you’re booking with, for the latest details.
If you’re renting a car in Japan, getting ready is simple.
What you need is your own country’s license, plus one more document.
Your own license alone won’t let you drive in Japan. It’s the second document that makes it valid for driving.
If you’re wondering whether you should rent a car in the first place, start with “Train or Rental Car in Japan?“
The “one more” comes in two types
The second document is one of these.
- An International Driving Permit (also called an IDP)
- A Japanese translation (your license translated into Japanese, a document from a designated organization)
Which one you need isn’t something you choose.
It depends on the country that issued your license.
For some countries, neither type can be used. If you think yours might be one of them, ask the rental car company before you book whether you can rent with your license.
From the US, Korea and some other countries: an International Driving Permit
If you’re from the US, Korea or some other countries, you need an International Driving Permit.
The one that works in Japan is the booklet made to the format of the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Some countries also issue one in the format of the 1968 Vienna Convention (Thailand, for example). You can’t drive in Japan with that one, so if your country issues both, choose the 1949 one when you apply.
You get it before you leave, in your own country.
How to get one, and what the counter checks, are in “Driving in Japan with an International Driving Permit“.
From Taiwan and some other places: a Japanese translation
If you’re from Taiwan, you need a Japanese translation.
The 國際駕照 (international driving permit) issued in Taiwan can’t be used in Japan. You get a translation instead.
When you drive, you carry the original license with the translation.
Licenses from some European countries, such as Germany and France, are this type too.
You can get the translation in Taiwan before you leave, or after you arrive in Japan.
How to get one, and what to watch for with your address and expiration date, are in “Driving in Japan with a Japanese Translation“.
Not sure which one you are?
The surest guide is the rental car company you’re booking with.
Toyota Rent a Car’s site, for example, has a page called “Check Your Driving Eligibility in Japan”; answer the questions and it tells you whether you can drive in Japan.
It’s in English, and in Traditional Chinese and Korean too.
Note that Toyota Rent a Car doesn’t accept International Driving Permits from countries whose format the Japanese authorities say they’re still checking.
Look up your own case once before you book, and you’ll be a step ahead of what the counter asks.
What to look over at home before you leave
All you do at home before you leave is open your documents and look them over.
Check that you have the originals, and that the second document says the right things (on an International Driving Permit, the stamp for the class of car you’re booking; on a translation, your address). Then, when you land, get an entry stamp at a staffed immigration counter.
Where exactly to look is in “Driving in Japan with an International Driving Permit” and “Driving in Japan with a Japanese Translation” — each covers only its own type.
Check that much at home, and you’re ready.
Three things to show at the counter
Your own country’s license (the original)
The second document (an International Driving Permit or a Japanese translation)
Your passport
Once you have those three, the next question is where you’ll drive.
For the first 10 minutes before you set off, see “Your First 10 Minutes Driving in Japan.”
※ The documents you need to drive, and how the counter checks them, can differ by country and by rental car company. Check your own case in the guidance from the company you’re booking with.
